Isaiah 34 11

Isaiah 34:11 kjv

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.

Isaiah 34:11 nkjv

But the pelican and the porcupine shall possess it, Also the owl and the raven shall dwell in it. And He shall stretch out over it The line of confusion and the stones of emptiness.

Isaiah 34:11 niv

The desert owl and screech owl will possess it; the great owl and the raven will nest there. God will stretch out over Edom the measuring line of chaos and the plumb line of desolation.

Isaiah 34:11 esv

But the hawk and the porcupine shall possess it, the owl and the raven shall dwell in it. He shall stretch the line of confusion over it, and the plumb line of emptiness.

Isaiah 34:11 nlt

It will be haunted by the desert owl and the screech owl,
the great owl and the raven.
For God will measure that land carefully;
he will measure it for chaos and destruction.

Isaiah 34 verses

Isaiah 34 11 meaning

Isaiah 34:11 describes the utter and irreversible desolation that will befall Edom, symbolizing a complete reversal of order and creation due to divine judgment. The verse portrays a land once populated and structured now abandoned by humans, inhabited solely by creatures of ruin and wilderness. God, the ultimate builder, uses his tools not for construction, but for precise and absolute destruction, stretching over Edom the "line of confusion" and "stones of emptiness," ensuring it returns to primeval chaos.

Isaiah 34 11 Context

Isaiah chapter 34 is a prophetic oracle primarily directed against Edom, but also serving as a broader declaration of God's universal judgment against all nations hostile to His people. This chapter functions as a counterpoint to chapter 35, which describes the glorious restoration of Israel. Chapter 34 emphasizes a day of the Lord's "vengeance" and "recompense," targeting nations described as a "curse" of destruction. Edom, as a historical antagonist and symbol of proud, anti-God nations, is singled out for a complete and horrific destruction that will leave its land utterly desolate and permanently uninhabited by humans. The previous verses (1-10) depict a gruesome battlefield where the Lord slaughters Edom's inhabitants, soaking the land with blood and preparing it to become a perpetual wilderness. Verse 11 details the consequence of this judgment: the land, once proud and fortified, will be inherited by creatures associated with ruin, chaos, and desolation.

Historically, Edom was a nation descended from Esau, Jacob's brother, and continually hostile to Israel. Their persistent animosity and delight in Jerusalem's downfall during its Babylonian siege are condemned throughout prophetic literature. The imagery of Isaiah 34, particularly the "line of confusion" and "stones of emptiness," evokes a divine undoing of creation, a reversal of order, reducing Edom to a state akin to the initial formless void described in Genesis 1:2.

Isaiah 34 11 Word analysis

• But the cormorant (קָאַת - qa'at):
  • Meaning: Hebrew term usually refers to the pelican, but often interpreted here as a large, aquatic, unclean bird, often found in desolate, swampy areas. It symbolizes the abandonment of once fertile or populated land.
  • Significance: Its presence indicates the shift from human habitation to uninhabitable wilderness. Listed as an unclean bird in Lev 11:18, suggesting degradation.
• and the bittern (קִפּוֹד - qippōd):
  • Meaning: Debated. Can refer to a hedgehog/porcupine or, as here in KJV and many translations, a "bittern" (a swamp bird) or a species of owl. Given the other birds, an avian creature of desolation seems fitting.
  • Significance: Whichever animal, it signifies creatures of wastelands and ruin taking over.
• shall possess it (יִירָשׁוּהָ - yîrāšûhā):
  • Meaning: To inherit, take possession of.
  • Significance: An ironic "inheritance." The land's human inhabitants are dispossessed, and instead, these wild, often shunned creatures become its permanent occupants, emphasizing irreversible abandonment.
• the owl (יַנְשׁוּף - yanšūp̄):
  • Meaning: A species of owl, often associated with night, darkness, ruins, and solitude. Also an unclean bird (Lev 11:17).
  • Significance: Further reinforces the imagery of desolation, darkness, and places avoided by humans.
• also and the raven (עֹרֵב - ōrēḇ):
  • Meaning: A large, scavenging bird known for its dark plumage and its presence in wild, uncultivated, or post-judgment areas (e.g., God feeding Elijah by ravens). Listed as unclean (Lev 11:15).
  • Significance: Completes the picture of an utterly abandoned and desolate landscape, echoing death and scavenging.
• shall dwell in it (יִשְׁכְּנוּ - yiškēnū):
  • Meaning: To reside, settle, inhabit permanently.
  • Significance: These creatures will not merely pass through, but will establish their dwelling, cementing the land's fate as a perpetual wasteland.
• and he shall stretch out (וְנָטָה - wənāṭāh):
  • Meaning: To extend, stretch out, or apply. The "He" refers to the Lord.
  • Significance: This signifies an intentional, deliberate act of divine judgment. God is the one actively orchestrating this desolation.
• upon it:
  • Significance: Refers to the land of Edom, the subject of the prophecy.
• the line of confusion (קַו־תֹהוּ - qav-tōhû):
  • line (קַו - qav): A measuring line, typically used by builders to ensure straightness, order, and precise construction.
  • confusion (תֹהוּ - tōhû): From Gen 1:2 ("formless and void"), signifying disorder, chaos, waste, purposelessness.
  • Significance: An profound paradox. God, the architect of creation, uses a builder's tool (the line) not to create order but to mark out a precise degree of disorder. It implies a divine decree that Edom will return to a state of absolute chaos, undoing all semblance of form or purpose.
• and the stones of emptiness (וְאַבְנֵי־בֹהוּ - wə’avnê-ḇōhû):
  • stones (אֶבֶן - ’aven): Could be plumb stones used for measuring straightness, or metaphorically the "stones" of ruin.
  • emptiness (בֹהוּ - ḇōhû): From Gen 1:2 ("formless and void"), signifying emptiness, vacuity, nothingness. It intensifies tōhû.
  • Significance: Paired with "line of confusion," these are God's plumb line and measuring weights, used for demolition rather than construction. They mark the total obliteration, signifying that no structure, no purpose, no life will remain. The tohu va-bohu (confusion and emptiness) echo the pre-creation state, demonstrating a divine "de-creation."

Isaiah 34 11 Bonus section

The specific choice of the terms tōhû and ḇōhû directly references Genesis 1:2, where the earth was "formless and void" before God began His creative work. By using these exact terms for Edom's fate, Isaiah conveys the idea of a "cosmic unmaking" or a deliberate reversal of the creative order. It signifies that Edom will be returned to a state where there is no form, no purpose, and no life, an undoing of its very existence as a recognizable, functional entity. This "de-creation" is not an act of negligence but of precise, calculated divine judgment, highlighting God's ultimate sovereignty over creation and destruction alike. This motif powerfully underscores that just as God established order, He can meticulously dismantle it, revealing the depth of His wrath against human pride and rebellion.

Isaiah 34 11 Commentary

Isaiah 34:11 is a potent prophetic declaration illustrating God's complete and intentional judgment against Edom. It depicts a divine reversal of creation: instead of God bringing order from chaos (Genesis 1:2), He will bring Edom back to chaos. The list of desolate birds – cormorant, bittern, owl, raven – specifically named and all considered unclean by Mosaic Law, emphasize not merely emptiness but a state of perpetual ritual impurity and wildness that prohibits human dwelling. The irony of these creatures possessing and dwelling in what was once a populated nation underscores the extent of human abandonment.

The imagery of "he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness" is particularly profound. Measuring tools like the plumb line and measuring stones were used by ancient builders to ensure accuracy, straightness, and the integrity of a structure. Here, God, the ultimate architect of the universe, applies these very tools with precise intent not for building, but for absolute demolition. The "line of confusion" (qav-tohu) marks the precise boundaries of disorder, ensuring that every part of Edom becomes shapeless and purposeless. The "stones of emptiness" (avnei-bohu) reinforce this decree, ensuring thorough vacuity. This isn't accidental decay; it is a meticulously planned divine "de-creation," designed to reduce a proud nation to the primeval state of unformed chaos. The verse teaches that human power and defiance are temporary, and even nations symbolizing such defiance will ultimately face an absolute and irreversible end under God's righteous judgment.