34:1 There is a summons here (cf. 1:18; 41:1; 45:20–21), not to present a case but to hear the verdict from the Judge of all the earth. The summons is universal, involving the earth itself and the people who live on it (cf. Ps. 24:1). Here the folly of trusting the nations (as Ahaz did in Isaiah 7) is exposed for what it is. There is only one Judge, and he will have the last word.

34:2 The explanation for this universal gathering is that the Lord is angry. This anger burns fiercely, but it is wholly just. Much of our anger is due to injured vanity and an aggressive reaction without knowing the full facts. However, the Lord’s anger is not a quick reaction; indeed, it is described as “slow” (Ex. 34:6). The time for mercy is now past; grace has been rejected. Thus the nations have been devoted to destruction (Hb. herem), spoils of battle wholly for the Lord, as in the conquest of the Promised Land (Josh. 6:21)

34:3 Exposure of dead bodies reveals the ultimate end of rebellion to be a pile of rotting corpses. The language is powerful and shocking (cf. Isa. 66:24, the last verse of the book). The result of defying God is not to ascend to heaven but to be cast down to Sheol (14:11).

34:4 Here the language becomes apocalyptic and involves the whole cosmos. There is a clear echo of chapter 24. The “host of heaven” could be the heavenly bodies or else the pagan gods associated with the powers of sky, earth, and sea. The evil haunting the created order has already been noted in 14:12–20; 28:1. In the day of judgment all the effects of the curse will be dealt with as evil is rooted out of God’s universe. He will usher in the new heavens and the new earth.

34:5 The prophet now offers Edom as a specific example of a nation that will receive the judgment it deserves. The Esau/Jacob rivalry, beginning in Genesis 25:23, reverberates through the OT, to Malachi 1:2–3 and 2 Chronicles 21:8–10; 25:11; 28:17 (the last book of the Hb. OT). Some have argued that this antagonism suggests a postexilic date for this oracle, but the hostility between Israel and Edom is evident in Amos 1:11–12, as well as in the Chronicles passages already referenced. The sword that had struck the heavenly powers (cf. Isa. 28:1) is now to fall on this rebellious nation.

34:6–7 The destruction of Edom is seen as a sacrifice in which fat and blood are offered on the Lord’s altar. All sin needs atoned for; if the sacrifice made possible by God is rejected, then the sinner must be punished. This devastation will be evident in Bozrah, Edom’s capital, some 30 miles (50 km) south of the Dead Sea. The oxen, steers, and bulls probably refer to Edom’s leaders, who will not escape when Edom falls.

34:8 This judgment is caused not only by God’s anger at Edom’s sin but also by his acting on behalf of his people to compensate for all the wrong they have suffered. “Day” suggests quick and final punishment, while “year” suggests continued blessing.

34:9–10 The fate of the land is as a perpetual waste of burning sulfur. The terms used recall those applied to Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19:24–28) and suggest a land that has become totally uninhabitable. This is the ultimate result of the curse (Gen. 3:18). The language is strong because the reality is terrifying.

34:11 The disappearance of humans makes way for beasts to overrun the land. The exact identification of these creatures has been disputed, but they are clearly beasts at home in the desert, which is inimical to human life. Indeed, the land has returned to the desolation of Genesis 1:2, before the created order with its surging life and meticulous planning was created by God. The Hebrew words tohu and bohu (“confusion” and “emptiness”) show that Edom will descend into primeval chaos.

34:12 This verse is not altogether clear, but the suggestion is probably that human pride, which has exaggerated its importance and seen itself as the center of the universe, is exposed as a failure. Far from being a kingdom, Edom is a place without genuine rule or real substance.

34:13–15 The destruction does not involve only the remote parts of the land—“strongholds” suggests the seats of government and military power have become overgrown and deserted. Weeds (cf. the curse of Gen. 3:18) now invade places where the powerful once held sway. “Jackals” and “ostriches” appear together in Job 30:29, where Job’s plight is symbolized by a desolate landscape of the kind haunted by these creatures, and in Micah 1:8, where mourners find themselves in similar company. Some have seen in the “wild goat” and “night bird” a reference to demonic creatures, and that may well be the nuance here, given that the underlying theme of evil powers involved in human sin has already been noted several times. The owls and the hawks are now the future inhabitants of the land, as the references to “young” and “mate” suggest.

