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The LORD will stretch out over Edom a measuring line of chaos and a plumb line of destruction.</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/isaiah/34-11.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/10/23_Isa_34_11.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Isaiah 34:11 - God's Judgments on the Nations" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="The desert owl and screech owl will possess it, and the great owl and raven will dwell in it. The LORD will stretch out over Edom a measuring line of chaos and a plumb line of destruction." /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script> <script src='https://app.protectsubrev.com/biblehub.js' type='text/javascript'></script></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="/vmenus/isaiah/34-11.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="/bmc/isaiah/34-11.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="/">Bible</a> > <a href="/isaiah/">Isaiah</a> > <a href="/isaiah/34.htm">Chapter 34</a> > Verse 11</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div><div id="ad1"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/ad1.htm" width="100%" height="48" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="/isaiah/34-10.htm" title="Isaiah 34:10">◄</a> Isaiah 34:11 <a href="/isaiah/34-12.htm" title="Isaiah 34:12">►</a></div></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="topverse"> <a href="#study" class="clickchap2" title="Context and Study Bible"> Audio </a> <a href="#crossref" class="clickchap2" title="Cross References"> Crossref </a> <a href="#commentary" class="clickchap2" title="Commentary"> Comm </a> <a href="#lexicon" class="clickchap2" title="Lexicon"> Hebrew </a> </div><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheadingv"><b>Verse</b><a href="/bsb/isaiah/34.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter">  (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><span class="versiontext"><a href="/niv/isaiah/34.htm">New International Version</a></span><br />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.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/isaiah/34.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />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.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/isaiah/34.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />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.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/isaiah/34.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />The desert owl and screech owl will possess it, and the great owl and raven will dwell in it. The LORD will stretch out over Edom a measuring line of chaos and a plumb line of destruction.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/isaiah/34.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />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.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/isaiah/34.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />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.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/isaiah/34.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />But pelican and hedgehog will possess it, And owl and raven will dwell in it; And He will stretch over it the line of desolation And the plumb line of emptiness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/isaiah/34.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />But pelican and hedgehog will possess it, And owl and raven will dwell in it; And He will stretch over it the line of desolation And the plumb line of emptiness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/isaiah/34.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />But pelican and hedgehog shall possess it, And owl and raven shall dwell in it; And He shall stretch over it the line of desolation And the plumb line of emptiness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/isaiah/34.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />But pelican and hedgehog will possess it, And owl and raven will dwell in it; And He will stretch over it the line of <i>utter</i> formlessness And the plumb line of <i>utter</i> void.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/isaiah/34.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />But the pelican and the porcupine will take possession of it; The owl and the raven will dwell in it. And He will stretch over it (Edom) the measuring line of desolation And the plumb line of emptiness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/isaiah/34.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />Eagle owls and herons will possess it, and long-eared owls and ravens will dwell there. The LORD will stretch out a measuring line and a plumb line over her for her destruction and chaos.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/isaiah/34.