Isaiah 34:9
New International Version
Edom’s streams will be turned into pitch, her dust into burning sulfur; her land will become blazing pitch!

New Living Translation
The streams of Edom will be filled with burning pitch, and the ground will be covered with fire.

English Standard Version
And the streams of Edom shall be turned into pitch, and her soil into sulfur; her land shall become burning pitch.

Berean Standard Bible
Edom’s streams will be turned to tar, and her soil to sulfur; her land will become a blazing pitch.

King James Bible
And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch.

New King James Version
Its streams shall be turned into pitch, And its dust into brimstone; Its land shall become burning pitch.

New American Standard Bible
Its streams will be turned into pitch, And its loose earth into brimstone, And its land will become burning pitch.

NASB 1995
Its streams will be turned into pitch, And its loose earth into brimstone, And its land will become burning pitch.

NASB 1977
And its streams shall be turned into pitch, And its loose earth into brimstone, And its land shall become burning pitch.

Legacy Standard Bible
And its streams will be turned into pitch, And its dust into brimstone, And its land will become burning pitch.

Amplified Bible
The streams [of Edom] will be turned into pitch, And its dust into brimstone, And its land will become burning pitch.

Christian Standard Bible
Edom’s streams will be turned into pitch, her soil into sulfur; her land will become burning pitch.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Edom’s streams will be turned into pitch, her soil into sulfur; her land will become burning pitch.

American Standard Version
And the streams of Edom shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch.

Contemporary English Version
Edom's streams will turn into tar and its soil into sulfur--then the whole country will go up in flames.

English Revised Version
And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Edom's streams will be turned to tar. Its soil will be turned to burning sulfur. Its land will become blazing tar.

Good News Translation
The rivers of Edom will turn into tar, and the soil will turn into sulfur. The whole country will burn like tar.

International Standard Version
Edom's streams will be turned into burning sulfur, and its dust into sulfur; its land will become pitch.

Majority Standard Bible
Edom?s streams will be turned to tar, and her soil to sulfur; her land will become a blazing pitch.

NET Bible
Edom's streams will be turned into pitch and her soil into brimstone; her land will become burning pitch.

New Heart English Bible
Its streams will be turned into pitch, its dust into sulfur, And its land will become burning pitch.

Webster's Bible Translation
And its streams shall be turned into pitch, and its dust into brimstone, and its land shall become burning pitch.

World English Bible
Its streams will be turned into pitch, its dust into sulfur, and its land will become burning pitch.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And her streams have been turned to pitch, "" And her dust to brimstone, "" And her land has become burning pitch.

Young's Literal Translation
And turned have been her streams to pitch, And her dust to brimstone, And her land hath become burning pitch.

Smith's Literal Translation
And its torrents turned to pitch, and its dust to sulphur, and its land to burning pitch.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the ground thereof into brimstone: and the land thereof shall become burning pitch.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And its torrents will be turned into tar, and its soil into sulfur. And its land will become burning tar.

New American Bible
Edom’s streams shall be changed into pitch, its soil into sulfur, and its land shall become burning pitch;

New Revised Standard Version
And the streams of Edom shall be turned into pitch, and her soil into sulfur; her land shall become burning pitch.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And its streams shall be turned into pitch and its soil into brimstone, and its land shall become burning pitch.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And its streams shall be turned to pitch, and its dust to brimstone, and its land shall be burning pitch
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, And the dust thereof into brimstone, And the land thereof shall become burning pitch.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And her valleys shall be turned into pitch, and her land into sulphur; and her land shall be as pitch burning night and day;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
God's Judgments on the Nations
8For the LORD has a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion. 9Edom’s streams will be turned to tar, and her soil to sulfur; her land will become a blazing pitch. 10It will not be quenched—day or night. Its smoke will ascend forever. From generation to generation it will lie desolate; no one will ever again pass through it.…

Cross References
Revelation 14:10-11
he too will drink the wine of God’s anger, poured undiluted into the cup of His wrath. And he will be tormented in fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. / And the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever. Day and night there is no rest for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”

Revelation 18:18
and cry out at the sight of the smoke rising from the fire that consumes her. “What city was ever like this great city?” they will exclaim.

Revelation 19:3
And a second time they called out: “Hallelujah! Her smoke rises forever and ever.”

Revelation 14:8
Then a second angel followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, who has made all the nations drink the wine of the passion of her immorality.”

Revelation 18:8-9
Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and grief and famine—and she will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.” / Then the kings of the earth who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her will weep and wail at the sight of the smoke rising from the fire that consumes her.

Jeremiah 49:18
As Sodom and Gomorrah were overthrown along with their neighbors,” says the LORD, “no one will dwell there; no man will abide there.

Jeremiah 50:40
As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah along with their neighbors,” declares the LORD, “no one will dwell there; no man will abide there.

Genesis 19:24-25
Then the LORD rained down sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens. / Thus He destroyed these cities and the entire plain, including all the inhabitants of the cities and everything that grew on the ground.

Revelation 9:2
The star opened the pit of the Abyss, and smoke rose out of it like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the pit.

Revelation 18:21
Then a mighty angel picked up a stone the size of a great millstone and cast it into the sea, saying: “With such violence the great city of Babylon will be cast down, never to be seen again.

Revelation 14:19-20
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. / And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and the blood that flowed from it rose as high as the bridles of the horses for a distance of 1,600 stadia.

Revelation 16:19
The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. And God remembered Babylon the great and gave her the cup of the wine of the fury of His wrath.

