Isaiah 34:11

Isaiah 34:11 in other versions

• King James Version (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.
• New International Version (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.
• New King James Version (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.
• New Living Translation (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.

Context of Isaiah 34:11

9And the streams of Edom shall be turned into pitch, and her soil into sulfur; her land shall become burning pitch. 10Night and day it shall not be quenched; its smoke shall go up forever. From generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it forever and ever. 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. 12Its nobles—there is no one there to call it a kingdom, and all its princes shall be nothing. 13Thorns shall grow over its strongholds, nettles and thistles in its fortresses. It shall be the haunt of jackals, an abode for ostriches.

Isaiah 34:11 word by word

וִירֵשׁ֙וּהָ֙ קָאַ֣ת וְקִפּ֔וֹד וְיַנְשׁ֥וֹף וְעֹרֵ֖ב יִשְׁכְּנוּ־בָ֑הּ וְנָטָ֥ה עָלֶ֛יהָ קַֽו־תֹ֖הוּ וְאַבְנֵי־בֹֽהוּ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• But the cormorantקָאַתqâ'ath · pelicanH6893
• and the bitternקִפֹּדqippôd qippôd · porcupineH7090
• shall possessיָרַשׁyârash yârêsh · to possess: possessH3423
• it; the owlיַנְשׁוּףyanshûph yanshôph · owlH3244
• also and the ravenעֹרֵב‛ôrêb ‛ôrêb · ravenH6158
• shall dwellשָׁכַןshâkan · to dwellH7931
• in it: and he shall stretch outנָטָהnâţâh · to stretchH5186
• upon it the lineקַוqav qâv · lineH6957
• of confusionתֹּ֫הוּtôhû · formlessnessH8414
• and the stonesאֶ֫בֶן'eben · stoneH68
• of emptinessבֹּהוּbôhû · voidH922

Cross-references for Isaiah 34:11

• Isaiah 13:20It will never be inhabited or lived in for all generations; no Arab will pitch his tent there; no shepherds will make their flocks lie down there.
• Isaiah 14:23"And I will make it a possession of the hedgehog, and pools of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction," declares the Lord of hosts.
• Zephaniah 2:14Herds shall lie down in her midst, all kinds of beasts; even the owl and the hedgehog shall lodge in her capitals; a voice shall hoot in the window; devastation will be on the threshold; for her cedar work will be laid bare.
• Revelation 18:2And he called out with a mighty voice, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast.
• 2 Samuel 8:2And he defeated Moab and he measured them with a line, making them lie down on the ground. Two lines he measured to be put to death, and one full line to be spared. And the Moabites became servants to David and brought tribute.
• 2 Kings 21:13And I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria, and the plumb line of the house of Ahab, and I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down.
• Lamentations 2:8The Lord determined to lay in ruins the wall of the daughter of Zion; he stretched out the measuring line; he did not restrain his hand from destroying; he caused rampart and wall to lament; they languished together.
• Malachi 1:3but Esau I have hated. I have laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert."

Commentaries on Isaiah 34:11

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 11The cormorant - קאת kaath, the pelican, from the root קיא ki, to vomit, because it is said she swallows shell-fish, and when the heat of her stomach has killed the fish, she vomits the shells, takes out the dead fish, and eats them. The bittern - קפד kippod, the hedge-hog, or porcupine. The owl - ינשוף yanshoph, the bittern, from נשף nashaph, to blow, because of the blowing noise it makes, almost like the lowing of an ox. My old MS. Bible renders the…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 11But the cormorant - This and the following verses contain a description of the desolations of Edom in language remarkably similar to that employed in the account of the destruction of Babylon Isaiah 13:20-22; Isaiah 14:23. The word here translated cormorant‘ (קאת qâ'ath ), occurs in this place and in Zephaniah 2:14, where it is rendered cormorant,‘ and in Leviticus 11:18; Deuteronomy 14:17; Psalm 102:6, where it is rendered pelican.‘ Bochart supposes it…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 9-17Verses 9-17 Those who aim to ruin the church, can never do that, but will ruin themselves. What dismal changes sin can make! It turns a fruitful land into barrenness, a crowded city into a wilderness. Let us compare all we discover in the book of the Lord, with the dealings of providence around us, that we may be more diligent in seeking the kingdom of God and his righteousness. What the mouth of the Lord has commanded, his Spirit will perform. And let us…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 11The identification of some of these birds is uncertain, but they inhabited wild and deserted places and many were considered unclean (Deuteronomy 14:11–18).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1111. cormorant--The Hebrew is rendered, in Psa 102:6, "pelican," which is a seafowl, and cannot be meant here: some waterfowl (katta, according to Burckhardt) that tenants desert places is intended. bittern--rather, "the hedgehog," or "porcupine" [Gesenius] (Is 14:23). owl--from its being enumerated among water birds in Le 11:17; De 14:16. Maurer thinks rather the heron or crane is meant; from a Hebrew root, "to blow," as it utters a sound like the blowing…Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 34:11

• Bittern
• Cormorant
• Owl
• War

In the dictionaries

• Bittern
• Cormorant
• Owl
• Pelicans
• Scroll
• Seek
• Confusion
• Hedgehog
• Ibis
• Isaiah

Commentaries on Isaiah 34

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings