Isaiah 34 Study Notes: Judgment on the Nations and Edom
Isaiah summons the nations to hear of the LORD's anger against them, pictured with the heavens rolled away. Edom becomes the chief example, its land made a lasting wasteland inhabited by wild creatures, and readers are told that every word of the LORD's decree will be fulfilled.
General
How wide is the LORD’s anger, according to the summons in 34:1-2?
Answer: It extends to every nation and all their armies
The chapter opens by calling the nations, the peoples, and the whole earth to listen (34:1). The LORD’s anger burns against every nation and its armies, and He will hand them over to destruction (34:2). Edom will be singled out later in the chapter (34:5), but the judgment is first announced against the whole world in rebellion against God. Isaiah had already recorded God’s word that He would punish the world’s wickedness (13:11). The psalmist says the LORD is on His way to bring righteous judgment on the world (Psalm 96:13), and Paul told the Athenians that God has fixed a day for judging everyone through the Man He appointed, Jesus, whom He raised from the dead (Acts 17:31).
- Isaiah 34:1-2 (BSB)“Come near, O nations, to listen; pay attention, O peoples. Let the earth hear, and all that fills it, the world and all that springs from it. The LORD is angry with all the nations and furious with all their armies. He will devote them to destruction; He will give them over to slaughter.”All nations are summoned to hear that the LORD is angry with them and will give them over to judgment.
- Isaiah 13:11 (BSB)“I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity. I will end the haughtiness of the arrogant and lay low the pride of the ruthless.”God had already announced that He would punish the world for its evil.
- Psalm 96:13 (BSB)“before the LORD, for He is coming—He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His faithfulness.”The LORD is coming to judge the whole world in righteousness.
- Acts 17:31 (BSB)“For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.””Paul declares that God has fixed a day to judge the world through the risen Christ.
Theological
What scope does 34:1-2 give to the LORD’s wrath?
Answer: It extends to every nation and all their armies
The oracle summons nations, peoples, the earth, and everything in it (34:1) and announces the LORD’s wrath against every nation and its hosts, devoted to destruction (34:2). Edom will serve as the representative case (34:5), but the horizon is universal judgment. Isaiah has already announced the punishment of the world’s wickedness (13:11); the psalmist sings of the LORD’s coming in righteous judgment (Psalm 96:13); and Paul proclaims a fixed day of world judgment by the risen Christ (Acts 17:31).
- Isaiah 34:1-2 (BSB)“Come near, O nations, to listen; pay attention, O peoples. Let the earth hear, and all that fills it, the world and all that springs from it. The LORD is angry with all the nations and furious with all their armies. He will devote them to destruction; He will give them over to slaughter.”All nations are summoned to hear that the LORD is angry with them and will give them over to judgment.
- Isaiah 13:11 (BSB)“I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity. I will end the haughtiness of the arrogant and lay low the pride of the ruthless.”God had already announced that He would punish the world for its evil.
- Psalm 96:13 (BSB)“before the LORD, for He is coming—He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His faithfulness.”The LORD is coming to judge the whole world in righteousness.
- Acts 17:31 (BSB)“For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.””Paul declares that God has fixed a day to judge the world through the risen Christ.
General
True or False: According to 34:9-10, Edom’s land would lie ruined only briefly and would soon be resettled and traveled again.
Answer: False
This is false. Isaiah describes Edom’s streams and soil turned to burning pitch and sulfur, with smoke rising continually; the land will stay empty age after age, and travelers will never cross it again (34:9-10). The picture recalls the sulfur and fire that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24-25), and Jeremiah also compared Edom’s fall to the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah (Jeremiah 49:17-18). Malachi later recorded that God had turned Edom’s hill country into waste and that any attempt to rebuild would be torn down (Malachi 1:3-4).
- Isaiah 34:9-10 (BSB)“Edom’s streams will be turned to tar, and her soil to sulfur; her land will become a blazing pitch. It will not be quenched—day or night. Its smoke will ascend forever. From generation to generation it will lie desolate; no one will ever again pass through it.”Edom’s land becomes burning pitch and sulfur and lies desolate from generation to generation.
