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J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible

Isaiah 34:11

That the vomiting pelican and the bittern may possess it: And the great owl and the raven, dwell therein; Then will he stretch out over it The line of desolation, and The plummet of emptiness.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Bittern;   Cormorant;   Owl;   War;   Thompson Chain Reference - Birds;   Cormorants;   Judgment;   Line of Judgment;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Birds;   Edomites, the;   Owl, the;   Raven, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Bittern;   Cormorant;   Owl;   Pelican;   Sela;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Animals;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Bittern;   Cormorant;   Owl;   Pelicans;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Bittern;   Cormorant;   Owl;   Pelican;   Raven;   Zephaniah, the Book of;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Bittern;   Chaos;   Hedgehog;   Jackdaw;   Line;   Owl;   Pelican;   Screech Owl;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Bittern;   Owl;   Pelican;   Plumbline, Plummet;   Raven;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Bittern;   Cormorant;   Owl;   Pelican;   Raven;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Cormorant;   Pelican;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Bittern;   Owl;   Pelican;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Raven;   Stone;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Bittern;   Cormorant;   Edom;   Owl;   Pelican;   Ravels;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Bittern;   Confusion;   Hedgehog;   Ibis;   Night-Monster;   Pelican;   Pitch;   Porcupine;   Raven;   Satyr;   Zoology;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Bittern;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Birds;   Bittern;   Cabala;   Cormorant;   Cosmogony;   Pelican;   Raven;  

Parallel Translations

Complete Jewish Bible
Horned owl and hawk will possess it, screech owl and raven will live there; he will stretch over it the measuring line of confusion and the plumbline of the empty void.
Darby Translation
And the pelican and the bittern shall possess it, and the great owl and the raven shall dwell in it. And he shall stretch out upon it the line of waste, and the plummets of emptiness.
Easy-to-Read Version
Birds and small animals will own that land. It will be a home for owls and ravens. God will leave that land in ruins. People will call it "the empty desert."
Hebrew Names Version
But the ka`at and the porcupine shall possess it; and the owl and the raven shall dwell therein: and he will stretch over it the line of confusion, and the plummet of emptiness.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
But the pelican and the bittern shall possess it, and the owl and the raven shall dwell therein; and He shall stretch over it the line of confusion, and the plummet of emptiness.
American Standard Version
But the pelican and the porcupine shall possess it; and the owl and the raven shall dwell therein: and he will stretch over it the line of confusion, and the plummet of emptiness.
Bible in Basic English
But the birds of the waste land will have their place there; it will be a heritage for the bittern and the raven: and it will be measured out with line and weight as a waste land.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
But Pellicanes, Storkes, great Owles, and Rauens shall haue it in possession and dwell therin: for God shall spreade out the line of desolation vpon it, and the stones of emptinesse.
Geneva Bible (1587)
But the pelicane and the hedgehog shall possesse it, and the great owle, and the rauen shall dwel in it, and he shall stretch out vpon it the line of vanitie, and the stones of emptinesse.
George Lamsa Translation
But pelicans and owls shall possess it; ravens and ostriches shall dwell in it; and he shall stretch out upon it the measuring line of the sword, and there shall be no joy in it.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
and for a long time birds and hedgehogs, and ibises and ravens shall dwell in it: and the measuring line of desolation shall be cast over it, and satyrs shall dwell in it.
English Revised Version
But the pelican and the porcupine shall possess it; and the owl and the raven shall dwell therein: and he shall stretch over it the line of confusion, and the plummet of emptiness.
Amplified Bible
But the pelican and the porcupine will take possession of it; The owl and the raven will dwell in it. And He will stretch over it (Edom) the measuring line of desolation And the plumb line of emptiness.
World English Bible
But the pelican and the porcupine shall possess it; and the owl and the raven shall dwell therein: and he will stretch over it the line of confusion, and the plummet of emptiness.
The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible
The desert owl and screech owl will possess it, and the great owl and raven will dwell in it. The LORD will stretch out over Edom a measuring line of chaos and a plumb line of destruction.
Contemporary English Version
Owls, hawks, and wild animals will make it their home. God will leave it in ruins, merely a pile of rocks.
Good News Translation
Owls and ravens will take over the land. The Lord will make it a barren waste again, as it was before the creation.
King James Version (1611)
The cormorant and the bitterne shall possesse it, the owle also and the rauen shall dwell in it, and he shall stretch out vpon it the line of confusion, and the stones of emptinesse.
King James Version
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.
New International Version (1984)
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.
New Century Version
Birds and small animals will own that land, and owls and ravens will live there. God will make it an empty wasteland; it will have nothing left in it.
New English Translation
Owls and wild animals will live there, all kinds of wild birds will settle in it. The Lord will stretch out over her the measuring line of ruin and the plumb line of destruction.
New International Version
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.
New American Standard Bible
But pelican and hedgehog will possess it, And owl and raven will dwell in it; And He will stretch over it the line of desolation And the plumb line of emptiness.
New King James Version
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
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.
Lexham English Bible
But the large bird and the hedgehog shall take possession of it, and the owl and the raven shall live in it. And he shall stretch the measuring line of confusion out over it, and the plumb line of emptiness.
Literal Translation
But the owl and the hedgehog shall possess it; and the eared owl and the raven shall live in it. And He shall stretch out on it the line of shame, and the stones of emptiness.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But Pellicanes, Storkes, great Oules, and Rauens shall haue it in possession, & dwell therein. For God shal sprede out the lyne of desolacion vpon it, & weye it with the stones of emptynes.
Update Bible Version
But the pelican and the porcupine shall possess it; and the owl and the raven shall dwell therein: and he will stretch over it the line of confusion, and the plummet of emptiness.
Webster's Bible Translation
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.
Douay-Rheims Bible
The bittern and ericius shall possess it: and the ibis and the raven shall dwell in it: and a line shall be stretched out upon it, to bring it to nothing, and a plummet, unto desolation.
Revised Standard Version
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 plummet of chaos over its nobles.
New Life Bible
But the pelican and hedgehog will have it for their own. The owl and raven will live in it. The Lord will make it into an empty waste land.
New Revised Standard
But the hawk and the hedgehog shall possess it; the owl and the raven shall live in it. He shall stretch the line of confusion over it, and the plummet of chaos over its nobles.
Christian Standard Bible®
The desert owl and the screech owl 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.
English Standard Version
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.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And onocrotalus, and an irchoun schulen welde it; and a capret, and a crowe schulen dwelle therynne; and a mesure schal be stretchid forth theronne, that it be dryuun to nouyt, and an hangynge plomet in to desolacyoun.
Young's Literal Translation
And possess her do pelican and hedge-hog, And owl and raven dwell in her, And He hath stretched out over her A line of vacancy, and stones of emptiness.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
But pelican and hedgehog will possess it, And owl and raven will dwell in it; And He will stretch over it the line of desolation And the plumb line of emptiness.

