Isaiah 34:10-17

Isa 34:10

It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever.

 

And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: (Mark 9:43)

 

And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. (Revelation 14:11)

 

Verse 10 is speaking about the permanency of God’s judgment upon the human race on the last day.  Once all the unbelievers are sentenced to hell, the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever plus the fire of judgment in hell is never quenched.  It will be a perpetual damnation as it will continue to burn from generation to generation which is speaking about everlasting in nature.  None shall ever escape its clutches because when one is there, they will be there forever.

 

Isa 34:11

But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it; the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it: and he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness.

 

Edom will become a haven for all kinds of wild birds and animals.  This will happen because it will be uninhabited by humans from which animals and birds normally avoid.  All that will be left is chaos and confusion.  Normally a plumb line is used to measure whether a building is being built straight but here there will be no straight line as all will be in disarray.  The stones of emptiness will be formless and void and unusable for any proper structure.  The only thing they will be good for is to be removed permamently.

 

Isa 34:12

They shall call the nobles thereof to the kingdom, but none shall be there, and all her princes shall be nothing.

 

Then the people of Edom will attempt to find some type of government and they will seek those who are nobles to run the government and defend them but there will be none available as all will be gone.  Then they shall seek for princes to run the government and bring a semblance of order but they will become nothing, that is, insignificant without any strength or wisdom to run the country.  Edom will no longer be a country never mind a powerful one.

 

Isa 34:13

And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof: and it shall be an habitation of dragons, and a court for owls.

 

As a result of the destruction of Edom, wild plants will overgrow the previously inhabited palaces of the nobles and princes.  Nettles are plants with thorns on them and brambles are also thorny plants.  Not only will it grow over with vegetation but it shall become the habitation of all kinds of land animals and a place where owls will build their nests.  It will eventually become an uninhabitable waste land.

 

Isa 34:14

The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest.

 

Those animals that prowl the desert will also dwell with those who are in marshy lands. This means that Edom in its entirety will be brought down and given over to the animals and birds.  The satyr is like a rough hairy goat and is only mentioned here in Isaiah.  (13:21) The screech owl is a bird of the night which will be able to safely find a place for herself and be able to have young without any threats from a human.

 

Isa 34:15

There shall the great owl make her nest, and lay, and hatch, and gather under her shadow: there shall the vultures also be gathered, every one with her mate.

 

The great owl may be the Egyptian eagle-owl which is also found in southern Europe.  They are also found frequently in Egypt and Israel among ancient ruins.  The great owl may raise her young without any fear of humans coming after them.  Then there will be vultures who will be present and they will feed upon the dead carcasses of both animals and humans.

 

Isa 34:16

Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.

 

Isaiah now tells his hearers that they are to take the book of the LORD which is the Scriptures that they had up to that time which would have include some of the prophets and the law.  They were to read and realize that everything which God had stated would happen will come to pass in his timing.  None shall want her mate would be referring to the fact that the fulfilment of these things was not depending upon whether the animals have mates or not but will be fulfilled by the LORD himself and these animals would have refuge in Edom in perpetuity.  The LORD had decreed it and he himself will carry out the plan he has just spoken of.

 

Isa 34:17

And he hath cast the lot for them, and his hand hath divided it unto them by line: they shall possess it for ever, from generation to generation shall they dwell therein.

 

God has taken the once mighty kingdom of Edom and has reduced it to a bird and animal sanctuary where they will be given this place as a permanent place for their habitation.  Generation to generation means in perpetuity as one generation leaves another one comes as they dovetail each other.  One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever. (Ecclesiastes 1:4)

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