- Genesis 19:24-25 (BSB)“Then the LORD rained down sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens. Thus He destroyed these cities and the entire plain, including all the inhabitants of the cities and everything that grew on the ground.”The sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah supply the background image for Edom’s ruin.
- Jeremiah 49:17-18 (BSB)““Edom will become an object of horror. All who pass by will be appalled and will scoff at all her wounds. As Sodom and Gomorrah were overthrown along with their neighbors,” says the LORD, “no one will dwell there; no man will abide there.”Jeremiah compares Edom’s fall to the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, with no one living there.
- Malachi 1:3-4 (BSB)“but Esau I have hated, and I have made his mountains a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.” Though Edom may say, “We have been devastated, but we will rebuild the ruins,” this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “They may build, but I will demolish. They will be called the Land of Wickedness, and a people with whom the LORD is indignant forever.”Malachi records that God made Edom’s mountains a wasteland and would thwart its rebuilding.
Theological
True or False: According to 34:9-10, Edom’s land would lie ruined only briefly and would soon be resettled and traveled again.
Answer: False
This is false. The oracle portrays Edom’s streams turned to pitch and its soil to sulfur, a fire unquenched and smoke ascending perpetually, with the land empty age after age and none passing through (34:9-10). The imagery evokes the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24-25), to which Jeremiah likewise compares Edom (Jeremiah 49:17-18). Malachi later testifies that God had turned Edom’s hill country into waste and would frustrate every attempt to rebuild (Malachi 1:3-4).
- Isaiah 34:9-10 (BSB)“Edom’s streams will be turned to tar, and her soil to sulfur; her land will become a blazing pitch. It will not be quenched—day or night. Its smoke will ascend forever. From generation to generation it will lie desolate; no one will ever again pass through it.”Edom’s land becomes burning pitch and sulfur and lies desolate from generation to generation.
- Genesis 19:24-25 (BSB)“Then the LORD rained down sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens. Thus He destroyed these cities and the entire plain, including all the inhabitants of the cities and everything that grew on the ground.”The sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah supply the background image for Edom’s ruin.
- Jeremiah 49:17-18 (BSB)““Edom will become an object of horror. All who pass by will be appalled and will scoff at all her wounds. As Sodom and Gomorrah were overthrown along with their neighbors,” says the LORD, “no one will dwell there; no man will abide there.”Jeremiah compares Edom’s fall to the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, with no one living there.
- Malachi 1:3-4 (BSB)“but Esau I have hated, and I have made his mountains a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.” Though Edom may say, “We have been devastated, but we will rebuild the ruins,” this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “They may build, but I will demolish. They will be called the Land of Wickedness, and a people with whom the LORD is indignant forever.”Malachi records that God made Edom’s mountains a wasteland and would thwart its rebuilding.
General
What happens to the heavens in the picture of judgment in 34:4?
Answer: The sky rolls away as a scroll does, and stars drop like leaves
Isaiah uses cosmic language for the LORD’s judgment: the stars dissolve, the sky rolls away like a scroll while the stars drop like dry leaves from a vine or fig tree (34:4). Isaiah used similar language when announcing the fall of Babylon (13:10). The point is that when God judges, everything that seemed permanent can be removed. The New Testament uses the same imagery. Jesus spoke of stars falling from the sky (Matthew 24:29), and Revelation describes the sky receding as a scroll is rolled and stars falling like figs (Revelation 6:13-14). Hebrews says God will roll up the heavens like a robe, but He Himself remains the same (Hebrews 1:10-12).
- Isaiah 34:4 (BSB)“All the stars of heaven will be dissolved. The skies will be rolled up like a scroll, and all their stars will fall like withered leaves from the vine, like foliage from the fig tree.”The judgment is pictured in cosmic terms: the sky rolled up and the stars falling like leaves.
- Matthew 24:29 (BSB)“Immediately after the tribulation of those days: ‘The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.’”Jesus uses similar language of stars falling and heavenly powers shaken.
- Revelation 6:13-14 (BSB)“and the stars of the sky fell to the earth like unripe figs dropping from a tree shaken by a great wind. The sky receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.”Revelation echoes this verse with stars falling like figs and the sky rolled up like a scroll.
