Isaiah 34:5
New International Version
My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens; see, it descends in judgment on Edom, the people I have totally destroyed.

New Living Translation
And when my sword has finished its work in the heavens, it will fall upon Edom, the nation I have marked for destruction.

English Standard Version
For my sword has drunk its fill in the heavens; behold, it descends for judgment upon Edom, upon the people I have devoted to destruction.

Berean Standard Bible
When My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens, then it will come down upon Edom, upon the people I have devoted to destruction.

King James Bible
For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment.

New King James Version
“For My sword shall be bathed in heaven; Indeed it shall come down on Edom, And on the people of My curse, for judgment.

New American Standard Bible
For My sword has drunk its fill in heaven; Behold it shall descend for judgment upon Edom, And upon the people whom I have designated for destruction.

NASB 1995
For My sword is satiated in heaven, Behold it shall descend for judgment upon Edom And upon the people whom I have devoted to destruction.

NASB 1977
For My sword is satiated in heaven, Behold it shall descend for judgment upon Edom, And upon the people whom I have devoted to destruction.

Legacy Standard Bible
For My sword is satiated in heaven; Behold, it shall descend for judgment upon Edom And upon the people whom I have devoted to destruction.

Amplified Bible
For My sword is satiated [with blood] in heaven; Indeed, it will come down for judgment on Edom And on the people whom I have doomed for destruction.

Christian Standard Bible
When my sword has drunk its fill in the heavens, it will then come down on Edom and on the people I have set apart for destruction.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
When My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens, it will then come down on Edom and on the people I have set apart for destruction.

American Standard Version
For my sword hath drunk its fill in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Edom, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment.

Contemporary English Version
After the sword of the LORD has done what it wants to the skies above, it will come down on Edom, the nation that the LORD has doomed for destruction.

English Revised Version
For my sword hath drunk its fill in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Edom, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
When my sword is covered [with blood] in the heavens, it will fall on Edom and on the people I've claimed for destruction.

Good News Translation
The LORD has prepared his sword in heaven, and now it will strike Edom, those people whom he has condemned to destruction.

International Standard Version
For my sword will be seen in the heavens. Look! It descends in judgment on Edom, on the people I have doomed to destruction.

Majority Standard Bible
When My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens, then it will come down upon Edom, upon the people I have devoted to destruction.

NET Bible
He says, "Indeed, my sword has slaughtered heavenly powers. Look, it now descends on Edom, on the people I will annihilate in judgment."

New Heart English Bible
For my sword has drunk its fill in the sky. Look, it will come down on Edom, and on the people of my curse, for judgment.

Webster's Bible Translation
For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Edom, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment.

World English Bible
For my sword has drunk its fill in the sky. Behold, it will come down on Edom, and on the people of my curse, for judgment.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
For My sword was soaked in the heavens, "" Behold, it comes down on Edom, "" On the people of My curse for judgment.

Young's Literal Translation
For soaked in the heavens was My sword, Lo, on Edom it cometh down, On the people of My curse for judgment.

Smith's Literal Translation
For my sword was drunk in the heavens: behold, it shall come down upon Edom, and upon the people of destruction for judgment.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
For my sword is inebriated in heaven: behold it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my slaughter unto judgment.

Catholic Public Domain Version
“For my sword in heaven has been inebriated. Behold, it will descend upon Idumea, and upon the people of my slaughter, unto judgment.”

New American Bible
When my sword has drunk its fill in the heavens, it shall come down upon Edom for judgment, upon a people under my ban.

New Revised Standard Version
When my sword has drunk its fill in the heavens, lo, it will descend upon Edom, upon the people I have doomed to judgment.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
For my sword shall be sharpened in heaven; behold, it shall come down upon the Edomites and upon a people that is condemned in judgment.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Because my sword shall be made drunk in Heaven! Behold, it shall come down against the Adumites, on the people that were condemned in judgment
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
For My sword hath drunk its fill in heaven; Behold, it shall come down upon Edom, And upon the people of My ban, to judgment.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
My sword has been made drunk in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and with judgement upon the people doomed to destruction.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
God's Judgments on the Nations
4All the stars of heaven will be dissolved. The skies will be rolled up like a scroll, and all their stars will fall like withered leaves from the vine, like foliage from the fig tree. 5When My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens, then it will come down upon Edom, upon the people I have devoted to destruction. 6The sword of the LORD is bathed in blood. It drips with fat—with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah, a great slaughter in the land of Edom.…

Cross References
Jeremiah 49:7-22
Concerning Edom, this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Is there no longer wisdom in Teman? Has counsel perished from the prudent? Has their wisdom decayed? / Turn and run! Lie low, O dwellers of Dedan, for I will bring disaster on Esau at the time I punish him. / If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave some gleanings? Were thieves to come in the night, would they not steal only what they wanted? ...