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />The desert owl and the screech owl will possess it, and the great owl and the raven will dwell there. The LORD will stretch out a measuring line and a plumb line over her for her destruction and chaos. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/isaiah/34.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />But the pelican and the porcupine shall possess it; and the owl and the raven shall dwell therein: and he will stretch over it the line of confusion, and the plummet of emptiness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/isaiah/34.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />Owls, hawks, and wild animals will make it their home. God will leave it in ruins, merely a pile of rocks. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/isaiah/34.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />But the pelican and the porcupine shall possess it; and the owl and the raven shall dwell therein: and he shall stretch over it the line of confusion, and the plummet of emptiness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/isaiah/34.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />Pelicans and herons will take possession of the land. Owls and crows will live there. He will stretch the measuring line of chaos and the plumb line of destruction over it.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/isaiah/34.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />Owls and ravens will take over the land. The LORD will make it a barren waste again, as it was before the creation. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/isaiah/34.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />"But hawks and hedgehogs will possess it; owls and ravens will nest in it. God will stretch out over it a measuring line, and chaos, and plumb lines of emptiness, and its nobles. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/isaiah/34.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />The desert owl and screech owl will possess it, and the great owl and raven will dwell in it. The LORD will stretch out over Edom a measuring line of chaos and a plumb line of destruction.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/isaiah/34.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />Owls and wild animals will live there, all kinds of wild birds will settle in it. The LORD will stretch out over her the measuring line of ruin and the plumb line of destruction. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/isaiah/34.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />But the pelican and the porcupine will possess it. The owl and the raven will dwell in it. He will stretch the line of confusion over it, and the plumb line of emptiness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/isaiah/34.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />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.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/isaiah/34.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />But the pelican and the porcupine will possess it. The owl and the raven will dwell in it. He will stretch the line of confusion over it, and the plumb line of emptiness. <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/isaiah/34.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />And pelican and hedgehog possess her, "" And owl and raven dwell in her, "" And He has stretched out over her "" A line of vacancy, and stones of emptiness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/isaiah/34.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> And possess her do pelican and hedge-hog, And owl and raven dwell in her, And He hath stretched out over her A line of vacancy, and stones of emptiness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/isaiah/34.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />And the pelican and the hedgehog shall possess it; the ibis and the raven shall dwell in it: and he stretched out upon it the line of desolation and the stones of emptiness.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/isaiah/34.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />The bittern and ericius shall possess it: and the ibis and the raven shall dwell in it: and a line shall be stretched out upon it, to bring it to nothing, and a plummet, unto desolation. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/isaiah/34.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />The pelican and the hedgehog will possess it. And the ibis and the raven will live in it. And a measuring line will be extended over it, so that it may be reduced to nothing, and a plumb line, unto desolation.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/isaiah/34.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />But the desert owl and hoot owl shall possess it, the screech owl and raven shall dwell in it. The LORD will stretch over it the measuring line of chaos, the plumb line of confusion. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/isaiah/34.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />But the hawk and the hedgehog shall possess it; the owl and the raven shall live in it. He shall stretch the line of confusion over it, and the plummet of chaos over its nobles.<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/isaiah/34.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />But pelicans and owls shall possess it; ravens and ostriches shall dwell in it; and he shall stretch out upon it the measuring line of the sword, and there shall be no joy in it.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/isaiah/34.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />Pelicans and owls shall inherit it, and crows and ravens shall dwell in it, and a measuring cord of ruin shall be stretched upon it, and no joy will be there<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/isaiah/34.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />But the pelican and the bittern shall possess it, And the owl and the raven shall dwell therein; And He shall stretch over it The line of confusion, and the plummet of emptiness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/isaiah/34.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />and for a long time birds and hedgehogs, and ibises and ravens shall dwell in it: and the measuring line of desolation shall be cast over it, and satyrs shall dwell in it.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/isaiah/34-11.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Xv9bHT-nr9s?start=7217" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/isaiah/34.htm">God's Judgments on the Nations</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">10</span>It 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. <span class="reftext">11</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/6893.htm" title="6893: qā·’aṯ (N-fs) -- (a bird) perhaps pelican. From qow'; probably the pelican.">The desert owl</a> <a href="/hebrew/7090.htm" title="7090: wə·qip·pō·wḏ (Conj-w:: N-ms) -- Porcupine. Or qippod; from qaphad; a species of bird, perhaps the bittern.">and screech owl</a> <a href="/hebrew/3423.htm" title="3423: wî·rê·šū·hā (Conj-w:: V-Qal-ConjPerf-3cp:: 3fs) -- Or yaresh; a primitive root; to occupy; by implication, to seize, to rob, to inherit; also to expel, to impoverish, to ruin.">will possess it,</a> <a href="/hebrew/3244.htm" title="3244: wə·yan·šō·wp̄ (Conj-w:: N-ms) -- Or yanshowph; apparently from nashaph; an unclean bird; probably the heron (compare nesheph)).">and the great owl</a> <a href="/hebrew/6158.htm" title="6158: wə·‘ō·rêḇ (Conj-w:: N-ms) -- A raven. Or mowreb; from arab; a raven.">and raven</a> <a href="/hebrew/7931.htm" title="7931: yiš·kə·nū- (V-Qal-Imperf-3mp) -- A primitive root (by transmission) to shakab through the idea of lodging; compare cikluwth, shakam); to reside or permanently stay.">will dwell</a> <a href="/hebrew/ḇāh (Prep:: 3fs) -- ">in it.</a> <a href="/hebrew/5186.htm" title="5186: wə·nā·ṭāh (Conj-w:: V-Qal-ConjPerf-3ms) -- A primitive root; to stretch or spread out; by implication, to bend away; used in a great variety of application.">The LORD will stretch out</a> <a href="/hebrew/5921.htm" title="5921: ‘ā·le·hā (Prep:: 3fs) -- Properly, the same as al used as a preposition; above, over, upon, or against in a great variety of applications.">over Edom</a> <a href="/hebrew/6957.htm" title="6957: qaw- (N-msc) -- Or qav; from qavah; a cord, especially for measuring; figuratively, a rule; also a rim, a musical string or accord.">a measuring line</a> <a href="/hebrew/8414.htm" title="8414: ṯō·hū (N-ms) -- From an unused root meaning to lie waste; a desolation, i.e. Desert; figuratively, a worthless thing; adverbially, in vain.">of chaos</a> <a href="/hebrew/68.htm" title="68: wə·’aḇ·nê- (Conj-w:: N-fpc) -- A stone. From the root of banah through the meaning to build; a stone.">and a plumb line</a> <a href="/hebrew/922.htm" title="922: ḇō·hū (N-ms) -- Emptiness. From an unused root; a vacuity, i.e. an undistinguishable ruin.">of destruction.</a> </span><span class="reftext">12</span>No nobles will be left to proclaim a king, and all her princes will come to nothing.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/4-23.htm">Jeremiah 4:23-26</a></span><br />I looked at the earth, and it was formless and void; I looked to the heavens, and they had no light. / I looked at the mountains, and behold, they were quaking; all the hills were swaying. / I looked, and no man was left; all the birds of the air had fled. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/zephaniah/2-14.htm">Zephaniah 2:14</a></span><br />Herds will lie down in her midst, creatures of every kind. Both the desert owl and screech owl will roost atop her pillars. Their calls will sound from the window, but desolation will lie on the threshold, for He will expose the beams of cedar.