Isaiah 34 · Verse 6

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.
Isaiah 34:6, King James Version

Isaiah 34:6 in other translations

BSBThe 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.
WEBThe LORD’s sword is filled with blood. It is covered 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, and a great slaughter in the land of Edom.
ASVThe sword of Jehovah is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams; for Jehovah hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Edom.
YLTA sword is to Jehovah--it hath been full of blood, It hath been made fat with fatness, With blood of lambs and he-goats. With fat of kidneys of rams, For a sacrifice is to Jehovah in Bozrah, And a great slaughter in the land of Edom.
DARBYThe sword of Jehovah is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams; for Jehovah hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Edom.
BBEThe sword of the Lord is full of blood, it is fat with the best of the meat, with the blood of lambs and goats, with the best parts of the sheep: for the Lord has a feast in Bozrah, and much cattle will be put to death in the land of Edom.
WebsterThe 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 Edom.

What does Isaiah 34:6 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
6. filled--glutted. The image of a sacrifice is continued. blood ... fat--the parts especially devoted to God in a sacrifice (2Sa 1:22). lambs ... goats--sacrificial animals: the Idumeans, of all classes, doomed to slaughter, are meant (Zep 1:7). Bozrah--called Bostra by the Romans, &c., assigned in Jr 48:24 to Moab, so that it seems to have been at one time in the dominion of Edom, and at another in that of Moab (Is 63:1; Jr 49:13, 20, 22); it was strictly not in Edom, but the capital of Auranitis (the Houran). Edom seems to have extended its dominion so as to include it (compare La 4:21).

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 6 The Lord hath a sacrifice "For Jehovah celebrateth a sacrifice" - Ezekiel, Eze 39:16, Eze 39:17, has manifestly imitated this place of Isaiah. He hath set forth the great leaders and princes of the adverse powers under the same emblems of goats, bulls, rams, fatlings, etc., and has added to the boldness of the imagery, by introducing God as summoning all the fowls of the air, and all the beasts of the field, and bidding them to the feast which he has prepared for them by the slaughter of the enemies of his people: - "And thou, son of man, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Say to the bird of every wing, And to every beast of the field: Assemble yourselves, and come; Gather together from every side, To the sacrifice which I make for you, A great slaughter on the mountains of Israel. And ye shall eat flesh and drink blood: The flesh of the mighty shall ye eat, And the blood of the lofty of the earth shall ye drink; Of rams, of lambs, and of goats, Of bullocks, all of them the fat ones of Bashan; And ye shall eat fat, till ye are cloyed, And drink blood, till ye are drunken; Of my slaughter, which I have slain for you." The sublime author of the Rev 19:17, Rev 19:18, has taken this image from Ezekiel, rather than from Isaiah.

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 34:6 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.

חֶ֣רֶבChe.reva swordH2719
לַיהוָ֞הla.Yah.weh[belongs] to YahwehH3068
מָלְאָ֥הmal.'Ahit is fullH4390
דָם֙dambloodH1818
הֻדַּ֣שְׁנָהhu.Dash.nahit has fattened itselfH1878
מֵחֵ֔לֶבme.Che.levfrom fatH2459
מִדַּ֤םmi.Damfrom [the] blood ofH1818
כָּרִים֙ka.RimlambsH3733
וְעַתּוּדִ֔יםve.'a.tu.Dimand goatsH6260
מֵחֵ֖לֶבme.Che.levfrom [the] fat ofH2459
כִּלְי֣וֹתkil.Yot[the] kidneys ofH3629
אֵילִ֑ים'ei.LimramsH352
כִּ֣יkiforH3588
זֶ֤בַחZe.vacha sacrificeH2077
לַֽיהוָה֙la.Yah.weh[belongs] to YahwehH3068
בְּבָצְרָ֔הbe.va.tze.Rahin BozrahH1224
וְטֶ֥בַחve.Te.vachand a slaughterH2874
גָּד֖וֹלga.DolgreatH1419
בְּאֶ֥רֶץbe.'E.retzin [the] land ofH776
אֱדֽוֹם\׃'e.DomEdomH123

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

Cross references for Isaiah 34:6

  • 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.

  • Jeremiah 49:13

    For I have sworn by myself, saith the Lord, that Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse; and all the cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes.

  • Jeremiah 51:40

    I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams with he goats.

  • 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.

  • Jeremiah 50:27

    Slay all her bullocks; let them go down to the slaughter: woe unto them! for their day is come, the time of their visitation.

  • 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.

  • Zephaniah 1:7

    Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord God: for the day of the Lord is at hand: for the Lord hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests.

  • Ezekiel 39:17-20

    And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood. Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan. And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you. Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord God.

  • Revelation 19:17-18

    And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.

  • Ezekiel 21:4-5

    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.

  • Isaiah 63:3

    I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment.

  • Ezekiel 21:10

    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.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
filled.
63:3; Jer 49:13; Eze 21:4,5,10
the fast.
De 32:14
the Lord hath.
5; 63:1; Jer 50:27; 51:40; Eze 39:17-20; Zep 1:7; Re 19:17,18

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

Context

  • 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.

  • Isaiah 34:7

    And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness.

Read all of Isaiah 34

Isaiah 34:6 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Llena está de sangre la espada de Jehová, engrasada está de grosura, de sangre de corderos y de cabritos, de grosura de riñones de carneros: porque Jehová tiene sacrificios en Bosra, y grande matanza en tierra de Edom.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		L’épée de l’ Éternel est pleine de sang; elle est engraissée de graisse, du sang des agneaux et des boucs, de la graisse des rognons des béliers; car l’ Éternel a un sacrifice à Botsra, et une grande tuerie dans le pays d’Édom.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Das Schwert Jehovas ist voll Blut, es ist getränkt von Fett, vom Blute der Fettschafe und Böcke, vom Nierenfett der Widder; denn Jehova hat ein Schlachtopfer in Bozra und eine große Schlachtung im Lande Edom.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Gladius Domini repletus est sanguine, incrassatus est adipe, de sanguine agnorum et hircorum, de sanguine medullatorum arietum: victima enim Domini in Bosra, et interfectio magna in terra Edom.