Isaiah 34:9

Isaiah 34:9 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch.
• New International Version (NIV)Edom’s streams will be turned into pitch, her dust into burning sulfur; her land will become blazing pitch!
• English Standard Version (ESV)And the streams of Edom shall be turned into pitch, and her soil into sulfur; her land shall become burning pitch.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Its streams shall be turned into pitch, And its dust into brimstone; Its land shall become burning pitch.

Context of Isaiah 34:9

7Wild oxen will be slaughtered along with them, as well as strong bulls. Their land is drenched with blood, their soil is covered with fat. 8For the Lord has planned a day of revenge, a time when he will repay Edom for her hostility toward Zion. Edom’s streams will be turned into pitch and her soil into brimstone; her land will become burning pitch. 10Night and day it will burn; its smoke will ascend continually. Generation after generation it will be a wasteland and no one will ever pass through it again. 11Owls and wild animals will live there, all kinds of wild birds will settle in it. The Lord will stretch out over her the measuring line of ruin and the plumb line of destruction.

Isaiah 34:9 word by word

וְנֶהֶפְכ֤וּ נְחָלֶ֙יהָ֙ לְזֶ֔פֶת וַעֲפָרָ֖הּ לְגָפְרִ֑ית וְהָיְתָ֣ה אַרְצָ֔הּ לְזֶ֖פֶת בֹּעֵרָֽה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And the streamsנַ֫חַלnachal nachlâh nachălâh · torrent: riverH5158
• thereof shall be turnedהָפַךְhâphak · to overturnH2015
• into pitchזֶ֫פֶתzepheth · pitchH2203
• and the dustעָפָר‛âphâr · dustH6083
• thereof into brimstoneגׇּפְרִיתgophrîyth · brimstoneH1614
• and the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• thereof shall become burningבָּעַרbâ‛ar · to burn: burnH1197

Cross-references for Isaiah 34:9

• Genesis 19:28He looked out toward Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of that region. As he did so, he saw the smoke rising up from the land like smoke from a furnace.
• Job 18:15Fire resides in his tent; over his residence burning sulfur is scattered.
• Psalms 11:6May the Lord rain down burning coals and brimstone on the wicked! A whirlwind is what they deserve!
• Luke 17:29but on the day Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
• Jude 1:7So also Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighboring towns, since they indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire in a way similar to these angels, are now displayed as an example by suffering the punishment of eternal fire.
• Revelation 19:20Now the beast was seized, and along with him the false prophet who had performed the signs on his behalf – signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire burning with sulfur.
• Revelation 21:8But to the cowards, unbelievers, detestable persons, murderers, the sexually immoral, and those who practice magic spells, idol worshipers, and all those who lie, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. That is the second death.”

Commentaries on Isaiah 34:9

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 9And the streams thereof - The idea here is, that there would be as great and awful a destruction as if the streams everywhere should become pitch or resin, which would be set on fire, and which would fill the land with flame. This image is very striking, as we may see by supposing the rivers and streams in any land to flow not with water, but with heated pitch, turpentine, or tar, and that this was all suddenly kindled into a flame. It cannot be supposed…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. 9Edom’s judgment was similar to the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24; see also Jeremiah 49:17–18).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 99. Images from the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah (Ge 19:24-28; so De 29:23; Jr 49:17, 18).Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 34:9

• Pitch
• Punishment
• Slime
• Volcanoes
• War

In the dictionaries

• Brimstone
• Pitch
• Scroll
• Seek
• Isaiah
• Obadiah, Book of
• Slime; Slime Pits
• sulfur, sulfurous

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