Isaiah 34:5

34:5 He says, ¹  “Indeed, my sword has slaughtered heavenly powers. ² 

Look, it now descends on Edom, ³ 

on the people I will annihilate in judgment.”

Isaiah 11:14

11:14 They will swoop down ⁴  on the Philistine hills to the west; ⁵ 

together they will loot the people of the east.

They will take over Edom and Moab, ⁶ 

and the Ammonites will be their subjects.

Isaiah 63:1

The Victorious Divine Warrior

63:1 Who is this who comes from Edom, ⁷ 

dressed in bright red, coming from Bozrah? ⁸ 

Who ⁹  is this one wearing royal attire, ¹⁰ 

who marches confidently ¹¹  because of his great strength?

“It is I, the one who announces vindication,

and who is able to deliver!” ¹² 

Isaiah 34:6

34:6 The Lord’s sword is dripping with blood,

it is covered ¹³  with fat;

it drips ¹⁴  with the blood of young rams and goats

and is covered ¹⁵  with the fat of rams’ kidneys.

For the Lord is holding a sacrifice ¹⁶  in Bozrah, ¹⁷ 

a bloody ¹⁸  slaughter in the land of Edom.

[34:5]  ¹ tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The Lord speaks at this point.

[34:5]  ² tn Heb “indeed [or “for”] my sword is drenched in the heavens.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has תראה (“[my sword] appeared [in the heavens]”), but this is apparently an attempt to make sense out of a difficult metaphor. Cf. NIV “My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens.”

[34:5]  ³ sn Edom is mentioned here as epitomizing the hostile nations that oppose God.

[11:14]  ⁴ tn Heb “fly.” Ephraim/Judah are compared to a bird of prey.

[11:14]  ⁵ tn Heb “on the shoulder of Philistia toward the sea.” This refers to the slopes of the hill country west of Judah. See HALOT 506 s.v. כָּתֵף.

[11:14]  ⁶ tn Heb “Edom and Moab [will be the place of] the outstretching of their hand,” i.e., included in their area of jurisdiction (see HALOT 648 s.v. ח(וֹ)מִשְׁלֹ).

[63:1]  ⁷ sn Edom is here an archetype for the Lord’s enemies. See 34:5.

[63:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “[in] bright red garments, from Bozrah.”

[63:1]  ⁹ tn The interrogative particle is understood by ellipsis; note the first line of the verse.

[63:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “honored in his clothing”; KJV, ASV “glorious in his apparel.”

[63:1]  ¹¹ tc The Hebrew text has צָעָה (tsa’ah), which means “stoop, bend” (51:14). The translation assumes an emendation to צָעַד (tsa’ad, “march”; see BDB 858 s.v. צָעָה).

[63:1]  ¹² tn Heb “I, [the one] speaking in vindication [or “righteousness”], great to deliver.”

[34:6]  ¹⁰ tn The verb is a rare Hotpaal passive form. See GKC 150 §54.h.

[34:6]  ¹¹ tn The words “it drips” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[34:6]  ¹² tn The words “and is covered” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[34:6]  ¹³ tn Heb “for there is a sacrifice to the Lord.”

[34:6]  ¹⁴ sn The Lord’s judgment of Edom is compared to a bloody sacrificial scene.

[34:6]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “great” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).