Contextual Overview

9 Then shall the torrents thereof be turned into pitch, And the dust thereof, into brimstone, - So shall her land become burning pitch: 10 Neither night nor day, shall it be quenched, To times age-abiding, shall ascend the smoke thereof, - From generation to generation, shall it be waste, Never, never, shall any pass through it: 11 That the vomiting pelican and the bittern may possess it: And the great owl and the raven, dwell therein; Then will he stretch out over it The line of desolation, and The plummet of emptiness. 12 Her nobles (but none, are, there)! unto royalty, will call, - All, all her princes, shall become nought. 13 Then shall come up, in her palaces thorns Nettles and thistles in her fortresses, - And she shall become A home for wild dogs, An enclosure for ostriches; 14 Then shall criers meet with howlers, And, the shaggy creature, unto his fellow, shall call, - Only, there, shall, the night-spectre, Make her settlement, And find for herself a place of rest: 15 There, shall, the arrow-snake, Make her nest and lay, And hatch and gather under her shadow, - Only, there, shall be gathered the falcons, every one with her mate. 16 Seek ye out of the scroll of Yahweh, and read, Not, one from among them, is lacking, None, hath missed, her mate, - For, a mouth, hath, itself commanded, And, his spirit, hath itself gathered them: 17 Yea he himself, hath cast for them a lot, And his own hand, hath given to them a portion by line, - Unto times age-abiding, shall they possess it, To generation after generation, shall they dwell therein.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

cormorant: or, pelican, Isaiah 13:20-22, Isaiah 14:23, Zephaniah 2:14, Revelation 18:2, Revelation 18:21-23

stretch: 2 Samuel 8:2, 2 Kings 21:13, Lamentations 2:8, Malachi 1:3, Malachi 1:4

Reciprocal: Leviticus 11:16 - General Job 38:5 - who hath stretched Psalms 102:6 - a pelican Isaiah 13:21 - But Isaiah 32:14 - for Jeremiah 50:39 - General Jeremiah 51:34 - he hath made Amos 7:7 - a wall Zechariah 1:16 - and

Cross-References

Genesis 18:3
and said, - O My Lord! if, I pray thee, I have found favour in thine eyes, do not I pray thee pass on from thy servant.
Genesis 33:15
Then said Esau: Let me leave, I pray thee, along with thee, some of the people who are with me! And he said - Why so? let me find favour in the eyes of my lord!

