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.
• English Standard Version (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.
• 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.

Context of Isaiah 34:11

9Edom’s streams will be turned to tar. Its soil will be turned to burning sulfur. Its land will become blazing tar. 10They will not be extinguished day or night, and smoke will always go up from them. Edom will lie in ruins for generations. No one will ever travel through it. Pelicans and herons will take possession of the land. Owls and crows will live there. He will stretch the measuring line of chaos and the plumb line of destruction over it. 12There are no nobles to rule a kingdom. All of its princes have disappeared. 13Its palaces are covered with thorns. Its fortresses have nettles and thistles. It will become a home for jackals and a place 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 again, and no one will live in it for generations. Arabs won’t pitch their tents there. Shepherds won’t let their flocks rest there.
• Isaiah 14:23“It will become the possession of herons. It will become pools of water. I’ll sweep it with the broom of destruction,” declares the Lord of Armies.
• Zephaniah 2:14Flocks will lie down in it along with animals of every kind. Even pelicans and herons will nest on top of its columns. Listen! A bird will sing in a window. The doorway will be in ruins, because the Lord will expose the cedar beams.
• Revelation 18:2He cried out in a powerful voice, “Fallen! Babylon the Great has fallen! She has become a home for demons. She is a prison for every evil spirit, every unclean bird, and every unclean and hated beast.
• 2 Samuel 8:2He also defeated Moab, made the Moabites lie down on the ground, and measured them with a rope. He measured two lengths which were to be killed, and one length which was to be spared. So the Moabites became David’s subjects and paid taxes ⌞to him⌟.
• 2 Kings 21:13I will measure Jerusalem with the measuring line used for Samaria and the plumb line used for Ahab’s dynasty. I will wipe out Jerusalem in the same way that a dish is wiped out and turned upside down.
• Lamentations 2:8The Lord planned to destroy the wall of Zion’s people. He marked it off with a line. He didn’t take his hand away until he had swallowed it up. He made the towers and walls mourn. They are completely dejected.
• Malachi 1:3but Esau I hated. I turned his mountains into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the jackals in 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