Isaiah 34:11

¹¹ But the cormorant [1] 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.

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Isaiah 34

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Other Translations of Isaiah 34:11

New International Version

¹¹ The desert owlThe precise identification of these birds is uncertain. and screech owlThe precise identification of these birds is uncertain. will possess it; the great owlThe precise identification of these birds is uncertain. and the raven will nest there. God will stretch out over Edom the measuring line of chaos and the plumb line of desolation.

English Standard Version

¹¹ But the hawk and the porcupineThe identity of the animals rendered hawk and porcupine is uncertain shall possess it, the owl and the raven shall dwell in it. He shall stretch the line of confusionHebrew formlessness over it, and the plumb line of emptiness.

The Message

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!

New King James Version

¹¹ 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.

New Living Translation

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.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on Isaiah 34:11

Commentary on Isaiah 34:9-17

(Read Isaiah 34:9-17)

Those who aim to ruin the church, can never do that, but will ruin themselves. What dismal changes sin can make! It turns a fruitful land into barrenness, a crowded city into a wilderness. Let us compare all we discover in the book of the Lord, with the dealings of providence around us, that we may be more diligent in seeking the kingdom of God and his righteousness. What the mouth of the Lord has commanded, his Spirit will perform. And let us observe how the evidences of the truth continually increase, as one prophecy after another is fulfilled, until these awful scenes bring in more happy days. As Israel was a figure of the Christian church, so the Edomites, their bitter enemies, represent the enemies of the kingdom of Christ. God's Jerusalem may be laid in ruins for a time, but the enemies of the church shall be desolate for ever.