- Hebrews 1:10-12 (BSB)“And: “In the beginning, O Lord, You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed; but You remain the same, and Your years will never end.””Hebrews says the heavens will be rolled up like a robe while the Lord remains the same.
Theological
What cosmic imagery accompanies the judgment in 34:4?
Answer: The sky rolls away as a scroll does, and stars drop like leaves
The judgment is cast in cosmic terms: the heavenly lights dissolve, the skies roll away like a scroll while the stars drop like dry leaves from vine and fig tree (34:4). Isaiah used comparable imagery for the fall of Babylon (13:10); such language portrays God’s overthrow of the powers and order of the world. Jesus uses it in His teaching on the Mount of Olives (Matthew 24:29), Revelation’s sixth seal echoes this verse with the sky receding as a scroll is rolled and stars falling like figs (Revelation 6:13-14), and Hebrews contrasts the heavens, folded away like a garment, with the unchanging Son (Hebrews 1:10-12).
- Isaiah 34:4 (BSB)“All the stars of heaven will be dissolved. The skies will be rolled up like a scroll, and all their stars will fall like withered leaves from the vine, like foliage from the fig tree.”The judgment is pictured in cosmic terms: the sky rolled up and the stars falling like leaves.
- Matthew 24:29 (BSB)“Immediately after the tribulation of those days: ‘The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.’”Jesus uses similar language of stars falling and heavenly powers shaken.
- Revelation 6:13-14 (BSB)“and the stars of the sky fell to the earth like unripe figs dropping from a tree shaken by a great wind. The sky receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.”Revelation echoes this verse with stars falling like figs and the sky rolled up like a scroll.
- Hebrews 1:10-12 (BSB)“And: “In the beginning, O Lord, You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed; but You remain the same, and Your years will never end.””Hebrews says the heavens will be rolled up like a robe while the Lord remains the same.
General
What point does 34:16-17 make by telling readers to search the LORD’s scroll?
Answer: Every detail God has spoken will surely be carried out
Isaiah invites readers to check the LORD’s written word: none of the creatures he has named will be missing, and none will lack its mate, because God’s own mouth has commanded it and His Spirit will gather them (34:16). God has assigned them the land as their portion, and it will be theirs for generations (34:17). The point is that what God says will happen down to the details. Isaiah later records God’s promise that His word always achieves its purpose (55:11). Balaam confessed that God does not lie or fail to do what He promises (Numbers 23:19), and when Israel settled the land, every good promise God made had come true (Joshua 21:45).
- Isaiah 34:16-17 (BSB)“Search and read the scroll of the LORD: Not one of these will go missing, not one will lack her mate, because He has ordered it by His mouth, and He will gather them by His Spirit. He has allotted their portion; His hand has distributed it by measure. They will possess it forever; they will dwell in it from generation to generation.”Readers are told to search the LORD’s scroll, because what His mouth commanded will be fulfilled exactly.
- Isaiah 55:11 (BSB)“so My word that proceeds from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and it will prosper where I send it.”God says His word will accomplish what He purposes and not return to Him empty.
- Numbers 23:19 (BSB)“God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?”God does not lie or change His mind, so what He says He will do.
- Joshua 21:45 (BSB)“Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to the house of Israel had failed; everything was fulfilled.”Israel’s history confirmed that not one of the LORD’s good promises failed.
Theological
What does the call to search the LORD’s scroll in 34:16-17 emphasize?
Answer: Every detail God has spoken will surely be carried out
The oracle appeals to the written word as a test of its own certainty: not one of the creatures will be missing or lack its mate, for His mouth has commanded it and His Spirit gathers them (34:16); He has apportioned the land to them by His hand for all generations (34:17). God’s decree governs even the details of providence. His word does not return empty (55:11), He neither lies nor fails to fulfill (Numbers 23:19), and Israel’s history bore witness that not one of His good promises failed (Joshua 21:45).
