Click
here to show/hide instructions.
Instructions on how to use the page:
The commentary for the selected verse is is displayed below.
All commentary was produced against the King James, so the same verse from that translation may appear as well. Hovering your mouse over a commentary's scripture reference attempts to show those verses.
Use the browser's back button to return to the previous page.
Or you can also select a feature from the Just Verses menu appearing at the top of the page.
Selected Verse: Isaiah 34:11 - Strong Concordance
| Verse |
Translation |
Text |
| Isa 34:11 |
Strong Concordance |
But the cormorant [06893] and the bittern [07090] shall possess [03423] it; the owl [03244] also and the raven [06158] shall dwell [07931] in it: and he shall stretch out [05186] upon it the line [06957] of confusion [08414], and the stones [068] of emptiness [0922]. |
| |
King James |
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. |
Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse
| A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882] |
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] (Isa 14:23).
owl--from its being enumerated among water birds in Lev 11:17; Deu 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 of a horn (Rev 18:2).
confusion--devastation.
line . . . stones--metaphor from an architect with line and plummet-stone (see on Isa 18:2; Isa 28:17); God will render to it the exact measure of justice without mercy (Jam 2:13; Kg2 21:13; Lam 2:8; Amo 7:7-8).
emptiness--desolation. Edom is now a waste of "stones." |
| Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834] |
But 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 Isa 13:20-22; Isa 14:23. The word here translated 'cormorant' (קאת qâ'ath), occurs in this place and in Zep 2:14, where it is rendered 'cormorant,' and in Lev 11:18; Deu 14:17; Psa 102:6, where it is rendered 'pelican.' Bochart supposes it is the ardea stellaris, or bitourn, which frequents watery places in deserts, and makes a horrible noise. The pelican is a sea-fowl, and cannot be intended here. The cormorant or water raven is a large fowl of the pelican kind, which occupies the cliffs by the sea, feeds on fish, and which is extremely voracious, and which is the emblem of a glutton. It is not certain what fowl is intended here, but the word properly denotes a water-fowl, and evidently refers to some bird that inhabits desolate places.
And the bittern shall possess it - For a description of the bittern, see the note at Isa 14:23.
The owl also and the raven - Well known birds that occupy deserts, and old ruins of houses or towns. The image here is that of desolation and ruin; and the sense is, that the land would be reduced to a waste that would not be inhabited by man, but would be given up to wild animals. How well this agrees with Edom, may be seen in the Travels of Burckhardt, Seetsen, and others. In regard to the fact that the cormorant (קאת qâ'ath) should be found there, it may be proper to introduce a remark of Burckhardt, who seems to have had no reference to this prophecy. 'The bird katta,' says he, 'is met with in immense numbers. They fly in such large flocks that the boys often kill two or three of them at a time, merely by throwing a stick among them.' So also in regard to the fact that the owl and the raven shall dwell there, the following statements are made by travelers: Captain Mangles relates thatwhile he and his fellow-travelers were examining the ruins and contemplating the sublime scenery of Petra, 'the screaming of the eagles, hawks, and owls, which were soaring above their heads in considerable numbers, seemingly annoyed at anyone approaching their lonely habitation, added much to the singularity of the scene.' So says Burckhardt: 'The fields of Tafyle (situated in the immediate vicinity of Edom) are frequented by an immense number of crows.'
And he shall stretch out upon it - This is an illusion to the fact that an architect uses a line, which is employed to lay out his work (see the note at Isa 28:17).
The line of confusion - A similar expression occurs in Kg2 21:13 : 'I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab;' that is, I will apply the same measure and rule of destruction to Jerusalem that has been applied to Samaria. So Edom would be marked out for desolation. It was the work which God had laid out, and which he intended to perform.
