The Meaning of Isaiah 34:6 Explained

Isaiah 34:6

KJV: The sword of the LORD is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the LORD hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea.

YLT: A sword is to Jehovah -- it hath been full of blood, It hath been made fat with fatness, With blood of lambs and he-goats. With fat of kidneys of rams, For a sacrifice is to Jehovah in Bozrah, And a great slaughter in the land of Edom.

Darby: The sword of Jehovah is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams; for Jehovah hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Edom.

ASV: The sword of Jehovah is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams; for Jehovah hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Edom.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The sword  of the LORD  is filled  with blood,  it is made fat  with fatness,  [and] with the blood  of lambs  and goats,  with the fat  of the kidneys  of rams:  for the LORD  hath a sacrifice  in Bozrah,  and a great  slaughter  in the land  of Idumea. 

What does Isaiah 34:6 Mean?

Context Summary

Isaiah 34:1-17 - Reaping The Whirlwind
This chapter is one prolonged description of the judgments which were to befall the nations at the hand of Assyria and Babylon. The imagery employed is borrowed from the destruction of the cities of the plain. Streams of pitch; dust of brimstone; the ever-ascending smoke of a furnace; the scream of the eagle, hawk, and owl; the invasion of palaces by the thistle; the howl of the wolf; the call of the jackal; the arrow-snakes nest; the kite with its mate-such are the illustrations employed to depict the scorching desolations which were impending. Edom is especially mentioned as suffering these awful desolations because of her long-standing hatred of Israel. See Psalms 137:7; Ezekiel 36:5; Lamentations 4:21-22. These terrible and graphic predictions have been literally fulfilled, but they foreshadow those further and eternal disasters which must overtake willful and designed rejection of the divine purposes and laws. Are not all nations at this hour standing before the Son of man and being judged? See Matthew 25:31. [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 34

1  The judgments wherewith God revenges his church
11  The desolation of her enemies
16  The certainty of the prophecy

What do the individual words in Isaiah 34:6 mean?

The sword of Yahweh is filled with blood it is made overflowing with fatness with the blood of lambs and goats with the fat of the kidneys of rams For a sacrifice Yahweh has in Bozrah and a slaughter great in the land of Edom
חֶ֣רֶב לַיהוָ֞ה מָלְאָ֥ה דָם֙ הֻדַּ֣שְׁנָה מֵחֵ֔לֶב מִדַּ֤ם כָּרִים֙ וְעַתּוּדִ֔ים מֵחֵ֖לֶב כִּלְי֣וֹת אֵילִ֑ים כִּ֣י זֶ֤בַח לַֽיהוָה֙ בְּבָצְרָ֔ה וְטֶ֥בַח גָּד֖וֹל בְּאֶ֥רֶץ אֱדֽוֹם

חֶ֣רֶב  The  sword 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: חֶרֶב  
Sense: sword, knife.
לַיהוָ֞ה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
מָלְאָ֥ה  is  filled 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: מָלֵא 
Sense: to fill, be full.
דָם֙  with  blood 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּם  
Sense: blood.
הֻדַּ֣שְׁנָה  it  is  made  overflowing 
Parse: Verb, Hitpael, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: דָּשֵׁן  
Sense: to be fat, grow fat, become fat, become prosperous, anoint.
מֵחֵ֔לֶב  with  fatness 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֵלֶב  
Sense: fat.
מִדַּ֤ם  with  the  blood 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: דָּם  
Sense: blood.
כָּרִים֙  of  lambs 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: כַּר 
Sense: howdah, palanquin, basket saddle.
וְעַתּוּדִ֔ים  and  goats 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural
Root: עַתּוּד  
Sense: ram, he-goat, chief one.
מֵחֵ֖לֶב  with  the  fat 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: חֵלֶב  
Sense: fat.
כִּלְי֣וֹת  of  the  kidneys 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: כִּלְיָה  
Sense: kidneys.
אֵילִ֑ים  of  rams 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אַיִל 
Sense: ram.
זֶ֤בַח  a  sacrifice 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: זֶבַח  
Sense: sacrifice.
לַֽיהוָה֙  Yahweh  has 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
בְּבָצְרָ֔ה  in  Bozrah 
Parse: Preposition-b, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: בָּצְרָה 
Sense: a town in Edom.
וְטֶ֥בַח  and  a  slaughter 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: טֶבַח 
Sense: slaughter, slaughtering, animal.
גָּד֖וֹל  great 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: גָּבֹול 
Sense: great.
בְּאֶ֥רֶץ  in  the  land 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
אֱדֽוֹם  of  Edom 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֱדֹום 
Sense: Edom.