Isaiah 34:11-15

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Isaiah 34:11 tn קָאַת (qaʾat) refers to some type of bird (cf. Lev 11:18; Deut 14:17) that was typically found near ruins (see Zeph 2:14). קִפּוֹד (qippod) may also refer to a type of bird (NAB “hoot owl”; NIV “screech owl”; TEV “ravens”), but some have suggested a rodent may be in view (cf. NCV “small animals”; ASV “porcupine”; NASB, NRSV “hedgehog”).
2. Isaiah 34:11 tn Heb “will possess it” (so NIV).
3. Isaiah 34:11 tn The Hebrew text has יַנְשׁוֹף וְעֹרֵב (yanshof v^eʿorev). Both the יַנְשׁוֹף (“owl”; see Lev 11:17; Deut 14:16) and עֹרֵב (“raven”; Lev 11:15; Deut 14:14) were types of wild birds.
4. Isaiah 34:11 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
5. Isaiah 34:11 tn Heb “stones,” i.e., the stones used in a plumb bob.
6. Isaiah 34:11 sn The metaphor in v. 11b emphasizes that God has carefully planned Edom’s demise.
7. Isaiah 34:12 tn Heb “will be nothing”; NCV, TEV, NLT “will all be gone.”
8. Isaiah 34:13 tn The words “will grow” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
9. Isaiah 34:13 tc Heb “and she will be a settlement for wild dogs, a dwelling place for ostriches.” The translation assumes an emendation of חָצִיר (khatsir, “grass”) to חָצֵר (khatser, “settlement”). One of the Qumran scrolls of Isaiah (1QIsa^a) supports this emendation (cf. HALOT 344 s.v. II חָצִיר)
10. Isaiah 34:14 tn Heb “will meet” (so NIV); NLT “will mingle there.”
11. Isaiah 34:14 tn Heb “and a goat will call to its neighbor.”
12. Isaiah 34:14 tn The precise meaning of לִילִית (lilit) is unclear, though in this context the word certainly refers to some type of wild animal or bird. The word appears to be related to לַיְלָה (laylah, “night”). Some interpret it as the name of a female night demon, on the basis of an apparent Akkadian cognate used as the name of a demon. Later Jewish legends also identified Lilith as a demon. Cf. NRSV “Lilith.”
13. Isaiah 34:14 tn Heb “and will find for themselves a resting place.”
14. Isaiah 34:15 tn Hebrew קִפּוֹז (qippoz) occurs only here; the precise meaning of the word is uncertain.
15. Isaiah 34:15 tn For this proposed meaning for Hebrew מָלַט (malat), see HALOT 589 s.v. I מלט.
16. Isaiah 34:15 tn Heb “and brood [over them] in her shadow.”
17. Isaiah 34:15 tn The precise meaning of דַּיָּה (dayyah) is uncertain, though the term appears to refer to some type of bird of prey, perhaps a vulture.