Isaiah
Verse 1. Come. Both Gentiles and Jews are admonished of the world’s end before judgment. Worthington.
EXPLANATIONS
Isaiah 34
Historical chapter commentary
Isaiah
Verse 4. Away. These strong expressions denote great misery. Calmet. 13. Joel 2:10. Ezekiel 32:27. Calmet.—Book. Hebrew “roll.” Bible.—Some thence foolishly inferred that the destiny of every one might be read in the heavens. Huet. Eus. præp. vi. 11. Philoo. xxiii. Pic. Astrol. viii. 5.—The prophet only means that the heavens shall be devoid of beauty, ( Calmet.) and covered with darkness. Bible.
Isaiah
Verse 5. Heaven. Casting down the rebel angels. Saint Jerome—The resolution to destroy the Idumeans, for their cruelty to the Jews, has been taken long ago. All these expressions allude to the last judgment. Calmet.—Idumea. Under the name of Idumea or Edom, a people that were enemies of God and his Church. Challoner.—Assaradon fell upon Edom two years after Sennacherib’s death. Calmet.—No strong place like Bosra, shall rescue any from destruction at the last day. Worthington.
Isaiah
Verse 7. The unicorns. That is, the great and mighty. Challoner.
Isaiah
Verse 8. Recompenses. When the persecutors of Sion, that is, of the Church, shall receive their reward. Challoner.—The Idumeans had frequently shown their ill-will towards the Jews. 2 Chronicles 28:17. Amos 1:11. Calmet.—Sion shall perish as the wicked in hell shall be tormented. Worthington.
Isaiah
Verse 9. Pitch. The soil was sulphureous, and became neglected, (verse 10) like the territory of Sodom. The people are now no more, and only a few miserable Arabs pitch their tents there.
Isaiah
Verse 11. Line. Intimating entire destruction. Lamentations 2:8 and 4 Kennicott. 11:13. Calmet.—Yet God will not punish more than people deserve. Menochius.
Isaiah
Verse 13. Dragons, Thannim. Calmet. 13:22. Bible.—Ostriches, or swans.
Isaiah
Verse 14. Monsters. Lit. “Ass-centaurs.” Bible.—Hebrew “fishermen shall find islands.” Calmet. 13:21.—Ones. Goats.—Lamia. Hebrew lilith. Chal. “owl,” the bird of Minerva, or the Moon, which the Arabs style Alilat. Calmet.—Dicodorus (20) relates that Lamia was an African queen, who having last her children, was changed into a beast, and destroyed all the children she could catch; and the Jews deal still more in fables, ( Calmet.) asserting that Lilith was the first wife of Adam, and so forth Buxtorf. Syn. 2.
Isaiah
Verse 15. Ericius. Hebrew “kippoz, ( Bible.) hath its nest.” It may denote the serpent, acontias. Bochart.—All this shews the desolation of the country.
Isaiah
Verse 16. Read what I have written.—The other. All these beasts will be there, ( Calmet.) or all these declarations will be verified. Bible.
Isaiah
literally, lilith, which could also be a night demon or night monster