Revelation 17:16
And the ten horns and the beast that you saw will hate the prostitute. They will leave her desolate and naked, and they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire.

Jeremiah 51:25-26
“Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, you who devastate the whole earth, declares the LORD. I will stretch out My hand against you; I will roll you over the cliffs and turn you into a charred mountain. / No one shall retrieve from you a cornerstone or a foundation stone, because you will become desolate forever,” declares the LORD.

Ezekiel 38:22
I will execute judgment upon him with plague and bloodshed. I will pour out torrents of rain, hailstones, fire, and sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him.


Treasury of Scripture

And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch.

Genesis 19:28
And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.

Job 18:15
It shall dwell in his tabernacle, because it is none of his: brimstone shall be scattered upon his habitation.

Psalm 11:6
Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.

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Blazing Boiling Brimstone Burning Dust Earth Edom Fire Loose Oil Pitch Soil Stone Streams Sulfur Thereof Torrents Turned
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Blazing Boiling Brimstone Burning Dust Earth Edom Fire Loose Oil Pitch Soil Stone Streams Sulfur Thereof Torrents Turned
Isaiah 34
1. The judgments wherewith God revenges his church
11. The desolation of her enemies
16. The certainty of the prophecy














Her streams
The Hebrew word for "streams" is "נַחֲלֵיהָ" (nachaleha), which often refers to flowing bodies of water such as rivers or brooks. In the context of Isaiah 34, these streams symbolize the life-giving and sustaining resources of a land. The transformation of these streams into tar signifies a complete reversal of their natural state, indicating divine judgment and desolation. This imagery serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of turning away from God, as the life-giving waters are replaced with something unusable and destructive.

will be turned to tar
The transformation of streams into "tar" (זֶפֶת, zepheth) is a vivid depiction of judgment. Tar, a sticky and flammable substance, represents something that is not only unusable but also a source of danger and destruction. This imagery is consistent with the biblical theme of divine retribution, where the natural order is upended as a consequence of sin. The use of tar here may also evoke the historical context of ancient Near Eastern practices, where tar was used in construction and warfare, further emphasizing the totality of the land's devastation.

and her soil to sulfur
The Hebrew word for "sulfur" is "גָּפְרִית" (gophrith), often associated with destruction and divine wrath, as seen in the account of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24). Sulfur, known for its pungent smell and association with fire, symbolizes a land that is cursed and uninhabitable. The transformation of soil into sulfur indicates a complete and irreversible judgment, rendering the land barren and lifeless. This serves as a powerful warning of the consequences of persistent rebellion against God.

her land will become a blazing pitch
The phrase "blazing pitch" (זֶפֶת בֹּעֵר, zepheth bo'er) combines the imagery of fire and tar, suggesting a land engulfed in flames and smoke. Pitch, a derivative of tar, is highly flammable, and its burning represents a scene of utter devastation. This imagery is not only a literal depiction of destruction but also a metaphor for the consuming nature of God's judgment. The historical context of ancient warfare, where cities were often set ablaze, underscores the severity of the prophecy. This serves as a sobering reminder of the holiness and justice of God, who will not tolerate sin indefinitely.

(9, 10) The streams thereof shall be turned into pitch . . .--The imagery of the punishment which is to fall on Edom is suggested partly by the scenery of the Dead Sea, partly by the volcanic character of Edom itself, with its extinct craters and streams of lava. (Comp. Jeremiah 49:18.) The prophet sees the destruction, as continuing not merely in its results, but in its process, the smoke of the burning craters rising up perpetually, and making the land uninhabitable.

Verse 9. - And the streams thereof; i.e. "the streams of the land of Edom." Though Edom has no perennial rivers, it has numerous torrent-courses to carry off the winter rains (see 2 Kings 3:20-22). These should run with pitch, instead of water. The general idea is that Edom should be visited with a destruction like that of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24; comp. Jeremiah 49:18). But the prophet scarcely intends his words to be taken literally; he is making Edom a type or representation of God's enemies, and the gist of his teaching is that a dreadful vengeance, an utter destruction, will come upon all who set themselves up against the Most High. In the next verse he declares that the vengeance will be eternal (comp. Isaiah 66:24).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Her streams
נְחָלֶ֙יהָ֙ (nə·ḥā·le·hā)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 5158: A stream, a winter torrent, a, valley, a shaft

will be turned
וְנֶהֶפְכ֤וּ (wə·ne·hep̄·ḵū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 2015: To turn about, over, to change, overturn, return, pervert

to tar,
לְזֶ֔פֶת (lə·ze·p̄eṯ)
Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2203: Asphalt

and her soil
וַעֲפָרָ֖הּ (wa·‘ă·p̄ā·rāh)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 6083: Dust, clay, earth, mud

to sulfur;
לְגָפְרִ֑ית (lə·ḡā·p̄ə·rîṯ)
Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 1614: Cypress-resin, sulphur

her land
אַרְצָ֔הּ (’ar·ṣāh)
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

will become
וְהָיְתָ֣ה (wə·hā·yə·ṯāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

a blazing
בֹּעֵרָֽה׃ (bō·‘ê·rāh)
Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine singular
Strong's 1197: To kindle, consume, to be, brutish

pitch.
לְזֶ֖פֶת (lə·ze·p̄eṯ)
Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2203: Asphalt


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OT Prophets: Isaiah 34:9 Its streams will be turned into pitch (Isa Isi Is)
Isaiah 34:8
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