34:1 Come near, nations, to hear A formulaic poetic invocation (see 1:2), similar to the call to the heavens and earth (see Psa 49:1). The invocation calls all peoples to attention in order to contrast the folly of human pride with the wisdom of trusting in God.

34:2 the anger of Yahweh is against all the nations Describes a disaster like the global destruction of Isa 24:1–6, but with the added element of rage. Rage and anger in the ot have a connotation of heat and fire (see Deut 29:27–28), hinting at the fiery destruction promised to the nations in Isa 33:10–12.

his wrath is against all their armies The same Hebrew word as in the title “Yahweh of hosts.” See note on 1:9.

he has put them under a ban In war, items devoted to destruction were under a sacred ban (see Lev 27:28 and note). The destruction in this context was like an act of sacrifice, set apart to please God (see Josh 6:17–18; Deut 7:2; 20:17).

34:4 all the host of heaven shall rot Images of cosmic destruction beyond the scope of the slaughter of the nations’ armies. The earthly host was devoted to destruction in Isa 34:2. Now, the heavenly host becomes subject to divine wrath.

34:5 upon Edom, and upon the people of my ban, for judgment Judgment moves from all the nations to the heavens, and now Edom specifically. All the nations were devoted to destruction in v. 2 (see note on v. 2). Now, Edom receives the brunt of God’s wrath as representative of all the enemies of Yahweh. The analogy probably derives from the antithesis between the brothers Jacob and Esau. While Jacob represents God’s chosen people, Esau represents all who are opposed to God and His choice of Jacob (see 63:1–6; Mal 1:2–4).

34:6 Yahweh has a sword See note on Isa 34:2.

It is covered with fat, with the blood of Biblical sacrifice required blood and fat—especially the fat around organs like the kidneys. The imagery sets up the announcement in the next line that Yahweh has a sacrifice (see Lev 3:1–17).

Bozrah The ancient capital of Edom.

a great slaughter in the land of Edom The Hebrew words for sacrifice (zevach) and slaughter (tevach) sound alike in these parallel lines, creating one of Isaiah’s wordplays.

34:8 Yahweh has a day of vengeance See note on Isa 34:2. Images of judgment, destruction, and sacrifice culminate in this pronouncement that has been part of the long-expected day of Yahweh’s vengeance.

retribution for the strife of Zion The people expected God to defend Zion, but misunderstood that His concern was unconditional and temporal.

34:10 Night and day it shall not be quenched Edom is turned into a perpetual place of burning pitch and sulfur, similar to nt images of the lake of fire (Rev 14:11; 20:10).

34:11 large bird and the hedgehog shall take possession of it A return to more common rhetoric of civilization being turned over to wild animals and plants (see Isa 13:19–22; 14:23; 32:12–14; Zeph 2:14).

the owl and the raven The birds listed in Isa 34:11 were probably unclean animals (see Deut 14:11–20).

he shall stretch the measuring line of confusion out over it Alludes to the return to ancient primeval chaos through the rare combination of the Hebrew words tohu and bohu (“emptiness” and “nothing”). In Gen 1:2, the earth was similarly tohu and bohu (see note on Gen 1:2). Note a similar allusion to the undoing of creation in Jer 4:23.

34:12 all its princes shall be nothing Earthly nobility and power are meaningless compared with Yahweh’s sovereign power (see Isa 32:5).

34:13 thorns shall go up her citadel fortress See 32:13; and 34:11 and note. Weeds and unclean animals overtake the land.

34:14 Lilith The Hebrew noun lilith appears only here in the Bible and may be related to the Hebrew word for “night” (laylah). The surrounding references to wildlife suggest the possibility that “Lilith” is a nocturnal animal. In Mesopotamian mythology, Lilith was the name of a demon.

34:16 from the book of Yahweh A hint that God’s commands and prophecies (probably those recorded in Isaiah) exist in some written form. Note the command to bind the testimony in 8:16 and record the prophecy in 30:8.

none shall miss her mate The reference to animals and their mates may allude to the perfect order of the natural world immediately after the flood (see Gen 6:19; 8:17).