Isaiah 34 · Verse 5

Isaiah 34:5

For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment.
Isaiah 34:5, King James Version

Isaiah 34:5 in other translations

BSBWhen My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens, then it will come down upon Edom, upon the people I have devoted to destruction.
WEBFor 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.
ASVFor my sword hath drunk its fill in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Edom, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment.
YLTFor soaked in the heavens was My sword, Lo, on Edom it cometh down, On the people of My curse for judgment.
DARBYFor my sword is bathed in the heavens; behold, it shall come down upon Edom, and upon the people of my ban, to judgment.
BBEFor my sword in heaven is full of wrath: see, it is coming down on Edom, in punishment on the people of my curse.
WebsterFor my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Edom, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment.

What does Isaiah 34:5 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
5. sword--(Jr 46:10). Or else, knife for sacrifice for God does not here appear as a warrior with His sword, but as one about to sacrifice victims doomed to slaughter [Vitringa]. (Eze 39:17). bathed--rather "intoxicated," namely, with anger (so De 32:42). "In heaven" implies the place where God's purpose of wrath is formed in antithesis to its "coming down" in the next clause. Idumea--originally extending from the Dead Sea to the Red Sea; afterwards they obtained possession of the country east of Moab, of which Bozrah was capital. Petra or Selah, called Joktheel (2Ki 14:7), was capital of South Edom (see on Is 16:1). David subjugated Edom (2Sa 8:13, 14). Under Jehoram they regained independence (2Ch 21:8). Under Amaziah they were again subdued, and Selah taken (2Ki 14:7). When Judah was captive in Babylon, Edom, in every way, insulted over her fallen mistress, killed many of those Jews whom the Chaldeans had left, and hence was held guilty of fratricide by God (Esau, their ancestor, having been brother to Jacob): this was the cause of the denunciations of the prophets against Edom (Is 63:1, &c.; Jr 49:7; Eze 25:12-14; 35:3-15; Joe 3:19; Am 1:11, 12; Ob 8, 10, 12-18; Mal 1:3,4). Nebuchadnezzar humbled Idumea accordingly (Jr 25:15-21). of my curse--that is, doomed to it. to judgment--that is, to execute it.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 5 For my sword shall be bathed in heaven "For my sword is made bare in the heavens" - There seems to be some impropriety in this, according to the present reading: "My sword is made drunken, or is bathed in the heavens; "which forestalls, and expresses not in its proper place, what belongs to the next verse: for the sword of Jehovah was not to be bathed or glutted with blood in the heavens, but in Botsra and the land of Edom. In the heavens it was only prepared for slaughter. To remedy this, Archbishop Secker proposes to read, for בשמים bashshamayim, בדמם bedamim; referring to Jer 46:10. But even this is premature, and not in its proper place. The Chaldee, for רותה rivvethah, has תתגלי tithgalli, shall be revealed or disclosed: perhaps he read תראה teraeh or נראתה nirathah. Whatever reading, different I presume from the present, he might find in his copy, I follow the sense which he has given of it.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Isaiah 34:1-8

God's vengeance against the enemies of his church. (Is. 34:1-8) Their desolation. (Is. 34:9-17) Verses 1-8 Here is a prophecy of the wars of the Lord, all which are both righteous and successful. All nations are concerned. And as they have all had the benefit of his patience, so all must expect to feel his resentment. The description of bloodshed suggests tremendous ideas of the Divine judgments. Idumea here denotes…

Read the full comment on Isaiah 34:1-8 →

Isaiah 34:5 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

כִּֽי\־ki-ifH3588
רִוְּתָ֥הri.ve.Tahit has drunk its fillH7301
בַשָּׁמַ֖יִםva.sha.Ma.yimin the heavensH8064
חַרְבִּ֑יchar.Bisword myH2719
הִנֵּה֙hi.Nehthere!H2009
עַל\־'al-onH5921
אֱד֣וֹם'e.DomEdomH123
תֵּרֵ֔דte.Redit will come downH3381
וְעַל\־ve.'al-and onH5921
עַ֥ם'am[the] people ofH5971
חֶרְמִ֖יcher.Mitotal destruction myH2764
לְמִשְׁפָּֽט\׃le.mish.Patfor judgmentH4941

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Isaiah 34:5

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Malachi 1:4

    Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the Lord of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the Lord hath indignation for ever.

  • Amos 1:11-12

    Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he did pursue his brother with the sword, and did cast off all pity, and his anger did tear perpetually, and he kept his wrath for ever: But I will send a fire upon Teman, which shall devour the palaces of Bozrah.

  • 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? Flee ye, turn back, dwell deep, O inhabitants of Dedan; for I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him, the time that I will visit him. If grapegatherers come to thee, would they not leave some gleaning grapes? if thieves by night, they will destroy till they have enough. But I have made Esau bare, I have uncovered his secret places, and he shall not be able to hide himself: his seed is spoiled, and his brethren, and his neighbours, and he is not. …

  • Ezekiel 25:12-14

    Thus saith the Lord God; Because that Edom hath dealt against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and hath greatly offended, and revenged himself upon them; Therefore thus saith the Lord God; I will also stretch out mine hand upon Edom, and will cut off man and beast from it; and I will make it desolate from Teman; and they of Dedan shall fall by the sword. And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel: and they shall do in Edom according to mine anger and according to my fury; and they shall know my vengeance, saith the Lord God.

  • Ezekiel 21:3-5

    And say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth my sword out of his sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked. Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of his sheath against all flesh from the south to the north: That all flesh may know that I the Lord have drawn forth my sword out of his sheath: it shall not return any more.

  • 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; And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst: The Lord will not spare him, but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven. And the Lord shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this book of the law:

  • Deuteronomy 32:14

    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.

  • 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:

  • Ezekiel 21:9-11

    Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith the Lord; Say, A sword, a sword is sharpened, and also furbished: It is sharpened to make a sore slaughter; it is furbished that it may glitter: should we then make mirth? it contemneth the rod of my son, as every tree. And he hath given it to be furbished, that it may be handled: this sword is sharpened, and it is furbished, to give it into the hand of the slayer.

  • Zephaniah 2:12

    Ye Ethiopians also, ye shall be slain by my sword.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
my sword.
De 32:14,42; Ps 17:13; Jer 46:10; 47:6; Eze 21:3-5,9-11; Zep 2:12
Re 1:16
upon Idumea.
63:1; Ps 137:7; Jer 49:7-22; Eze 25:12-14; Am 1:11,12; Ob 1:1-9
Mal 1:4
the people.
De 27:15-26; 29:18-21; Mt 25:41; 1Co 16:22; Ga 3:10; 2Pe 2:14

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Isaiah 34:4

    And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree.

  • Isaiah 34:5

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

  • Isaiah 34:6

    The sword of the Lord is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the Lord hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea.

Read all of Isaiah 34

Isaiah 34:5 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Porque en los cielos se embriagará mi espada: he aquí que descenderá sobre Edom en juicio, y sobre el pueblo de mi anatema.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Car mon épée sera enivrée dans les cieux: voici, elle descendra sur Édom et sur le peuple que j’ai voué à la destruction, pour le jugement.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Denn trunken ist im Himmel mein Schwert; siehe, auf Edom fährt es herab und auf das Volk meines Bannes zum Gericht.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Quoniam inebriatus est in cælo gladius meus; ecce super Idumæam descendet, et super populum interfectionis meæ, ad judicium.