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.
• 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.
• 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

9Edom’s streams will be turned into pitch, her dust into burning sulfur; her land will become blazing pitch! 10It will not be quenched night or day; its smoke will rise forever. From generation to generation it will lie desolate; no one will ever pass through it again. 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. 12Her nobles will have nothing there to be called a kingdom, all her princes will vanish away. 13Thorns will overrun her citadels, nettles and brambles her strongholds. She will become a haunt for jackals, a home for owls.

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 13:20She will never be inhabited or lived in through all generations; there no nomads will pitch their tents, there no shepherds will rest their flocks.
• Isaiah 14:23“I will turn her into a place for owls and into swampland; I will sweep her with the broom of destruction,” declares the Lord Almighty.
• Zephaniah 2:14Flocks and herds will lie down there, creatures of every kind. The desert owl and the screech owl will roost on her columns. Their hooting will echo through the windows, rubble will fill the doorways, the beams of cedar will be exposed.
• Revelation 18:2With a mighty voice he shouted: “ ‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’ She has become a dwelling for demons and a haunt for every impure spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal.
• 2 Samuel 8:2David also defeated the Moabites. He made them lie down on the ground and measured them off with a length of cord. Every two lengths of them were put to death, and the third length was allowed to live. So the Moabites became subject to David and brought him tribute.
• 2 Kings 21:13I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measuring line used against Samaria and the plumb line used against the house of Ahab. I will wipe out Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down.
• Lamentations 2:8The Lord determined to tear down the wall around Daughter Zion. He stretched out a measuring line and did not withhold his hand from destroying. He made ramparts and walls lament; together they wasted away.
• Malachi 1:3but Esau I have hated, and I have turned his hill country into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.”

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