- Isaiah 34:16-17 (BSB)“Search and read the scroll of the LORD: Not one of these will go missing, not one will lack her mate, because He has ordered it by His mouth, and He will gather them by His Spirit. He has allotted their portion; His hand has distributed it by measure. They will possess it forever; they will dwell in it from generation to generation.”Readers are told to search the LORD’s scroll, because what His mouth commanded will be fulfilled exactly.
- Isaiah 55:11 (BSB)“so My word that proceeds from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and it will prosper where I send it.”God says His word will accomplish what He purposes and not return to Him empty.
- Numbers 23:19 (BSB)“God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?”God does not lie or change His mind, so what He says He will do.
- Joshua 21:45 (BSB)“Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to the house of Israel had failed; everything was fulfilled.”Israel’s history confirmed that not one of the LORD’s good promises failed.
General
According to 34:5, after the LORD’s sword finishes its work in the heavens, on whom does it come down?
Answer: Edom, the people He has marked for ruin
After the picture of judgment in the heavens, the LORD’s sword comes down on Edom, the people He has set apart for destruction (34:5). Edom was the nation descended from Esau, Jacob’s brother (Genesis 36:8-9). The next verse describes the judgment as a great sacrifice the LORD holds at Bozrah, a city of Edom (34:6). The sacrifice picture shows that this judgment is a holy act of God’s justice, not random violence. Zephaniah used the same image when he said that the LORD has made ready a sacrifice for His day (Zephaniah 1:7), and Jeremiah announced that Bozrah would become a ruin (Jeremiah 49:13).
- Isaiah 34:5 (BSB)“When My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens, then it will come down upon Edom, upon the people I have devoted to destruction.”The LORD’s sword comes down from the heavens on Edom, the people He has devoted to destruction.
- Genesis 36:8-9 (BSB)“So Esau (that is, Edom) settled in the area of Mount Seir. This is the account of Esau, the father of the Edomites, in the area of Mount Seir.”Genesis identifies Esau with Edom and calls him the father of the Edomites.
- Zephaniah 1:7 (BSB)“Be silent in the presence of the Lord GOD, for the Day of the LORD is near. Indeed, the LORD has prepared a sacrifice; He has consecrated His guests.”Zephaniah also describes the Day of the LORD as a sacrifice He has prepared.
- Jeremiah 49:13 (BSB)“For by Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, that Bozrah will become a desolation, a disgrace, a ruin, and a curse, and all her cities will be in ruins forever.””Jeremiah’s oracle against Edom declares that Bozrah would become a ruin.
Theological
In 34:5, upon whom does the LORD’s sword descend once it has done its work in the heavens?
Answer: Edom, the people He has marked for ruin
The LORD’s sword, having completed its work in the heavens, descends upon Edom, the people under His ban (34:5), the nation descended from Esau (Genesis 36:8-9). The following verse portrays the judgment as a sacrifice held at Bozrah, an Edomite city (34:6). Sacrificial imagery presents judgment as a sacred act of divine justice rather than arbitrary violence. Zephaniah describes the LORD’s day as a sacrifice made ready by Him (Zephaniah 1:7), and Jeremiah’s oracle on Edom swears that Bozrah will lie in ruins (Jeremiah 49:13).
- Isaiah 34:5 (BSB)“When My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens, then it will come down upon Edom, upon the people I have devoted to destruction.”The LORD’s sword comes down from the heavens on Edom, the people He has devoted to destruction.
- Genesis 36:8-9 (BSB)“So Esau (that is, Edom) settled in the area of Mount Seir. This is the account of Esau, the father of the Edomites, in the area of Mount Seir.”Genesis identifies Esau with Edom and calls him the father of the Edomites.
- Zephaniah 1:7 (BSB)“Be silent in the presence of the Lord GOD, for the Day of the LORD is near. Indeed, the LORD has prepared a sacrifice; He has consecrated His guests.”Zephaniah also describes the Day of the LORD as a sacrifice He has prepared.
- Jeremiah 49:13 (BSB)“For by Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, that Bozrah will become a desolation, a disgrace, a ruin, and a curse, and all her cities will be in ruins forever.””Jeremiah’s oracle against Edom declares that Bozrah would become a ruin.
General
What purpose does 34:8 give for the LORD’s day of vengeance?