And the stones of emptiness - Probably the plummet which the architect commonly employed with his line (see the note at Isa 28:17). It is a fact, however, that Edom is at present an extended waste of stones and barren rocks. 'We had before us an immense expanse of dreary country, entirely covered with black flints, with here and there some hilly chain rising from the plain.' (Burckhardt's Travels in Syria, p. 445.) |
| Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78] |
| The land of Edom, in this geographical and also emblematical sense, would become a wilderness; the kingdom of Edom would be for ever destroyed. "And pelican and hedgehog take possession of it, and eared-owl and raven dwell there; and he stretches over it the measure of Tohu and the level of Bohu. Its nobles - there is no longer a monarchy which they elected; and all its princes come to nought." The description of the ruin, which commences in Isa 34:11 with a list of animals that frequent marshy and solitary regions, is similar to the one in Isa 13:20-22; Isa 14:23 (compare Zep 2:14, which is founded upon this). Isaiah's was the original of all such pictures of ruin which we meet with in the later prophets. The qippōd is the hedgehog, although we find it here in the company of birds (from qâphad, to draw one's self together, to roll up; see Isa 14:23). קאת is written here with a double kametz, as well as in Zep 2:14, according to codd. and Kimchi, W.B. (Targ. qâth, elsewhere qâq; Saad. and Abulwalid, qûq: see at Psa 102:7). According to well-established tradition, it is the long-necked pelican, which lives upon fish (the name is derived either from קוא, to vomit, or, as the construct is קאת, from a word קאה, formed in imitation of the animal's cry). Yanshūph is rendered by the Targum qı̄ppōphı̄n (Syr. kafûfo), i.e., eared-owls, which are frequently mentioned in the Talmud as birds of ill omen (Rashi, or Berachoth 57b, chouette). As the parallel to qâv, we have אבני (stones) here instead of משׁקלת, the level, in Isa 28:17. It is used in the same sense, however - namely, to signify the weight used in the plumb or level, which is suspended by a line. The level and the measure are commonly employed for the purpose of building up; but here Jehovah is represented as using these fore the purpose of pulling down (a figure met with even before the time of Isaiah: vid., Amo 7:7-9, cf., Kg2 21:13; Lam 2:8), inasmuch as He carries out this negative reverse of building with the same rigorous exactness as that with which a builder carries out his well-considered plan, and throws Edom back into a state of desolation and desert, resembling the disordered and shapeless chaos of creation (compare Jer 4:23, where tōhū vâbhōhū represents, as it does here, the state into which a land is reduced by fire). תהוּ has no dagesh lene; and this is one of the three passages in which the opening mute is without a dagesh, although the word not only follows, but is closely connected with, one which has a soft consonant as its final letter (the others are Psa 68:18 and Eze 23:42). Thus the primeval kingdom with its early monarchy, which is long preceded that of Israel, is brought to an end (Gen 36:31). חריה stands at the head as a kind of protasis. Edom was an elective monarchy; the hereditary nobility electing the new king. But this would be done no more. The electoral princes of Edom would come to nothing. Not a trace would be left of all that had built up the glory of Edom. |
| Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65] |
| Dwell - It shall be entirely possessed by those creatures which delight in deserts and waste places. Stretch - He shall use the line, or the stone or plummet joined to it, not to build them, but to mark them out to destruction, as workmen commonly use them to mark what they are to pull down. |
| Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826 |
The 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 words thus: - The foule in face like an asse, and the yrchoun, and the snyte (snipe.)
The line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness "The plummet of emptiness over her scorched plains" - The word חריה choreyha, joined to the 12th verse, embarrasses it, and makes it inexplicable. At least I do not know that any one has yet made out the construction, or given any tolerable explication of it. I join it to the 11th verse, and supply a letter or two, which seem to have been lost. Fifteen MSS. five ancient, and two editions, read חוריה choreyha; the first printed edition of 1486, I think nearer to the truth, חור חריה chor choreyha. I read בחרריה becharereyha, or על חרריה al chorereyha; see Jer 17:6. A MS. has חדיה chodiah, and the Syriac reads חדוה chaduah, gaudium, joining it to the two preceding words; which he likewise reads differently, but without improving the sense. However, his authority is clear for dividing the verses as they are here divided. I read שם shem, as a noun. They shall boast, יקראו yikreu; see Pro 20:6. |
7 Thus he shewed [07200] me: and, behold, the Lord [0136] stood [05324] upon a wall [02346] made by a plumbline [0594], with a plumbline [0594] in his hand [03027].
8 And the LORD [03068] said [0559] unto me, Amos [05986], what seest [07200] thou? And I said [0559], A plumbline [0594]. Then said [0559] the Lord [0136], Behold, I will set [07760] a plumbline [0594] in the midst [07130] of my people [05971] Israel [03478]: I will not again [03254] pass by [05674] them any more:
8 The LORD [03068] hath purposed [02803] to destroy [07843] the wall [02346] of the daughter [01323] of Zion [06726]: he hath stretched out [05186] a line [06957], he hath not withdrawn [07725] his hand [03027] from destroying [01104]: therefore he made the rampart [02426] and the wall [02346] to lament [056]; they languished [0535] together [03162].
13 And I will stretch [05186] over Jerusalem [03389] the line [06957] of Samaria [08111], and the plummet [04949] of the house [01004] of Ahab [0256]: and I will wipe [04229] Jerusalem [03389] as a man wipeth [04229] a dish [06747], wiping [04229] it, and turning [02015] it upside down [06440].
13 For [1063] he shall have judgment [2920] without mercy [448], that hath shewed [4160] no [3361] mercy [1656]; and [2532] mercy [1656] rejoiceth against [2620] judgment [2920].
17 Judgment [04941] also will I lay [07760] to the line [06957], and righteousness [06666] to the plummet [04949]: and the hail [01259] shall sweep away [03261] the refuge [04268] of lies [03577], and the waters [04325] shall overflow [07857] the hiding place [05643].