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/revelation/18-2.htm">Revelation 18:2</a></span><br />And he cried out in a mighty voice: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a lair for demons and a haunt for every unclean spirit, every unclean bird, and every detestable beast.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/13-21.htm">Isaiah 13:21-22</a></span><br />But desert creatures will lie down there, and howling creatures will fill her houses. Ostriches will dwell there, and wild goats will leap about. / Hyenas will howl in her fortresses and jackals in her luxurious palaces. Babylon’s time is at hand, and her days will not be prolonged.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/50-39.htm">Jeremiah 50:39</a></span><br />So the desert creatures and hyenas will live there and ostriches will dwell there. It will never again be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/revelation/19-17.htm">Revelation 19:17-18</a></span><br />Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out in a loud voice to all the birds flying overhead, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, / so that you may eat the flesh of kings and commanders and mighty men, of horses and riders, of everyone slave and free, small and great.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/malachi/1-3.htm">Malachi 1:3-4</a></span><br />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.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/14-23.htm">Isaiah 14:23</a></span><br />“I will make her a place for owls and for swamplands; I will sweep her away with the broom of destruction,” declares the LORD of Hosts.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/revelation/14-8.htm">Revelation 14:8</a></span><br />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.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/9-11.htm">Jeremiah 9:11</a></span><br />“And I will make Jerusalem a heap of rubble, a haunt for jackals; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/revelation/18-21.htm">Revelation 18:21</a></span><br />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.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/24-1.htm">Isaiah 24:1-3</a></span><br />Behold, the LORD lays waste the earth and leaves it in ruins. He will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants— / people and priest alike, servant and master, maid and mistress, buyer and seller, lender and borrower, creditor and debtor. / The earth will be utterly laid waste and thoroughly plundered. For the LORD has spoken this word.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/51-37.htm">Jeremiah 51:37</a></span><br />Babylon will become a heap of rubble, a haunt for jackals, an object of horror and scorn, without inhabitant.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/revelation/16-19.htm">Revelation 16:19</a></span><br />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.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ezekiel/35-9.htm">Ezekiel 35:9</a></span><br />I will make you a perpetual desolation, and your cities will not be inhabited. Then you will know that I am the LORD.</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it; the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it: and he shall stretch out on it the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness.</p><p class="hdg">cormorant.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/isaiah/13-20.htm">Isaiah 13:20-22</a></b></br> It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there… </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/isaiah/14-23.htm">Isaiah 14:23</a></b></br> I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the LORD of hosts.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/zephaniah/2-14.htm">Zephaniah 2:14</a></b></br> And flocks shall lie down in the midst of her, all the beasts of the nations: both the cormorant and the bittern shall lodge in the upper lintels of it; <i>their</i> voice shall sing in the windows; desolation <i>shall be</i> in the thresholds: for he shall uncover the cedar work.</p><p class="hdg">stretch</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/2_samuel/8-2.htm">2 Samuel 8:2</a></b></br> And he smote Moab, and measured them with a line, casting them down to the ground; even with two lines measured he to put to death, and with one full line to keep alive. And <i>so</i> the Moabites became David's servants, <i>and</i> brought gifts.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/2_kings/21-13.htm">2 Kings 21:13</a></b></br> And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab: and I will wipe Jerusalem as <i>a man</i> wipeth a dish, wiping <i>it</i>, and turning <i>it</i> upside down.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/lamentations/2-8.htm">Lamentations 2:8</a></b></br> The LORD hath purposed to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion: he hath stretched out a line, he hath not withdrawn his hand from destroying: therefore he made the rampart and the wall to lament; they languished together.