Answer: To defend Zion’s cause against those who opposed it
Isaiah says the LORD has set a time to avenge and repay, for the sake of Zion (34:8). Edom is singled out as an enemy of God’s people. Other prophets explain Edom’s guilt: Obadiah condemns Edom’s violence against its brother Jacob and its gloating when Jerusalem fell (Obadiah 1:10-12), the psalmist remembers Edom urging Jerusalem’s destruction (Psalm 137:7), and Ezekiel speaks of Edom’s long hatred toward Israel (Ezekiel 35:5). Vengeance here belongs to God, not to people. Paul tells believers not to take revenge but to let God’s wrath do its work, because repaying wrong is His (Romans 12:19).
- Isaiah 34:8 (BSB)“For the LORD has a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion.”The LORD’s day of vengeance comes to uphold Zion’s cause.
- Obadiah 1:10-12 (BSB)“Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame and cut off forever. On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gate and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were just like one of them. But you should not gloat in that day, your brother’s day of misfortune, nor rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction, nor boast proudly in the day of their distress.”Obadiah condemns Edom for violence and gloating against Jacob when Jerusalem fell.
- Psalm 137:7 (BSB)“Remember, O LORD, the sons of Edom on the day Jerusalem fell: “Destroy it,” they said, “tear it down to its foundations!””The psalmist recalls the Edomites urging the destruction of Jerusalem.
- Ezekiel 35:5 (BSB)“Because you harbored an ancient hatred and delivered the Israelites over to the sword in the time of their disaster at the final stage of their punishment,”Ezekiel charges Edom with long-standing hatred that handed Israel over to the sword.
- Romans 12:19 (BSB)“Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.””Paul teaches that vengeance belongs to God, so His people must not avenge themselves.
Theological
According to 34:8, what is the purpose of the LORD’s day of vengeance?
Answer: To defend Zion’s cause against those who opposed it
The LORD’s time of vengeance and recompense comes on behalf of Zion (34:8). Edom is singled out as an enemy of God’s people, and Scripture records its guilt: violence and gloating against brother Jacob in Jerusalem’s calamity (Obadiah 1:10-12), the cry to raze Jerusalem (Psalm 137:7), and ancient hatred that handed Israel to the sword (Ezekiel 35:5). Vengeance is God’s prerogative, executed by Him in justice; it is no license for human retaliation (Romans 12:19).
- Isaiah 34:8 (BSB)“For the LORD has a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion.”The LORD’s day of vengeance comes to uphold Zion’s cause.
- Obadiah 1:10-12 (BSB)“Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame and cut off forever. On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gate and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were just like one of them. But you should not gloat in that day, your brother’s day of misfortune, nor rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction, nor boast proudly in the day of their distress.”Obadiah condemns Edom for violence and gloating against Jacob when Jerusalem fell.
- Psalm 137:7 (BSB)“Remember, O LORD, the sons of Edom on the day Jerusalem fell: “Destroy it,” they said, “tear it down to its foundations!””The psalmist recalls the Edomites urging the destruction of Jerusalem.
- Ezekiel 35:5 (BSB)“Because you harbored an ancient hatred and delivered the Israelites over to the sword in the time of their disaster at the final stage of their punishment,”Ezekiel charges Edom with long-standing hatred that handed Israel over to the sword.
- Romans 12:19 (BSB)“Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.””Paul teaches that vengeance belongs to God, so His people must not avenge themselves.
General
According to 34:11-15, who will occupy Edom’s land after its fall?
Answer: Owls, jackals, and other creatures of the wild
Edom’s land will belong to owls and ravens (34:11). The LORD stretches over it a measuring line and plumb line, the builder’s tools, but here they mark it out for ruin. Not one noble will remain to name a new ruler (34:12), thorns will cover its fortresses, and jackals, ostriches, hyenas, wild goats, and birds that hunt will make it their home (34:13-15). A proud kingdom becomes a wilderness. Isaiah used a similar picture for fallen Babylon (13:21-22), and Zephaniah for Nineveh (Zephaniah 2:14). God once warned that He would stretch a measuring line and plumb line over Jerusalem as well (2 Kings 21:13).
