2:4 He will judge disputes between nations;
he will settle cases for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares, 1
and their spears into pruning hooks. 2
Nations will not take up the sword against other nations,
and they will no longer train for war.
34:6 The Lord’s sword is dripping with blood,
it is covered 3 with fat;
it drips 4 with the blood of young rams and goats
and is covered 5 with the fat of rams’ kidneys.
For the Lord is holding a sacrifice 6 in Bozrah, 7
a bloody 8 slaughter in the land of Edom.
1 sn Instead of referring to the large plow as a whole, the plowshare is simply the metal tip which actually breaks the earth and cuts the furrow.
2 sn This implement was used to prune the vines, i.e., to cut off extra leaves and young shoots (H. Wildberger, Isaiah, 1:93; M. Klingbeil, NIDOTTE 1:1117-18). It was a short knife with a curved hook at the end sharpened on the inside like a sickle. Breaking weapons and fashioning agricultural implements indicates a transition from fear and stress to peace and security.
3 tn The verb is a rare Hotpaal passive form. See GKC 150 §54.h.
4 tn The words “it drips” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
5 tn The words “and is covered” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
6 tn Heb “for there is a sacrifice to the Lord.”
7 sn The Lord’s judgment of Edom is compared to a bloody sacrificial scene.
8 tn Heb “great” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).