</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/isaiah/31-5.htm">Birds</a> <a href="/isaiah/14-23.htm">Bittern</a> <a href="/isaiah/24-10.htm">Chaos</a> <a href="/isaiah/30-3.htm">Confusion</a> <a href="/deuteronomy/14-17.htm">Cormorant</a> <a href="/isaiah/33-9.htm">Desert</a> <a href="/isaiah/24-12.htm">Desolation</a> <a href="/isaiah/33-24.htm">Dwell</a> <a href="/isaiah/34-9.htm">Edom</a> <a href="/isaiah/24-10.htm">Emptiness</a> <a href="/isaiah/34-7.htm">Great</a> <a href="/psalms/74-19.htm">Hawk</a> <a href="/isaiah/14-23.htm">Hedgehog</a> <a href="/isaiah/19-25.htm">Heritage</a> <a href="/isaiah/28-17.htm">Line</a> <a href="/isaiah/18-2.htm">Measured</a> <a href="/isaiah/16-2.htm">Nest</a> <a href="/isaiah/15-5.htm">Nobles</a> <a href="/psalms/102-6.htm">Owl</a> <a href="/psalms/102-6.htm">Pelican</a> <a href="/isaiah/28-17.htm">Plumb</a> <a href="/isaiah/28-17.htm">Plummet</a> <a href="/isaiah/14-23.htm">Porcupine</a> <a href="/isaiah/14-21.htm">Possess</a> <a href="/songs/5-11.htm">Raven</a> <a href="/deuteronomy/14-15.htm">Screech</a> <a href="/isaiah/27-9.htm">Stones</a> <a href="/isaiah/31-3.htm">Stretch</a> <a href="/isaiah/33-23.htm">Stretched</a> <a href="/isaiah/34-1.htm">Therein</a> <a href="/isaiah/34-10.htm">Waste</a> <a href="/isaiah/28-17.htm">Weight</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/jeremiah/4-25.htm">Birds</a> <a href="/zephaniah/2-14.htm">Bittern</a> <a href="/isaiah/45-18.htm">Chaos</a> <a href="/isaiah/41-29.htm">Confusion</a> <a href="/zephaniah/2-14.htm">Cormorant</a> <a href="/isaiah/34-14.htm">Desert</a> <a href="/isaiah/47-11.htm">Desolation</a> <a href="/isaiah/34-17.htm">Dwell</a> <a href="/isaiah/63-1.htm">Edom</a> <a href="/isaiah/40-17.htm">Emptiness</a> <a href="/isaiah/34-12.htm">Great</a> <a href="/leviticus/11-16.htm">Hawk</a> <a href="/isaiah/14-23.htm">Hedgehog</a> <a href="/isaiah/34-17.htm">Heritage</a> <a href="/isaiah/44-13.htm">Line</a> <a href="/isaiah/34-17.htm">Measured</a> <a href="/isaiah/34-15.htm">Nest</a> <a href="/isaiah/34-12.htm">Nobles</a> <a href="/isaiah/34-14.htm">Owl</a> <a href="/zephaniah/2-14.htm">Pelican</a> <a href="/amos/7-7.htm">Plumb</a> <a href="/zechariah/4-10.htm">Plummet</a> <a href="/zephaniah/2-14.htm">Porcupine</a> <a href="/isaiah/34-17.htm">Possess</a> <a href="/genesis/8-7.htm">Raven</a> <a href="/isaiah/34-14.htm">Screech</a> <a href="/isaiah/54-11.htm">Stones</a> <a href="/isaiah/54-2.htm">Stretch</a> <a href="/isaiah/40-22.htm">Stretched</a> <a href="/isaiah/34-17.htm">Therein</a> <a href="/isaiah/34-13.htm">Waste</a> <a href="/isaiah/40-15.htm">Weight</a><div class="vheading2">Isaiah 34</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/isaiah/34-1.htm">The judgments wherewith God revenges his church</a></span><br><span class="reftext">11. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/isaiah/34-11.htm">The desolation of her enemies</a></span><br><span class="reftext">16. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/isaiah/34-16.htm">The certainty of the prophecy</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <script type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script><br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading"><a href="/study/isaiah/34.htm">Berean Study Bible</a></div><b>The desert owl and screech owl will possess it</b><br />In the Hebrew text, the word for "desert owl" is "qippowz," which is often associated with desolation and wilderness. The "screech owl" is translated from "yachmur," a term that can also refer to a type of wild animal. These creatures symbolize desolation and abandonment, indicating that the land will be so forsaken that only creatures of the night and wilderness will inhabit it. This imagery is consistent with the prophetic theme of divine judgment, where once-thriving places become barren and uninhabitable due to God's righteous wrath.<p><b>the great owl and raven will dwell in it</b><br />The "great owl" is translated from "yanshuwph," another bird associated with desolation. The "raven," or "oreb" in Hebrew, is a scavenger bird, often seen as unclean in the Jewish tradition. The presence of these birds further emphasizes the complete desolation and ruin of the land. Historically, the raven is a symbol of death and decay, reinforcing the idea that the land will be left in utter ruin, a place of death rather than life.<p><b>He will stretch out a measuring line of chaos</b><br />The "measuring line" is a tool used in construction to ensure straightness and accuracy. Here, it is metaphorically used to describe God's precise and deliberate judgment. The "chaos" or "tohu" in Hebrew, refers to a state of formlessness and confusion, reminiscent of the pre-creation state described in <a href="/genesis/1-2.htm">Genesis 1:2</a>. This suggests that God's judgment will return the land to a state of utter disorder, undoing the order and beauty that once existed.