Ezekiel 25:12-14
This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because Edom acted vengefully against the house of Judah, and in so doing incurred grievous guilt, / therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: I will stretch out My hand against Edom and cut off from it both man and beast. I will make it a wasteland, and from Teman to Dedan they will fall by the sword. / I will take My vengeance on Edom by the hand of My people Israel, and they will deal with Edom according to My anger and wrath. Then they will know My vengeance, declares the Lord GOD.’

Obadiah 1:1-9
This is the vision of Obadiah: This is what the Lord GOD says about Edom—We have heard a message from the LORD; an envoy has been sent among the nations to say, “Rise up, and let us go to battle against her!”— / “Behold, I will make you small among the nations; you will be deeply despised. / The pride of your heart has deceived you, O dwellers in the clefts of the rocks whose habitation is the heights, who say in your heart, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’ ...

Malachi 1:2-4
“I have loved you,” says the LORD. But you ask, “How have You loved us?” “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD. “Yet Jacob I have loved, / but Esau I have hated, and I have made his mountains a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.” / Though Edom may say, “We have been devastated, but we will rebuild the ruins,” this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “They may build, but I will demolish. They will be called the Land of Wickedness, and a people with whom the LORD is indignant forever.

Psalm 137:7-9
Remember, O LORD, the sons of Edom on the day Jerusalem fell: “Destroy it,” they said, “tear it down to its foundations!” / O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction, blessed is he who repays you as you have done to us. / Blessed is he who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.

Lamentations 4:21-22
So rejoice and be glad, O Daughter of Edom, you who dwell in the land of Uz. Yet the cup will pass to you as well; you will get drunk and expose yourself. / O Daughter of Zion, your punishment is complete; He will not prolong your exile. But He will punish your iniquity, O Daughter of Edom; He will expose your sins.

Amos 1:11-12
This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Edom, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because he pursued his brother with the sword and stifled all compassion; his anger raged continually, and his fury flamed incessantly. / So I will send fire upon Teman to consume the citadels of Bozrah.”

Joel 3:19
Egypt will become desolate, and Edom a desert wasteland, because of the violence done to the people of Judah, in whose land they shed innocent blood.

Jeremiah 25:15-29
This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from My hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink from it. / And they will drink and stagger and go out of their minds, because of the sword that I will send among them.” / So I took the cup from the LORD’s hand and made all the nations drink from it, each one to whom the LORD had sent me, ...

Ezekiel 35:1-15
Moreover, the word of the LORD came to me, saying, / “Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir and prophesy against it, / and declare that this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I am against you, O Mount Seir. I will stretch out My hand against you and make you a desolate waste. ...

Isaiah 63:1-6
Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah with crimson-stained garments? Who is this robed in splendor, marching in the greatness of His strength? “It is I, proclaiming vindication, mighty to save.” / Why are Your clothes red, and Your garments like one who treads the winepress? / “I have trodden the winepress alone, and no one from the nations was with Me. I trampled them in My anger and trod them down in My fury; their blood spattered My garments, and all My clothes were stained. ...

Revelation 19:11-21
Then I saw heaven standing open, and there before me was a white horse. And its rider is called Faithful and True. With righteousness He judges and wages war. / He has eyes like blazing fire, and many royal crowns on His head. He has a name written on Him that only He Himself knows. / He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is The Word of God. ...

Revelation 14:17-20
Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. / Still another angel, with authority over the fire, came from the altar and called out in a loud voice to the angel with the sharp sickle, “Swing your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the vine of the earth, because its grapes are ripe.” / So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and gathered the grapes of the earth, and he threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. ...

Matthew 25:31-46
When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. / All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. / He will place the sheep on His right and the goats on His left. ...

Luke 21:20-24
But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, you will know that her desolation is near. / Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country stay out of the city. / For these are the days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. ...


Treasury of Scripture

For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down on Idumea, and on the people of my curse, to judgment.

my sword

Deuteronomy 32:14,42
Butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape…

Psalm 17:13
Arise, O LORD, disappoint him, cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword:

Jeremiah 46:10
For this is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood: for the Lord GOD of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates.

upon Idumea

Isaiah 63:1
Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.

Psalm 137:7
Remember, O LORD, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof.

Jeremiah 49:7-22
Concerning Edom, thus saith the LORD of hosts; Is wisdom no more in Teman? is counsel perished from the prudent? is their wisdom vanished? …

the people

Deuteronomy 27:15
Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen.

