Chapter 34 God's Judgment on Edom And The Surrounding Nations.
Now Isaiah suddenly turns his attention away from God's people to Edom and the nations. Always after being lifted up, he comes solidly down to earth. For in this chapter God declares that His day is about to come on Edom and the nations connected with them. But the switch is not quite such a surprise as we might at first think. For what he is doing here is remind God's people that all who have proved themselves their enemies will be dealt with. God's archenemy Babylon has long been dealt with (Isaiah 34:13-14). Now it is Edom's turn, Edom who turned against his brother Israel, Israel's Judas, and illustrates all that is treacherous in the world. As with Babylon Edom's fate is also to be permanent. There will be no second chance. So both Babylon which represents the glorying of the world, and Edom which represents the treachery and apostasy of the world, will be dealt with in final judgment. In both cases this fact will again be dealt with in the later part of the book, Chapter s 46-47 for Babylon, and 64 for Edom. For these two represent God's permanent enemies, the menace without and the traitor within (see especially Isaiah 47:1-13; Isaiah 63:1-6).
Edom and their neighbours always took advantage of Judah when they were weak, and took possession of land belonging to Judah (compare Amos 1:11-12; Psalms 137:7; Obadiah 1:10-14). Because of this God's special judgment is declared against them. Compare how the feeling against them is so strong that they later get their own chapter in Ezekiel (in chapter 35). Their sin was the greater in that they were a brother tribe (Numbers 20:14; Deuteronomy 23:7). This was why they receive special condemnation.
Analysis.
a Come near, you nations, to hear, and listen you peoples. Let the earth hear, and its fullness, the world and all things that come forth from it (Isaiah 34:1).
b For Yahweh has indignation against all the nations, and fury against all their host. He has utterly destroyed them (put them under the Ban, devoted them), He has delivered them to the slaughter (Isaiah 34:2).
c Their slain also will be cast out, and the stink of their carcases will come up, and the mountains will be melted with their blood (Isaiah 34:3).
d And all the host of heaven will be dissolved, and the heavens will be rolled together as a scroll, and all their host will fade away, as the leaf fades from the vine, and as a fading leaf from the fig tree (Isaiah 34:4).
d For my sword has drunk its fill in heaven. Behold it will come down on Edom, and on the people of my curse, to judgment (Isaiah 34:5).
c The sword of Yahweh 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 (Isaiah 34:6).
b For Yahweh has a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Edom. And the wild oxen will come down with them, and the bullocks with the mighty ones, and their land will be drunk with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness (Isaiah 34:7).
a For it is the day of Yahweh's vengeance, the year of recompense in the controversy of Zion (Isaiah 34:8).
In ‘a' the nations, the peoples and the whole of creation are called on to hear Yahweh's indictment against Edom and its related nations, and in the parallel it is because it is the Day of Yahweh's vengeance, the year of His recompenses in the controversy of Zion. In ‘b' Yahweh has indignation against ‘all the nations' (associated with Edom), He has devoted them to slaughter, and in the parallel He has a sacrifice in Bozrah which will be a great slaughter. In ‘c' such is their slain that they will be cast out, and the stench will be great and the mountains will flow with their blood, while in the parallel Yahweh's sword is filled with blood and with the fat of the sacrifices. In ‘d' it will be such a slaughter that it will be seen as affecting the heavens, and in the parallel His sword will drink its fill in heaven, coming down on the people of His curse for judgment.