<p><b>and a plumb line of destruction over it</b><br />A "plumb line" is used to ensure vertical accuracy in building, symbolizing God's exacting standards in judgment. The "destruction" or "bohu" in Hebrew, complements "tohu," and together they describe a complete and utter desolation. This phrase underscores the thoroughness of God's judgment, leaving no part of the land untouched. The use of construction imagery highlights the reversal of creation, where God, the ultimate architect, deconstructs what was once built due to the people's sin and rebellion.<div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/isaiah/34.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(11) <span class= "bld">But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it . . .</span>--The picture of a wild, desolate region, haunted by birds and beasts that shun the abode of men, is a favourite one with Isaiah (comp. <a href="/context/isaiah/13-20.htm" title="It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelled in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.">Isaiah 13:20-22</a>; <a href="/isaiah/14-23.htm" title="I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, said the LORD of hosts.">Isaiah 14:23</a>), and is reproduced by Zephaniah (<a href="/zephaniah/2-14.htm" title="And flocks shall lie down in the middle of her, all the beasts of the nations: both the cormorant and the bittern shall lodge in the upper lintels of it; their voice shall sing in the windows; desolation shall be in the thresholds; for he shall uncover the cedar work.">Zephaniah 2:14</a>). Naturalists agree in translating, <span class= "ital">The pelicans and hedgehogs; the owl, and the raven.</span><p><span class= "bld">The line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness . . .</span>--The "line" and the "stones" are those of the builder's plumb-line, used, as in <a href="/2_kings/21-13.htm" title="And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab: and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipes a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down.">2Kings 21:13</a>; <a href="/context/amos/7-7.htm" title="Thus he showed me: and, behold, the LORD stood on a wall made by a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand.">Amos 7:7-9</a>; <a href="/lamentations/2-8.htm" title="The LORD has purposed to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion: he has stretched out a line, he has not withdrawn his hand from destroying: therefore he made the rampart and the wall to lament; they languished together.">Lamentations 2:8</a>, for the work, not of building up, but for the destroying as with a scientific completeness. "Confusion" and "emptiness," are the <span class= "ital">tohu v'bohu, "</span>without form and void" of the primeval chaos (<a href="/genesis/1-1.htm" title="In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.">Genesis 1:1</a>). . . . <div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/isaiah/34.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 11.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">The cormorant and the bittern shall possess it</span>. Compare the prophecy against Babylon in <a href="/isaiah/14-23.htm">Isaiah 14:23</a>. The Hebrew word translated "cormorant," is now generally regarded as designating the "pelican," while the one rendered "bittern" is thought by some to mean "hedgehog" or "porcupine." Animals that delight in solitude are certainly meant, but the particular species is, more or less, matter of conjecture. <span class="cmt_word">He shall stretch out upon it</span>; rather, <span class="accented">and one shall stretch</span> out <span class="accented">upon it</span>. The verb is used impersonally. <span class="cmt_word">The line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness</span>; rather, <span class="accented">the line of desolation</span>, <span class="accented">and the plummet of emptiness</span> (comp. <a href="/2_kings/21-13.htm">2 Kings 21:13</a>; <a href="/lamentations/2-8.htm">Lamentations 2:8</a>; <a href="/amos/7-7.htm">Amos 7:7, 8</a>). The destruction of cities was effected by rule and measure, probably because different portions of the <span class="accented">task</span> were assigned to different sets of laborers, and, if the work was to be completely done, it required to be done systematically. Here, the measuring-tape and the plumb-line are to be these of <span class="accented">tohu</span> and <span class="accented">vohu</span>, or of the eternal chaos out of which God, by his word, produced order (<a href="/genesis/1-2.htm">Genesis 1:2</a>). <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/isaiah/34-11.