2 That sendeth [07971] ambassadors [06735] by the sea [03220], even in vessels [03627] of bulrushes [01573] upon [06440] the waters [04325], saying, Go [03212], ye swift [07031] messengers [04397], to a nation [01471] scattered [04900] and peeled [04178], to a people [05971] terrible [03372] from their beginning hitherto [01973]; a nation [01471] meted out [06978] and trodden down [04001], whose land [0776] the rivers [05104] have spoiled [0958] !
2 And [2532] he cried [2896] mightily [2479] with [1722] a strong [3173] voice [5456], saying [3004], Babylon [897] the great [3173] is fallen [4098], is fallen [4098], and [2532] is become [1096] the habitation [2732] of devils [1142], and [2532] the hold [5438] of every [3956] foul [169] spirit [4151], and [2532] a cage [5438] of every [3956] unclean [169] and [2532] hateful [3404] bird [3732].
16 The little owl [03563], and the great owl [03244], and the swan [08580],
17 And the little owl [03563], and the cormorant [07994], and the great owl [03244],
23 I will also make [07760] it a possession [04180] for the bittern [07090], and pools [098] of water [04325]: and I will sweep [02894] it with the besom [04292] of destruction [08045], saith [05002] the LORD [03068] of hosts [06635].
6 I am like [01819] a pelican [06893] of the wilderness [04057]: I am like an owl [03563] of the desert [02723].
17 Judgment [04941] also will I lay [07760] to the line [06957], and righteousness [06666] to the plummet [04949]: and the hail [01259] shall sweep away [03261] the refuge [04268] of lies [03577], and the waters [04325] shall overflow [07857] the hiding place [05643].
13 And I will stretch [05186] over Jerusalem [03389] the line [06957] of Samaria [08111], and the plummet [04949] of the house [01004] of Ahab [0256]: and I will wipe [04229] Jerusalem [03389] as a man wipeth [04229] a dish [06747], wiping [04229] it, and turning [02015] it upside down [06440].
17 Judgment [04941] also will I lay [07760] to the line [06957], and righteousness [06666] to the plummet [04949]: and the hail [01259] shall sweep away [03261] the refuge [04268] of lies [03577], and the waters [04325] shall overflow [07857] the hiding place [05643].
23 I will also make [07760] it a possession [04180] for the bittern [07090], and pools [098] of water [04325]: and I will sweep [02894] it with the besom [04292] of destruction [08045], saith [05002] the LORD [03068] of hosts [06635].
6 I am like [01819] a pelican [06893] of the wilderness [04057]: I am like an owl [03563] of the desert [02723].
17 And the pelican [06893], and the gier eagle [07360], and the cormorant [07994],
18 And the swan [08580], and the pelican [06893], and the gier eagle [07360],
14 And flocks [05739] shall lie down [07257] in the midst [08432] of her, all the beasts [02416] of the nations [01471]: both the cormorant [06893] and the bittern [07090] shall lodge [03885] in the upper lintels [03730] of it; their voice [06963] shall sing [07891] in the windows [02474]; desolation [02721] shall be in the thresholds [05592]: for he shall uncover [06168] the cedar work [0731].
23 I will also make [07760] it a possession [04180] for the bittern [07090], and pools [098] of water [04325]: and I will sweep [02894] it with the besom [04292] of destruction [08045], saith [05002] the LORD [03068] of hosts [06635].
20 It shall never [05331] be inhabited [03427], neither shall it be dwelt [07931] in from generation [01755] to generation [01755]: neither shall the Arabian [06163] pitch tent [0167] there; neither shall the shepherds [07462] make their fold [07257] there.
21 But wild beasts of the desert [06728] shall lie [07257] there; and their houses [01004] shall be full [04390] of doleful creatures [0255]; and owls [01323] [03284] shall dwell [07931] there, and satyrs [08163] shall dance [07540] there.
22 And the wild beasts of the islands [0338] shall cry [06030] in their desolate houses [0490], and dragons [08577] in their pleasant [06027] palaces [01964]: and her time [06256] is near [07138] to come [0935], and her days [03117] shall not be prolonged [04900].
31 And these are the kings [04428] that reigned [04427] in the land [0776] of Edom [0123], before [06440] there reigned [04427] any king [04428] over the children [01121] of Israel [03478].
42 And a voice [06963] of a multitude [01995] being at ease [07961] was with her: and with the men [0582] of the common sort [07230] [0120] were brought [0935] Sabeans [05436] [05433] from the wilderness [04057], which put [05414] bracelets [06781] upon their hands [03027], and beautiful [08597] crowns [05850] upon their heads [07218].