Deuteronomy 29:18-21
Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood; …

Matthew 25:41
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

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Ban Bathed Curse Descend Descends Destroyed Destruction Devoted Doomed Drunk Edom Fill Full Heaven Heavens Idumea Judgment Punishment Satiated Sky Soaked Sword Totally Wrath
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Ban Bathed Curse Descend Descends Destroyed Destruction Devoted Doomed Drunk Edom Fill Full Heaven Heavens Idumea Judgment Punishment Satiated Sky Soaked Sword Totally Wrath
Isaiah 34
1. The judgments wherewith God revenges his church
11. The desolation of her enemies
16. The certainty of the prophecy














When My sword
The phrase "My sword" is a metaphor for divine judgment and authority. In the Hebrew context, the sword often symbolizes God's power to execute justice. The imagery of a sword is prevalent throughout the Old Testament, representing God's ability to enforce His will and bring about His righteous decrees. The sword is not merely a weapon of war but a tool of divine retribution, emphasizing God's sovereignty over the nations.

has drunk its fill in the heavens
This phrase suggests a divine preparation or completion of judgment. The imagery of a sword "drinking" is vivid, indicating that God's judgment is thorough and complete. The mention of "the heavens" implies that this judgment is ordained and sanctioned by God Himself, transcending earthly realms. It reflects the idea that God's plans and purposes are established in the heavenly courts before they manifest on earth.

it will come down upon Edom
Edom, a nation descended from Esau, Jacob's brother, often symbolizes opposition to God's people, Israel. Historically, Edom had a tumultuous relationship with Israel, frequently opposing and betraying them. The prophetic declaration that God's sword will "come down upon Edom" signifies a specific and targeted judgment against those who have set themselves against God's chosen people. This serves as a reminder of God's protective covenant with Israel and His promise to vindicate them against their enemies.

upon the people I have devoted to destruction
The phrase "devoted to destruction" is derived from the Hebrew word "herem," which means something set apart for complete destruction as an offering to God. This concept is seen in the context of holy war, where certain peoples or cities were devoted to God through their destruction. It underscores the seriousness of divine judgment and the totality of God's justice. This phrase serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of persistent rebellion against God and His commands.

(5) My sword shall be bathed in heaven . . .--Literally, hath drunk to the full. The words find an echo in Deuteronomy 32:41-42, and Jeremiah 46:10. There, however, the sword is soaked, or made drunk with blood. Here it is "bathed in heaven," and this seems to require a different meaning. We read in Greek poets, of the "dippings" by which steel was tempered. May not the "bathing" of Isaiah have a like significance?

It shall come down upon Idumea . . .--Better, for Edom, . . . here and in the next verse. No reason can be assigned for this exceptional introduction of the Greek form.

Verse 5. - My sword shall be bathed in heaven; rather, has been bathed, or has been made drunken (ἐνεθύσθη, LXX.) in heaven. Some suppose a reference to the old" war in heaven," when the sword of Divine justice was drawn against the devil and his angels. Others regard the sword now to be used against the Idumeans as first, in heaven, "made drunken" with the Divine anger. It shall come down upon Idumea (comp. Isaiah 63:1-6). The Edomites first showed themselves enemies of Israel when they refused to allow the Israelites, under Moses, "a passage through their border" (Numbers 20:14-21). David subdued them (2 Samuel 9:14); but they revolted from Jehoram (2 Chronicles 21:8-10), and were thenceforward among the most bitter adversaries of the southern kingdom. They "smote Judah" in the reign of Ahaz (2 Chronicles 28:17), and were always ready to "shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity" (Ezekiel 35:5). Amos speaks of them very much in the same tone as Isaiah (Amos 1:11, 12). They ultimately "filled up the measure of their iniquities" by open rejoicing when Jerusalem was destroyed, and the people led away captive by Nebuchadnezzar (Psalm 137:7; Obadiah 1:10-14; Lamentations 4:21, 22; Ezekiel 35:10-13). In the present passage we must regard the Edomites as representative of the enemies of God's people generally (see the introductory paragraph). The people of my curse; i.e. "the people on whom I have laid a curse" - the Edomites. Esau was to "serve" Jacob (Genesis 25:23; Genesis 27:40), Edom to be "a possession" for Judah (Numbers 24:18). God had said of Edom, probably before Isaiah uttered the present prophecy, "For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof... but I will send a fire upon Teman, which shall devour the palaces of Bozrah" (Amos 1:11, 12). Thus Edom was under a curse.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
When
כִּֽי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

My sword
חַרְבִּ֑י (ḥar·bî)
Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 2719: Drought, a cutting instrument, as a, knife, sword

has drunk its fill
רִוְּתָ֥ה (riw·wə·ṯāh)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 7301: To be saturated, drink one's fill

in the heavens,
בַשָּׁמַ֖יִם (ḇaš·šā·ma·yim)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 8064: Heaven, sky

then
הִנֵּה֙ (hin·nêh)
Interjection
Strong's 2009: Lo! behold!

it will come down
תֵּרֵ֔ד (tê·rêḏ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 3381: To come or go down, descend

upon
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

Edom,
אֱד֣וֹם (’ĕ·ḏō·wm)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 123: The name of a condiment

on
וְעַל־ (wə·‘al-)
Conjunctive waw | Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

the people
עַ֥ם (‘am)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

I have set apart
חֶרְמִ֖י (ḥer·mî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 2764: A net, a doomed object, extermination

for destruction.
לְמִשְׁפָּֽט׃ (lə·miš·pāṭ)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4941: A verdict, a sentence, formal decree, divine law, penalty, justice, privilege, style


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OT Prophets: Isaiah 34:5 For my sword has drunk its fill (Isa Isi Is)
Isaiah 34:4
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