Isaiah 34:11

11 The desert owl^[a] and screech owl^[b] will possess it; the great owl^[c] and the raven will nest there. God will stretch out over Edom the measuring line of chaos and the plumb line of desolation.

Isaiah 34:11 in Other Translations

11 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.

11 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.

11 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.

11 Vultures and skunks will police the streets; owls and crows will feel at home there. God will reverse creation. Chaos! He will cancel fertility. Emptiness!

11 The desert owl and the hedgehog 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.

Isaiah 34:11 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 34:11

But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it
The word for "cormorant" is rendered a "pelican", in ( Psalms 102:6 ) they were both unclean fowls according to the law, of which see ( Leviticus 11:17 Leviticus 11:18 ) and (See Gill on Isaiah 14:23):

the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it;
which were likewise unclean creatures; and these, with the former, and other creatures after mentioned, delight to dwell in desolate and ruinous places; and so Babylon or Rome being destroyed, will become a cage of every unclean and hateful bird, ( Revelation 18:2 ) :

and he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion and the
stones of emptiness;
"he", that is, God, as Kimchi interprets it; the allusion is to builders, that make use of the line and plummet, as to build, so to pull down, that they may know what is to be pulled down, and how far they are to go; see ( 2 Kings 21:13 ) and hereby it is signified, that as the destruction should be entire, nothing should be left but confusion and emptiness; and all should become "tohu" and "bohu", which are the words used here; and are the same that are used to express the confused chaos, the unformed and empty earth, ( Genesis 1:2 ) so likewise that it should be by line and level, by rule and measure; or according to the rules of justice and equity.

Isaiah 34:11 In-Context

9 Edom’s streams will be turned into pitch, her dust into burning sulfur; her land will become blazing pitch!

10 It will not be quenched night or day; its smoke will rise forever. From generation to generation it will lie desolate; no one will ever pass through it again.

11 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.

12 Her nobles will have nothing there to be called a kingdom, all her princes will vanish away.

13 Thorns will overrun her citadels, nettles and brambles her strongholds. She will become a haunt for jackals, a home for owls.

Cross References

• 1. S Leviticus 11:16-18; S Deuteronomy 14:15-17; Zephaniah 2:14; Revelation 18:2
• 2. S Genesis 8:7
• 3. Isaiah 21:11; Ezekiel 35:15; Joel 3:19; Obadiah 1:1; Malachi 1:4
• 4. S Genesis 1:2
• 5. S 2 Kings 21:13; Lamentations 2:8; Amos 7:8

Footnotes

• [a]. The precise identification of these birds is uncertain.
• [b]. The precise identification of these birds is uncertain.
• [c]. The precise identification of these birds is uncertain.