Gill's Notes on the Bible

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 and Leviticus 11:17- ::

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.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

But the cormorant - This and the following verses contain a description of the desolations of Edom in language remarkably similar to that employed in the account of the destruction of Babylon Isaiah 13:20-22; Isaiah 14:23. The word here translated ‘cormorant’ (קאת qâ'ath), occurs in this place and in Zephaniah 2:14, where it is rendered ‘cormorant,’ and in Leviticus 11:18; Deuteronomy 14:17; Psalms 102:6, where it is rendered ‘pelican.’ Bochart supposes it is the ardea stellaris, or bitourn, which frequents watery places in deserts, and makes a horrible noise. The pelican is a sea-fowl, and cannot be intended here. The cormorant or water raven is a large fowl of the pelican kind, which occupies the cliffs by the sea, feeds on fish, and which is extremely voracious, and which is the emblem of a glutton. It is not certain what fowl is intended here, but the word properly denotes a water-fowl, and evidently refers to some bird that inhabits desolate places.

And the bittern shall possess it - For a description of the bittern, see the note at Isaiah 14:23.

The owl also and the raven - Well known birds that occupy deserts, and old ruins of houses or towns. The image here is that of desolation and ruin; and the sense is, that the land would be reduced to a waste that would not be inhabited by man, but would be given up to wild animals. How well this agrees with Edom, may be seen in the Travels of Burckhardt, Seetsen, and others. In regard to the fact that the cormorant (קאת qâ'ath) should be found there, it may be proper to introduce a remark of Burckhardt, who seems to have had no reference to this prophecy. ‘The bird katta,’ says he, ‘is met with in immense numbers. They fly in such large flocks that the boys often kill two or three of them at a time, merely by throwing a stick among them.’ So also in regard to the fact that the owl and the raven shall dwell there, the following statements are made by travelers: Captain Mangles relates thatwhile he and his fellow-travelers were examining the ruins and contemplating the sublime scenery of Petra, ‘the screaming of the eagles, hawks, and owls, which were soaring above their heads in considerable numbers, seemingly annoyed at anyone approaching their lonely habitation, added much to the singularity of the scene.’ So says Burckhardt: ‘The fields of Tafyle (situated in the immediate vicinity of Edom) are frequented by an immense number of crows.’

And he shall stretch out upon it - This is an illusion to the fact that an architect uses a line, which is employed to lay out his work (see the note at Isaiah 28:17).

The line of confusion - A similar expression occurs in 2 Kings 21:13 : ‘I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab;’ that is, I will apply the same measure and rule of destruction to Jerusalem that has been applied to Samaria. So Edom would be marked out for desolation. It was the work which God had laid out, and which he intended to perform.

And the stones of emptiness - Probably the plummet which the architect commonly employed with his line (see the note at Isaiah 28:17). It is a fact, however, that Edom is at present an extended waste of stones and barren rocks. ‘We had before us an immense expanse of dreary country, entirely covered with black flints, with here and there some hilly chain rising from the plain.’ (Burckhardt’s Travels in Syria, p. 445.)

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Isaiah 34:11. The cormorant — קאת kaath, the pelican, from the root קיא ki, to vomit, because it is said she swallows shell-fish, and when the heat of her stomach has killed the fish, she vomits the shells, takes out the dead fish, and eats them.

The bittern — קפד kippod, the hedge-hog, or porcupine.

The owl — ינשוף yanshoph, the bittern, from נשף nashaph, to blow, because of the blowing noise it makes, almost like the lowing of an ox. My old MS. Bible renders the words thus: - The foule in face like an asse, and the yrchoun, and the snyte (snipe.)

The line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness - "The plummet of emptiness over her scorched plains."] The word חריה choreyha, joined to the 12th verse, embarrasses it, and makes it inexplicable. At least I do not know that any one has yet made out the construction, or given any tolerable explication of it. I join it to the 11th verse, and supply a letter or two, which seem to have been lost. Fifteen MSS. five ancient, and two editions, read חוריה choreyha; the first printed edition of 1486, I think nearer to the truth, חור חריה chor choreyha. I read בחרריה becharereyha, or על חרריה al chorereyha; see Jeremiah 17:6. A MS. has חדיה chodiah, and the Syriac reads חדוה chaduah, gaudium, joining it to the two preceding words; which he likewise reads differently, but without improving the sense. However, his authority is clear for dividing the verses as they are here divided. I read שם shem, as a noun. They shall boast, יקראו yikreu; see Proverbs 20:6.


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