Isaiah 34-35

I. Context and Overview

Isaiah 34–35 serves as a theological conclusion to the judgment and salvation themes presented in Isaiah 28–33. These chapters contrast God’s judgment on the nations with the hope and restoration promised to His faithful remnant.

Isaiah 34: A universal proclamation of divine wrath, focusing particularly on Edom as a symbol of all nations hostile to God.

Isaiah 35: A poetic and prophetic description of the restoration of Zion, depicting joy, healing, and the return of God’s ransomed people.

Together, these chapters serve as a bridge between the first half of Isaiah (ch. 1–39) and the Book of Comfort (ch. 40–66).

II. Isaiah 34: The Day of the Lord’s Vengeance

A. The Call to All Nations (vv. 1–4)

All peoples are summoned to hear the coming judgment.

The language of cosmic dissolution (stars dissolving, sky rolled up) reflects the severity of God’s judgment.

Emphasizes that God’s wrath is universal, not just against Israel’s enemies.

Isaiah 34:1–4 ESV

1 Draw near, O nations, to hear, and give attention, O peoples! Let the earth hear, and all that fills it; the world, and all that comes from it. 2 For the Lord is enraged against all the nations, and furious against all their host; he has devoted them to destruction, has given them over for slaughter. 3 Their slain shall be cast out, and the stench of their corpses shall rise; the mountains shall flow with their blood. 4 All the host of heaven shall rot away, and the skies roll up like a scroll. All their host shall fall, as leaves fall from the vine, like leaves falling from the fig tree.

B. Edom as the Example of Judgment (vv. 5–17)

Edom, a perpetual enemy of Israel, is singled out as the emblem of God’s wrath.

Imagery of a blood-soaked sacrifice (vv. 6–7) and land becoming a wasteland (vv. 9–10) reflects total desolation.

The land becomes home only to desert creatures (vv. 11–15)—a reversal of creation and order.

God’s judgment is thorough and unalterable, fulfilling His book of destiny (v. 16).

Isaiah 34:5–7 ESV

5 For my sword has drunk its fill in the heavens; behold, it descends for judgment upon Edom, upon the people I have devoted to destruction. 6 The Lord has a sword; it is sated with blood; it is gorged with fat, with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah, a great slaughter in the land of Edom. 7 Wild oxen shall fall with them, and young steers with the mighty bulls. Their land shall drink its fill of blood, and their soil shall be gorged with fat.

Isaiah 34:8–15 ESV

8 For the Lord has a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion. 9 And the streams of Edom shall be turned into pitch, and her soil into sulfur; her land shall become burning pitch. 10 Night and day it shall not be quenched; its smoke shall go up forever. From generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it forever and ever. 11 But the hawk and the porcupine shall possess it, the owl and the raven shall dwell in it. He shall stretch the line of confusion over it, and the plumb line of emptiness. 12 Its nobles—there is no one there to call it a kingdom, and all its princes shall be nothing. 13 Thorns shall grow over its strongholds, nettles and thistles in its fortresses. It shall be the haunt of jackals, an abode for ostriches. 14 And wild animals shall meet with hyenas; the wild goat shall cry to his fellow; indeed, there the night bird settles and finds for herself a resting place. 15 There the owl nests and lays and hatches and gathers her young in her shadow; indeed, there the hawks are gathered, each one with her mate.

Isaiah 34:16–17 ESV

16 Seek and read from the book of the Lord: Not one of these shall be missing; none shall be without her mate. For the mouth of the Lord has commanded, and his Spirit has gathered them. 17 He has cast the lot for them; his hand has portioned it out to them with the line; they shall possess it forever; from generation to generation they shall dwell in it.

Theological Insight:

Justice is central to God’s character. His wrath is not arbitrary but a response to persistent rebellion and violence.

Edom as archetype: Represents all proud and defiant nations that oppose God and oppress His people.

Application:

Do we take God's justice seriously?

Are we aligned with His purposes or resisting them?

III. Isaiah 35: The Joy of Redemption

A. Creation Transformed (vv. 1–2)

The desert rejoices and blossoms—a reversal of the desolation in chapter 34.

Joy, beauty, and glory replace barrenness.

Lebanon, Carmel, and Sharon (fertile regions) symbolize abundant life returning.

Isaiah 35:1–2 ESV

1 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; 2 it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God.

B. The Weak Strengthened/The Disabled Healed (vv. 3–6a)

Direct call to encourage the weary and fearful: “Be strong; fear not!”

Assurance that God Himself will come—not just to save, but to execute vengeance on behalf of His people.

Blind see, deaf hear, lame leap, mute shout—clear messianic overtones (cf. Matthew 11:4–5).

These miracles signal not only physical healing but total spiritual renewal.

Isaiah 35:3–6 ESV

3 Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. 4 Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.” 5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.

Isaiah 6:9–10 ESV

9 And he said, “Go, and say to this people: “ ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ 10 Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

Isaiah 29:18 ESV

18 In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see.

Isaiah 32:3–4 ESV

3 Then the eyes of those who see will not be closed, and the ears of those who hear will give attention. 4 The heart of the hasty will understand and know, and the tongue of the stammerers will hasten to speak distinctly.

Isaiah 35:6–10 ESV

6 For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; 7 the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down, the grass shall become reeds and rushes. 8 And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray. 9 No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there. 10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Matthew 11:4–5 ESV

4 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.

Theological Insight:

God not only judges—He restores.

Salvation involves healing, joy, and a return to God’s presence.

The Highway of Holiness represents a life of discipleship, purity, and divine guidance.

Application:

Are we walking the Highway of Holiness?

How can we encourage those who are spiritually weak or afraid?

How do we live in the hope of God's coming restoration?

IV. Themes and Contrasts

V. Christological Reflections

Isaiah 35 points forward to the ministry of Jesus, who healed the blind and lame and proclaimed the coming of God's kingdom.

The Highway of Holiness parallels the Christian life, where Jesus is the Way (John 14:6).

The promise of everlasting joy and no more sorrow anticipates Revelation 21:4—God’s final redemption.

John 14:1–6 ESV

1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Revelation 21:4 ESV

4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

VI. Conclusion and Encouragement