Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 34:10
It shall not be quenched night nor day - That is, the burning brimstone and pitch Isaiah 34:9, the emblem of perpetual and entire desolation, shall not be extinguished.The smoke thereof shall go up for ever - Every river and rivulet is Supposed to be heated pitch, and every particle of dust sulphur, and a 1 on fire, sending up from an extended region dense columns of smoke to heaven. No idea of ruin could be more sublime; no idea of the vengeance of God more terrible. This image has been copied... read more
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 34:9
And the streams thereof - The idea here is, that there would be as great and awful a destruction as if the streams everywhere should become pitch or resin, which would be set on fire, and which would fill the land with flame. This image is very striking, as we may see by supposing the rivers and streams in any land to flow not with water, but with heated pitch, turpentine, or tar, and that this was all suddenly kindled into a flame. It cannot be supposed that this is to be taken literally. The... read more