Isaiah 34 17

Isaiah 34:17 kjv

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.

Isaiah 34:17 nkjv

He has cast the lot for them, And His hand has divided it among them with a measuring line. They shall possess it forever; From generation to generation they shall dwell in it."

Isaiah 34:17 niv

He allots their portions; his hand distributes them by measure. They will possess it forever and dwell there from generation to generation.

Isaiah 34:17 esv

He has cast the lot for them; his hand has portioned it out to them with the line; they shall possess it forever; from generation to generation they shall dwell in it.

Isaiah 34:17 nlt

He has surveyed and divided the land
and deeded it over to those creatures.
They will possess it forever,
from generation to generation.

Isaiah 34 verses

Isaiah 34 17 meaning

Isaiah 34:17 proclaims the absolute and irreversible nature of God's judgment upon Edom, symbolizing nations hostile to His people. It asserts that God Himself has precisely determined and allocated the desolate land of Edom, by casting lots and measuring with a line, to be an eternal inheritance for wild creatures. This decree ensures that Edom will remain a perpetual wilderness, inhabited not by humans but by the specified animals, from generation to generation. It underscores God's complete sovereignty over the destiny of nations and His meticulous execution of judgment.

Isaiah 34 17 Context

Isaiah chapter 34 is an intense prophetic oracle of divine judgment, primarily against Edom, but understood to represent all nations that oppose God and His people, Israel. It depicts a cosmic judgment scene where God intervenes directly in human history, resulting in widespread desolation and bloodshed. Verses 1-16 detail the complete and irreversible destruction of Edom, whose land will become a desolate wasteland, forever inhabited by wild beasts and birds of prey. This chapter stands in stark contrast to chapter 35, which promises the glorious restoration and blessing of God's redeemed people. Isaiah 34:17 serves as the climactic and sealing declaration of Edom's fate, asserting the precise and permanent nature of this divine re-allocation of territory from a proud nation to the wild inhabitants of ruins. Historically, Edom was a long-standing rival and oppressor of Israel, located southeast of Judah, and descendants of Esau. Their consistent hostility, particularly their participation in Jerusalem's destruction by Babylon, provoked specific divine wrath.

Isaiah 34 17 Word analysis

• He has cast the lot (וְהוּא הִפִּיל לָהֶן גֹּורָלִהּ - v'hu hipil lahen goralah):
  • He (וְהוּא - v'hu): Refers unequivocally to God, emphasizing divine agency.
  • cast (הִפִּיל - hipil): From the root naphal, "to fall, cast down." In the Hiphil stem, it means "to cause to fall, cast," and specifically refers to casting lots for distribution or decision.
  • the lot (גֹּורָל - goralah): A common method in ancient Israel for distributing land (e.g., Jos 13-19) or making decisions, but always understood to be under God's ultimate control (Pro 16:33). Here, it signifies God's deliberate, sovereign decision for Edom's destiny, rather than chance. The irony is poignant: lots usually distribute blessings (land for Israel), but here they assign desolation for Edom. This is a divine re-allocation of ownership.
• his hand has apportioned it to them (וְיָדוֹ חִלְּקָה לָהֶם - v'yado chilkekah lahem):
  • his hand (וְיָדוֹ - v'yado): The hand is a metonym for power, direct involvement, and active intervention. This reinforces divine authority and action.
  • has apportioned (חִלְּקָה - chilkekah): From the root chalaq, "to divide, share, assign." This action is precise and intentional, leaving nothing to human claim or re-negotiation. God is actively carrying out the division and distribution.
  • it to them (לָהֶם - lahem): "Them" refers to the wild creatures mentioned in the preceding verses (v. 11-15), such as pelicans, owls, ravens, goats, wild beasts of the desert, hyenas, night-jars, and vultures. They are the unlikely inheritors, a potent symbol of utter human abandonment and desolation.
• with the line (בַּמֶּשְׂכֵּבָה - bamesekheveb):
  • the line (מֶשֶׁךְ - meshek; BDB has בַּקַּו - baqav in some Masoretic texts, meaning "line" as a measuring tool, or in other readings such as KJV, "measuring line" based on the root for extending/drawing): This refers to a measuring line or cord, used for surveying or dividing land. It emphasizes the absolute precision, carefulness, and definitive nature of God's act. This is not a haphazard or arbitrary judgment but one meticulously calculated and executed. It also carries the imagery of an architect or builder laying out foundations (Zec 1:16) or, conversely, marking out for destruction (2 Ki 21:13; Isa 28:17). The Edomites themselves, like the people of God, once claimed land by "line," and now God uses His own to strip them of it entirely.
• they shall possess it forever (לְעוֹלָם יִירָשׁוּהָ - l'olam yirashuha):
  • possess (יִירָשׁוּהָ - yirashuha): From the root yarash, "to inherit, take possession of." This is the language of legal, permanent ownership. It signifies that these animals, under God's decree, will be the true and lasting occupants.
  • forever (לְעוֹלָם - l'olam): Refers to an indefinite duration, eternity, or perpetuity. In the context of ancient Near Eastern nation-states, "forever" often meant "for all foreseeable generations" or "permanently without human intervention." Edom indeed vanished as a distinct national entity. It indicates a judgment from which there is no return or reversal by human effort.
• from generation to generation they shall dwell in it (לְדוֹר וָדוֹר יִשְׁכְּנוּ בָהּ - l'dor vador yishk'nu vah):
  • from generation to generation (לְדוֹר וָדוֹר - l'dor vador): This phrase strongly reinforces the idea of perpetuity and unchanging duration. It underscores the complete and lasting nature of the desolation, extending through time indefinitely.
  • dwell (יִשְׁכְּנוּ - yishk'nu): From the root shachan, "to settle down, abide, dwell." It signifies permanent habitation, not temporary visitation. The new "tenants" are there to stay.
  • in it (בָהּ - vah): Referring back to the land of Edom, emphasizing its complete transformation.