18 Thou hast ascended [05927] on high [04791], thou hast led captivity [07628] captive [07617]: thou hast received [03947] gifts [04979] for men [0120]; yea, for the rebellious [05637] also, that the LORD [03050] God [0430] might dwell [07931] among them.
23 I beheld [07200] the earth [0776], and, lo, it was without form [08414], and void [0922]; and the heavens [08064], and they had no light [0216].
8 The LORD [03068] hath purposed [02803] to destroy [07843] the wall [02346] of the daughter [01323] of Zion [06726]: he hath stretched out [05186] a line [06957], he hath not withdrawn [07725] his hand [03027] from destroying [01104]: therefore he made the rampart [02426] and the wall [02346] to lament [056]; they languished [0535] together [03162].
13 And I will stretch [05186] over Jerusalem [03389] the line [06957] of Samaria [08111], and the plummet [04949] of the house [01004] of Ahab [0256]: and I will wipe [04229] Jerusalem [03389] as a man wipeth [04229] a dish [06747], wiping [04229] it, and turning [02015] it upside down [06440].
7 Thus he shewed [07200] me: and, behold, the Lord [0136] stood [05324] upon a wall [02346] made by a plumbline [0594], with a plumbline [0594] in his hand [03027].
8 And the LORD [03068] said [0559] unto me, Amos [05986], what seest [07200] thou? And I said [0559], A plumbline [0594]. Then said [0559] the Lord [0136], Behold, I will set [07760] a plumbline [0594] in the midst [07130] of my people [05971] Israel [03478]: I will not again [03254] pass by [05674] them any more:
9 And the high places [01116] of Isaac [03446] shall be desolate [08074], and the sanctuaries [04720] of Israel [03478] shall be laid waste [02717]; and I will rise [06965] against the house [01004] of Jeroboam [03379] with the sword [02719].
17 Judgment [04941] also will I lay [07760] to the line [06957], and righteousness [06666] to the plummet [04949]: and the hail [01259] shall sweep away [03261] the refuge [04268] of lies [03577], and the waters [04325] shall overflow [07857] the hiding place [05643].
7 I watch [08245], and am as a sparrow [06833] alone [0909] upon the house top [01406].
14 And flocks [05739] shall lie down [07257] in the midst [08432] of her, all the beasts [02416] of the nations [01471]: both the cormorant [06893] and the bittern [07090] shall lodge [03885] in the upper lintels [03730] of it; their voice [06963] shall sing [07891] in the windows [02474]; desolation [02721] shall be in the thresholds [05592]: for he shall uncover [06168] the cedar work [0731].
23 I will also make [07760] it a possession [04180] for the bittern [07090], and pools [098] of water [04325]: and I will sweep [02894] it with the besom [04292] of destruction [08045], saith [05002] the LORD [03068] of hosts [06635].
14 And flocks [05739] shall lie down [07257] in the midst [08432] of her, all the beasts [02416] of the nations [01471]: both the cormorant [06893] and the bittern [07090] shall lodge [03885] in the upper lintels [03730] of it; their voice [06963] shall sing [07891] in the windows [02474]; desolation [02721] shall be in the thresholds [05592]: for he shall uncover [06168] the cedar work [0731].
23 I will also make [07760] it a possession [04180] for the bittern [07090], and pools [098] of water [04325]: and I will sweep [02894] it with the besom [04292] of destruction [08045], saith [05002] the LORD [03068] of hosts [06635].
20 It shall never [05331] be inhabited [03427], neither shall it be dwelt [07931] in from generation [01755] to generation [01755]: neither shall the Arabian [06163] pitch tent [0167] there; neither shall the shepherds [07462] make their fold [07257] there.
21 But wild beasts of the desert [06728] shall lie [07257] there; and their houses [01004] shall be full [04390] of doleful creatures [0255]; and owls [01323] [03284] shall dwell [07931] there, and satyrs [08163] shall dance [07540] there.
22 And the wild beasts of the islands [0338] shall cry [06030] in their desolate houses [0490], and dragons [08577] in their pleasant [06027] palaces [01964]: and her time [06256] is near [07138] to come [0935], and her days [03117] shall not be prolonged [04900].
11 But the cormorant [06893] and the bittern [07090] shall possess [03423] it; the owl [03244] also and the raven [06158] shall dwell [07931] in it: and he shall stretch out [05186] upon it the line [06957] of confusion [08414], and the stones [068] of emptiness [0922].
6 Most [07230] men [0120] will proclaim [07121] every one [0376] his own goodness [02617]: but a faithful [0529] man [0376] who can find [04672]?
6 For he shall be like the heath [06199] in the desert [06160], and shall not see [07200] when good [02896] cometh [0935]; but shall inhabit [07931] the parched places [02788] in the wilderness [04057], in a salt [04420] land [0776] and not inhabited [03427].