Discovery BoxIsaiah 34:5-8
Context34:5 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.”
34:6 The Lord’s sword is dripping with blood,
it is covered 4 with fat;
it drips 5 with the blood of young rams and goats
and is covered 6 with the fat of rams’ kidneys.
For the Lord is holding a sacrifice 7 in Bozrah, 8
a bloody 9 slaughter in the land of Edom.
34:7 Wild oxen will be slaughtered 10 along with them,
as well as strong bulls. 11
Their land is drenched with blood,
their soil is covered with fat.
34:8 For the Lord has planned a day of revenge, 12
a time when he will repay Edom for her hostility toward Zion. 13
Isaiah 63:1-3
Context63:1 Who is this who comes from Edom, 14
dressed in bright red, coming from Bozrah? 15
Who 16 is this one wearing royal attire, 17
who marches confidently 18 because of his great strength?
“It is I, the one who announces vindication,
and who is able to deliver!” 19
63:2 Why are your clothes red?
Why do you look like someone who has stomped on grapes in a vat? 20
63:3 “I have stomped grapes in the winepress all by myself;
no one from the nations joined me.
I stomped on them 21 in my anger;
I trampled them down in my rage.
Their juice splashed on my garments,
and stained 22 all my clothes.
[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 1QIsaa 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.
[34:6] 4 tn The verb is a rare Hotpaal passive form. See GKC 150 §54.h.
[34:6] 5 tn The words “it drips” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[34:6] 6 tn The words “and is covered” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[34:6] 7 tn Heb “for there is a sacrifice to the Lord.”
[34:6] 8 sn The Lord’s judgment of Edom is compared to a bloody sacrificial scene.
[34:6] 9 tn Heb “great” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[34:7] 10 tn Heb “will go down”; NAB “shall be struck down.”
[34:7] 11 tn Heb “and bulls along with strong ones.” Perhaps this refers to the leaders.
[34:8] 12 tn Heb “for a day of vengeance [is] for the Lord.”
[34:8] 13 tn Heb “a year of repayment for the strife of Zion.” The translation assumes that רִיב (riv) refers to Edom’s hostility toward Zion. Another option is to understand רִיב (riv) as referring to the Lord’s taking up Zion’s cause. In this case one might translate, “a time when he will repay Edom and vindicate Zion.”
[63:1] 14 sn Edom is here an archetype for the Lord’s enemies. See 34:5.
[63:1] 15 tn Heb “[in] bright red garments, from Bozrah.”
[63:1] 16 tn The interrogative particle is understood by ellipsis; note the first line of the verse.
[63:1] 17 tn Heb “honored in his clothing”; KJV, ASV “glorious in his apparel.”
[63:1] 18 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] 19 tn Heb “I, [the one] speaking in vindication [or “righteousness”], great to deliver.”
[63:2] 20 tn Heb “and your garments like one who treads in a vat?”
[63:3] 21 sn Nations, headed by Edom, are the object of the Lord’s anger (see v. 6). He compares military slaughter to stomping on grapes in a vat.
[63:3] 22 tn Heb “and I stained.” For discussion of the difficult verb form, see HALOT 170 s.v. II גאל. Perhaps the form is mixed, combining the first person forms of the imperfect (note the alef prefix) and perfect (note the תי- ending).