34:16–17 The poem ends by emphasizing that, since God has decreed this judgment, there is no question as to whether these events will happen; this is no fanciful nightmare. Those who desire to understand the meaning of these events must consult the “book of the Lord.” This is not easy to understand, as no similar passage in the Bible corresponds to this in detail. Certainly the account of the final judgment speaks of opened books (Rev. 20:12), and we must not pedantically interpret every detail in poetic passages as literal statements. We must search the Word of God diligently, realizing that here we have what the “mouth” of the Lord has spoken and what will be carried out by his Spirit. This is true not only in general terms but in precise detail, so that even the birds of Edom are part of his purpose and will possess this land that mankind by its pride has forfeited. As early as Isaiah 8:16 the prophet has spoken of the need to preserve the Word and pass it on to future generations. This is the true way to hear the voice of God in every age.

35:1 Judgment is never the last word; the grim and challenging poem of chapter 34 is now followed by one of the most glorious and inspiring poems in the whole book. Just as Edom was turned into a desert, so here the desert is transformed into a garden. Edom was a symbol of the nations in their pride, but here the desert is a symbol of what grace can accomplish. Pride and trust in the nations leads to desolation; trust in God leads to glory. Not only does this chapter bring to a climax the long section on the nations; it also anticipates much of the language and thought of chapters 40–66. Further, it bears a close connection with chapters 36–39, as we shall see.

With amazing swiftness, the desert is transformed into a place of water—once again an exodus reference (Exodus 17). Flowers74 now abound as refreshing rain falls on the land.

35:2 In Isaiah 6:3 the prophet had spoken of the whole earth as filled with Yahweh’s glory; that now becomes visible and is reflected in the transformed landscape. The desert will become a place of fertility like Lebanon, of cultivation like Carmel, of beauty like Sharon. Yet the main beauty will be not the landscape but the majesty and glory of God. This will cause singing and rejoicing by the earth itself, a theme also celebrated in the Psalms (e.g., Pss. 65:9–13; 98:4–9; 148:1–10).

35:3–4 As always, prophecy has a practical application, and so this glorious future is a call for persevering faith in the present. God’s people are still in the waiting time, now as well as when these words were first written. “Hands” suggests the need for continuing action, “knees” for stability, and “heart” for a deep conviction at the center of our being that this will happen. The the Immanuel prophecy will be fulfilled, because the Lord will come—first “in great humility” and then “in his glorious majesty.”75 The call is to be strong and unafraid, for he is coming to judge and to save.

35:5–6 This coming will be marked by physical transformation of the people, who will now see with unclouded vision and hear with total clarity. The lame will be not simply healed but given greater mobility than before; the mute will be able not only to speak but to sing rapturously. Such fulfillment was seen partially in the earthly ministry of Christ and will be seen fully in the new creation (cf. Luke 7:22; John 7:37). This will be a new and greater exodus, as the whole desert is blessed with abundant water.

35:7 In total contrast to the abandoned landscape of chapter 34 overrun by wild beasts, the newly irrigated landscape and the former haunt of jackals will become a hospitable environment and a place of rest.

35:8 This is the rousing climax of the poem, as a highway runs through this transformed landscape. Since this is the way to the immediate presence of the Holy One of Israel, it is itself a holy way for those with “clean hands and a pure heart” (Ps. 24:4). Isaiah himself had been cleansed (Isa. 6:7), and all who walk this way require similar cleansing. The holy are not the sinless but those who recognize their need of forgiveness and grace to sustain them to the end. Even the foolish, inclined to stumble and stray, will find clear guidance.

35:9 In chapter 34 wild animals had taken over the land, but now predators are removed, an echo of 11:6–9 and a contrast to the desert land the envoys traversed on the futile journey to Egypt (30:6–7). Those who are traveling are the “redeemed,” who have availed themselves of grace.

35:10 This verse is quoted in 51:11, which underlines its exodus echoes, as the Redeemer brings his people home. The coming to Zion will be marked with songs of joy (cf. Jude’s doxology in Jude 24–25). This will be no fleeting emotion but a lasting and deepening joy, secured by the banishing of sorrow and the sighing that is its companion. This is the prospect for God’s people among the stern trials of this world; Isaiah 36–37 is to show how greatly this eschatological hope is needed.