The great owl ; rather, the arrow-snake ( Serpens jaculus ). Gather under her shadow ; i.e. "gather her young ones under her." There shall the vultures also be gathered ; rather, there verily shall the vultures assemble . read more
Seek ye out of the book of the Lord . By "the book of the Lord" some understand a collected volume of Moses and the prophets, psalmists, etc; previous to Isaiah's time, which they suppose to have existed in his day. But there is no evidence of any such collection. It is better to understand the expression of Isaiah's own prophecies, or of such a collection of them as he had made previously to the composition of the present chapter. Nothing contained in the entire book should, he says, fail... read more
Appeal to the Word. "Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read." Literally, the word is "from upon the book," meaning, "Search it from the top to the bottom; and in so doing you will find abundant illustrations of Divine threatenings faithfully executed." "Be sure that the desolation which is here preannounced to the literal Edom, and which is foretold in other parts of Scripture, as the doom of God's enemies, will be exactly fulfilled in all those who imitate their temper, in rebellion... read more
The Divine Word and human woe. These words are called forth by— I. ANTICIPATED INCREDULITY . The prophet thinks that the solemn threatenings he has uttered will not be credited. He seems to say, "You heard these awful utterances, but you will not heed them; you will indulge the thought that they are nothing more than a fanatic's dream; you think in your hearts that they will never be fulfilled; you imagine that you can afford to disregard them; but you are mistaken, there will be the... read more
He hath cast the lot for them . God, who allots to all the nations of the earth their several countries, has now allotted Idumea to the unclean beasts and birds and reptiles which have been mentioned; henceforth it is formally assigned to them as their habitation. It is throughout to be understood that Idumea stands for the world power, which resists God and will be finally abased and put to shame. read more
But the cormorant - This and the following verses contain a description of the desolations of Edom in language remarkably similar to that employed in the account of the destruction of Babylon Isaiah 13:20-22; Isaiah 14:23. The word here translated ‘cormorant’ (קאת qâ'ath), occurs in this place and in Zephaniah 2:14, where it is rendered ‘cormorant,’ and in Leviticus 11:18; Deuteronomy 14:17; Psalms 102:6, where it is rendered ‘pelican.’ Bochart supposes it is the ardea stellaris, or bitourn,... read more
They shall call the nobles thereof to the kingdom - A more correct rendering of this would be, ‘As to the nobles, they shall call them, but there shall be there no kingdom.’ The idea is, that the kingdom would be desolate; there would be no people to rule. Or, there will be no nobles there who shall survive the destruction, and who can undertake the government of the state. The idea is taken from a government or constitution where the monarch is chosen from the ranks of the nobility. Idumea was... read more
And thorns ... - (see the note at Isaiah 5:6)It shall be an habitation of dragons - On the meaning of the word ‘dragons,’ see the note at Isaiah 13:22.Court for owls - A place of resort, a residence of owls. The word rendered ‘court’ (חציר châtsı̂yr) means a dwelling-place, a habitation, as well as an enclosure or court. The margin is, ‘Daughters of the owl,’ or ‘ostriches’ (see the note at Isaiah 13:21). ‘I would,’ says Stephens, when standing amidst the ruins of Petra, the capital of Idumea... read more
The wild beasts of the desert - There is in the original here a paronomasia, which cannot be conveyed in a translation. The word rendered, ‘wild beasts of the desert’ (ציים tsı̂yı̂ym), is rendered by the Septuagint, δαιμόνια daimonia, ‘demons.’ On the meaning of the word, see the note at Isaiah 13:21.The wild beasts of the island - Margin, ‘Ijim.’ Hebrew, איּים 'ı̂yym (see the note at Isaiah 13:22). Probably the term denotes the jackal. Gesenius supposes it is so called from its howl, or... read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 34:14
Wild beasts of the desert … wild beasts of the island . In the original, tsiyim and ' iyim— "wailers" and "howlers"—probably jackals and wolves, or wolves and hyenas." The satyr (see the comment on Isaiah 13:21 ). The screech owl The word here used, lilith , occurs only in this place. It may be doubted whether any bird, or other animal, is meant. Lilit was the name of a female demon, or wicked fairy, in whom the Assyrians believed—a being thought to vex and persecute her... read more