English Standard Version
Isaiah 34:5
5For my sword has drunk its fill in the heavens; behold, it descends for judgment upon Edom, upon the people I have devoted to destruction.
Isaiah 34:5 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment.
- New International Version (NIV)My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens; see, it descends in judgment on Edom, the people I have totally destroyed.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“For My sword shall be bathed in heaven; Indeed it shall come down on Edom, And on the people of My curse, for judgment.
- New Living Translation (NLT)And when my sword has finished its work in the heavens, it will fall upon Edom, the nation I have marked for destruction.
Context of Isaiah 34:5
3Their slain shall be cast out, and the stench of their corpses shall rise; the mountains shall flow with their blood. 4All the host of heaven shall rot away, and the skies roll up like a scroll. All their host shall fall, as leaves fall from the vine, like leaves falling from the fig tree. For my sword has drunk its fill in the heavens; behold, it descends for judgment upon Edom, upon the people I have devoted to destruction. 6The Lord has a sword; it is sated with blood; it is gorged with fat, with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah, a great slaughter in the land of Edom. 7Wild oxen shall fall with them, and young steers with the mighty bulls. Their land shall drink its fill of blood, and their soil shall be gorged with fat.
Read all of Isaiah 34Isaiah 34:5 word by word
כִּֽי־רִוְּתָ֥ה בַשָּׁמַ֖יִם חַרְבִּ֑י הִנֵּה֙ עַל־אֱד֣וֹם תֵּרֵ֔ד וְעַל־עַ֥ם חֶרְמִ֖י לְמִשְׁפָּֽט׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- For my swordחֶ֫רֶבchereb · swordH2719
- shall be bathedרָוָהrâvâh · to quenchH7301
- in heavenשָׁמַיִםshâmayim shâmeh · heavenH8064
- behold, it shall come downיָרַדyârad · to go downH3381
- upon Idumeaאֱדוֹם'ĕdôm 'ĕdôm · EdomH123
- and upon the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
- of my curseחֵ֫רֶםchêrem cherem · devoted thingH2764
- to judgmentמִשְׁפָּטmishpâţ · justice: judgementH4941
Cross-references for Isaiah 34:5
- Deuteronomy 32:14Curds from the herd, and milk from the flock, with fat of lambs, rams of Bashan and goats, with the very finest of the wheat— and you drank foaming wine made from the blood of the grape.
- Psalms 17:13Arise, O Lord! Confront him, subdue him! Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,
- Jeremiah 46:10That day is the day of the Lord God of hosts, a day of vengeance, to avenge himself on his foes. The sword shall devour and be sated and drink its fill of their blood. For the Lord God of hosts holds a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates.
- Jeremiah 47:6Ah, sword of the Lord! How long till you are quiet? Put yourself into your scabbard; rest and be still!
- Ezekiel 21:3and say to the land of Israel, Thus says the Lord: Behold, I am against you and will draw my sword from its sheath and will cut off from you both righteous and wicked.
- Zephaniah 2:12You also, O Cushites, shall be slain by my sword.
- Revelation 1:16In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
- Isaiah 63:1Who is this who comes from Edom, in crimsoned garments from Bozrah, he who is splendid in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength? "It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save."
- Psalms 137:7Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem, how they said, "Lay it bare, lay it bare, down to its foundations!"
- Jeremiah 49:7Concerning Edom. Thus says the Lord of hosts: "Is wisdom no more in Teman? Has counsel perished from the prudent? Has their wisdom vanished?
- Ezekiel 25:12"Thus says the Lord God: Because Edom acted revengefully against the house of Judah and has grievously offended in taking vengeance on them,
- Amos 1:11Thus says the Lord: "For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because he pursued his brother with the sword and cast off all pity, and his anger tore perpetually, and he kept his wrath forever.
- Obadiah 1:1The vision of Obadiah. Thus says the Lord God concerning Edom: We have heard a report from the Lord, and a messenger has been sent among the nations: "Rise up! Let us rise against her for battle!"
- Malachi 1:4If Edom says, "We are shattered but we will rebuild the ruins," the Lord of hosts says, "They may build, but I will tear down, and they will be called 'the wicked country,' and 'the people with whom the Lord is angry forever.'"
- Deuteronomy 27:15"'Cursed be the man who makes a carved or cast metal image, an abomination to the Lord, a thing made by the hands of a craftsman, and sets it up in secret.' And all the people shall answer and say, 'Amen.'
- Deuteronomy 29:18Beware lest there be among you a man or woman or clan or tribe whose heart is turning away today from the Lord our God to go and serve the gods of those nations. Beware lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit,
Commentaries on Isaiah 34:5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5For my sword shall be bathed in heaven "For my sword is made bare in the heavens" - There seems to be some impropriety in this, according to the present reading: "My sword is made drunken, or is bathed in the heavens; "which forestalls, and expresses not in its proper place, what belongs to the next verse: for the sword of Jehovah was not to be bathed or glutted with blood in the heavens, but in Botsra and the land of Edom. In the heavens it was only…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5For my sword shall be bathed in heaven - A sword is an instrument of vengeance, and is often so used in the Scriptures, because it was often employed in capital punishments (see the note at Isaiah 27:1). This passage bas given much perplexity to commentators, on account of the apparent want of meaning of the expression that the sword would be bathed in heaven. Lowth reads it: For my sword is made bare in the heavens; Following in this the Chaldee which…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5Edom represents what all nations will experience, similar to how Moab was described in Isaiah 25.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 55. sword--(Jr 46:10). Or else, knife for sacrifice for God does not here appear as a warrior with His sword, but as one about to sacrifice victims doomed to slaughter [Vitringa]. (Eze 39:17). bathed--rather "intoxicated," namely, with anger (so De 32:42). "In heaven" implies the place where God's purpose of wrath is formed in antithesis to its "coming down" in the next clause. Idumea--originally extending from the Dead Sea to the Red Sea; afterwards they…Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 34:5
In the dictionaries
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
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Commentaries