Words-group Analysis:

• "He has cast the lot for them; his hand has apportioned it to them with the line": This composite phrase underscores the twin aspects of divine action: sovereign decision-making (casting lots) and precise, deliberate execution (apportioning with a line). The repeated "to them" for the wild creatures highlights their unlikely, divinely-ordained inheritance, mocking any human claim. This language, typically associated with blessing and orderly division for Israel's inheritance (e.g., Book of Joshua), is dramatically inverted to portray Edom's judgment and a permanent state of ruin. This demonstrates God's absolute ownership over all creation and His right to reallocate lands according to His righteous judgments.
• "they shall possess it forever; from generation to generation they shall dwell in it": These two parallel clauses reiterate and strengthen the promise of permanent desolation. "Forever" (lĕʿōlām) coupled with "from generation to generation" (lĕḏōr wāḏōr) leaves no room for temporary decline followed by recovery. The land of Edom will perpetually belong to the creatures of the wild, and this new arrangement will endure without end in human terms. It speaks to the finality and enduring consequence of divine judgment against nations who reject God and His covenant people.

Isaiah 34 17 Bonus section

The language used in Isaiah 34:17 creates a significant polemic. The ancient Near East, including Edom, deeply valued ancestral land and its inheritance as a core aspect of national identity and blessing. Here, God's actions completely subvert this human value system. By using terms like "cast the lot" and "apportioned... with the line" – vocabulary Israel associated with their covenantal inheritance of the Promised Land (e.g., in Joshua) – the prophecy applies these divine methods to disinherit Edom and re-assign its territory to chaos. This directly challenges any claim Edom might have had to divine favor or enduring national security, asserting God's absolute ownership and ultimate right to redistribute any land on earth. It transforms their pride in territory into an enduring symbol of judgment, contrasting sharply with the true, lasting inheritance God reserves for His faithful people.

Isaiah 34 17 Commentary

Isaiah 34:17 concludes the dire oracle against Edom by presenting a chilling portrait of divine sovereignty in judgment. The verse is a powerful declaration that God is not a passive observer but the active orchestrator of national destinies. By employing the imagery of "casting lots" and "apportioning with a line," processes usually associated with careful, legitimate, and often blessed, land division (as for Israel), the prophecy asserts that Edom's utter desolation is not accidental or temporary but the direct, deliberate, and meticulously measured work of God. The ironic twist is that the "inheritors" of this once proud land are not its people, nor even conquering humans, but the wild beasts and creatures of the desolate wilderness mentioned in previous verses. This highlights the absolute nature of the judgment—so profound that the land becomes entirely uninhabitable for human civilization. The double emphasis on "forever" and "from generation to generation" removes any doubt about the permanence of this decree; Edom's national existence and its human claims to the land are eternally relinquished, testifying to the unchanging and formidable power of God's Word. The verse acts as a solemn warning against opposing the divine will and His chosen people, showcasing that divine judgments, once rendered, are exact and irreversible.