Isaiah 34:4

4 And all the chivalry of (the) heavens shall fail, and (the) heavens shall be folded together as a book, and all the knighthood of those shall float down, as the leaf of a vinery and of a fig tree falleth down. (And all the host of heaven shall fail, and the heavens shall be folded up like a book, and all their host shall float down like the leaf of a vine, and like the fig of a fig tree, that falleth down.)

Isaiah 34:4 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 34:4

And all the hosts of heaven shall be dissolved
"Pine away" F9, as with sickness, grow languid, become obscure, lose their light, and be turned into blood and darkness; this figure is used to express the horror of this calamity, as if the very heavens themselves, and the sun, and moon, and stars, were affected with it; see ( Isaiah 13:10 ) and the heavens shall be rolled gether as a scroll;
a book, or volume, which when rolled up, one letter of it could not be read; and it was the manner formerly of making and writing books in the form of a roll; hence the word volume; and here it signifies that there should be such a change in the heavens, as that not a star should be seen, much less the sun or moon; and may signify the utter removal and abolition of all dignities and offices, supreme and subordinate, civil and ecclesiastical, in the whole Roman jurisdiction; thus the destruction of Rome Pagan is described in ( Revelation 6:14 ) as the destruction of Rome Papal is here; from whence the language seems to be borrowed: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from
the vine, and as a falling [fig] from the fig tree;
that is, the stars should fall down: by whom may be meant persons in office, that made a considerable figure; who shall fall from their stations, in which they shone with much splendour and grandeur, as leaves fall from trees in autumn, particularly the vine; or as unripe and rotten figs fall from the fig tree when shaken by a violent wind; the same metaphor is used in ( Revelation 6:13 ) .


FOOTNOTES:

F9 (wqmn) "tabescet", Vatablus; "centabescet", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "contabescent", Cocceius, Gataker.

Isaiah 34:4 In-Context

2 For why [the] indignation of the Lord is on all folks, and strong vengeance on all the chivalry of them; he killed them, and gave them into slaying. (For the anger of the Lord is against all the nations, and his strong vengeance is against all their cavalry, or all their armies; he killed them, and gave them unto destruction.)
3 The slain men of them shall be cast forth, and stink shall ascend of the carrions of them; [the] hills shall flow of the blood of them. (Their dead shall be thrown forth, and the stink shall go up from their corpses; the hills shall flow with their blood.)
4 And all the chivalry of (the) heavens shall fail, and (the) heavens shall be folded together as a book, and all the knighthood of those shall float down, as the leaf of a vinery and of a fig tree falleth down. (And all the host of heaven shall fail, and the heavens shall be folded up like a book, and all their host shall float down like the leaf of a vine, and like the fig of a fig tree, that falleth down.)
5 For my sword is filled in heaven; lo! it shall come down on Idumea, and on the people of my slaying, to doom. (For my sword is made ready in heaven; lo! it shall come down upon Edom, and upon the people whom I will kill, for their doom/in judgement.)
6 The sword of the Lord is filled of blood, it is made fat of the inner fatness of the blood of lambs and of bucks of goats, of the blood of rams full of marrow (The sword of the Lord is filled with blood, and it is made fat with inner fatness, yea, with the blood of lambs and of goat bucks, and with the fat from the kidneys of rams); for why the slain sacrifice of the Lord is in Bozrah, and great slaying is in the land of Edom.
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.