- Isaiah 34:11-15 (BSB)“The desert owl and screech owl will possess it, and the great owl and raven will dwell in it. The LORD will stretch out over Edom a measuring line of chaos and a plumb line of destruction. No nobles will be left to proclaim a king, and all her princes will come to nothing. Her towers will be overgrown with thorns, her fortresses with thistles and briers. She will become a haunt for jackals, an abode for ostriches. The desert creatures will meet with hyenas, and one wild goat will call to another. There the night creature will settle and find her place of repose. There the owl will make her nest; she will lay and hatch her eggs and gather her brood under her shadow. Even there the birds of prey will gather, each with its mate.”Edom becomes a home for wild creatures, measured out for chaos, with no nobles left.
- Isaiah 13:21-22 (BSB)“But desert creatures will lie down there, and howling creatures will fill her houses. Ostriches will dwell there, and wild goats will leap about. Hyenas will howl in her fortresses and jackals in her luxurious palaces. Babylon’s time is at hand, and her days will not be prolonged.”Isaiah gives a similar picture of desert creatures filling fallen Babylon.
- Zephaniah 2:14 (BSB)“Herds will lie down in her midst, creatures of every kind. Both the desert owl and screech owl will roost atop her pillars. Their calls will sound from the window, but desolation will lie on the threshold, for He will expose the beams of cedar.”Zephaniah describes owls and wild creatures roosting in ruined Nineveh.
- 2 Kings 21:13 (BSB)“I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measuring line used against Samaria and the plumb line used against the house of Ahab, and I will wipe out Jerusalem as one wipes out a bowl—wiping it and turning it upside down.”God warned He would stretch the measuring line and plumb line over Jerusalem in judgment.
Theological
What does 34:11-15 say will inhabit Edom after the judgment?
Answer: Owls, jackals, and other creatures of the wild
Edom is handed over to owls and ravens (34:11) as the LORD stretches over it the measuring cord and plumb line, the builder’s instruments turned to the work of unmaking. Its nobility vanishes with no one to name a ruler (34:12), thorns overrun its strongholds, and jackals, ostriches, hyenas, wild goats, and birds that hunt inhabit it (34:13-15). The same reversal of civilization into wilderness is announced for Babylon (13:21-22) and Nineveh (Zephaniah 2:14), and the measuring line and plumb line had been threatened against Jerusalem itself (2 Kings 21:13).
- Isaiah 34:11-15 (BSB)“The desert owl and screech owl will possess it, and the great owl and raven will dwell in it. The LORD will stretch out over Edom a measuring line of chaos and a plumb line of destruction. No nobles will be left to proclaim a king, and all her princes will come to nothing. Her towers will be overgrown with thorns, her fortresses with thistles and briers. She will become a haunt for jackals, an abode for ostriches. The desert creatures will meet with hyenas, and one wild goat will call to another. There the night creature will settle and find her place of repose. There the owl will make her nest; she will lay and hatch her eggs and gather her brood under her shadow. Even there the birds of prey will gather, each with its mate.”Edom becomes a home for wild creatures, measured out for chaos, with no nobles left.
- Isaiah 13:21-22 (BSB)“But desert creatures will lie down there, and howling creatures will fill her houses. Ostriches will dwell there, and wild goats will leap about. Hyenas will howl in her fortresses and jackals in her luxurious palaces. Babylon’s time is at hand, and her days will not be prolonged.”Isaiah gives a similar picture of desert creatures filling fallen Babylon.
- Zephaniah 2:14 (BSB)“Herds will lie down in her midst, creatures of every kind. Both the desert owl and screech owl will roost atop her pillars. Their calls will sound from the window, but desolation will lie on the threshold, for He will expose the beams of cedar.”Zephaniah describes owls and wild creatures roosting in ruined Nineveh.
- 2 Kings 21:13 (BSB)“I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measuring line used against Samaria and the plumb line used against the house of Ahab, and I will wipe out Jerusalem as one wipes out a bowl—wiping it and turning it upside down.”God warned He would stretch the measuring line and plumb line over Jerusalem in judgment.