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">The desert owl</span><br /><span class="heb">קָאַ֣ת</span> <span class="translit">(qā·’aṯ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_6893.htm">Strong's 6893: </a> </span><span class="str2">(a bird) perhaps pelican</span><br /><br /><span class="word">and screech owl</span><br /><span class="heb">וְקִפּ֔וֹד</span> <span class="translit">(wə·qip·pō·wḏ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7090.htm">Strong's 7090: </a> </span><span class="str2">A species of bird, the bittern</span><br /><br /><span class="word">will possess it,</span><br /><span class="heb">וִירֵשׁ֙וּהָ֙</span> <span class="translit">(wî·rê·šū·hā)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural | third person feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3423.htm">Strong's 3423: </a> </span><span class="str2">To occupy, to seize, to rob, to inherit, to expel, to impoverish, to ruin</span><br /><br /><span class="word">and the great owl</span><br /><span class="heb">וְיַנְשׁ֥וֹף</span> <span class="translit">(wə·yan·šō·wp̄)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3244.htm">Strong's 3244: </a> </span><span class="str2">(a ceremonially unclean bird) perhaps an owl</span><br /><br /><span class="word">and raven</span><br /><span class="heb">וְעֹרֵ֖ב</span> <span class="translit">(wə·‘ō·rêḇ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_6158.htm">Strong's 6158: </a> </span><span class="str2">A raven</span><br /><br /><span class="word">will dwell</span><br /><span class="heb">יִשְׁכְּנוּ־</span> <span class="translit">(yiš·kə·nū-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7931.htm">Strong's 7931: </a> </span><span class="str2">To settle down, abide, dwell</span><br /><br /><span class="word">in it.</span><br /><span class="heb">בָ֑הּ</span> <span class="translit">(ḇāh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition | third person feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/.htm">Strong's Hebrew</a> </span><span class="str2"></span><br /><br /><span class="word">The LORD will stretch out</span><br /><span class="heb">וְנָטָ֥ה</span> <span class="translit">(wə·nā·ṭāh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5186.htm">Strong's 5186: </a> </span><span class="str2">To stretch out, spread out, extend, incline, bend</span><br /><br /><span class="word">over [Edom]</span><br /><span class="heb">עָלֶ֛יהָ</span> <span class="translit">(‘ā·le·hā)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition | third person feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5921.htm">Strong's 5921: </a> </span><span class="str2">Above, over, upon, against</span><br /><br /><span class="word">a measuring line</span><br /><span class="heb">קַֽו־</span> <span class="translit">(qaw-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_6957.htm">Strong's 6957: </a> </span><span class="str2">A cord, for, measuring, a rule, a rim, a musical string, accord</span><br /><br /><span class="word">of chaos</span><br /><span class="heb">תֹ֖הוּ</span> <span class="translit">(ṯō·hū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_8414.htm">Strong's 8414: </a> </span><span class="str2">A desolation, desert, a worthless thing, in vain</span><br /><br /><span class="word">and a plumb line</span><br /><span class="heb">וְאַבְנֵי־</span> <span class="translit">(wə·’aḇ·nê-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine plural construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_68.htm">Strong's 68: </a> </span><span class="str2">A stone</span><br /><br /><span class="word">of destruction.</span><br /><span class="heb">בֹֽהוּ׃</span> <span class="translit">(ḇō·hū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_922.htm">Strong's 922: </a> </span><span class="str2">A vacuity, an undistinguishable ruin</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/isaiah/34-11.htm">Isaiah 34:11 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/isaiah/34-11.htm">Isaiah 34:11 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/isaiah/34-11.htm">Isaiah 34:11 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/isaiah/34-11.htm">Isaiah 34:11 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/isaiah/34-11.htm">Isaiah 34:11 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/isaiah/34-11.htm">Isaiah 34:11 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/isaiah/34-11.htm">Isaiah 34:11 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/isaiah/34-11.htm">Isaiah 34:11 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/isaiah/34-11.htm">Isaiah 34:11 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/isaiah/34-11.htm">Isaiah 34:11 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/isaiah/34-11.htm">OT Prophets: Isaiah 34:11 But the pelican and the porcupine will (Isa Isi Is)</a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/isaiah/34-10.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Isaiah 34:10"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Isaiah 34:10" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/isaiah/34-12.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Isaiah 34:12"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Isaiah 34:12" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>