Isaiah 34:3
Isaiah 34:3 in Multiple Translations
Their slain will be left unburied, and the stench of their corpses will rise; the mountains will flow with their blood.
Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood.
Their slain also shall be cast out, and the stench of their dead bodies shall come up; and the mountains shall be melted with their blood.
Their dead bodies will be thick on the face of the earth, and their smell will come up, and the mountains will be flowing with their blood, and all the hills will come to nothing.
Those who are killed won't be buried; the stink of their bodies will rise; mountains will be washed away with their blood.
And their slaine shalbe cast out, and their stincke shall come vp out of their bodies, and the mountaines shalbe melted with their blood.
And their wounded are cast out, And their carcases cause their stench to ascend, And melted have been mountains from their blood.
Their slain will also be cast out, and the stench of their dead bodies will come up. The mountains will melt in their blood.
Their slain also shall be cast out, and their ill smell shall come up from their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood.
Their slain shall be cast forth, and out of their carcasses shall rise a slink: the mountains shall be melted with their blood.
Their corpses will not be buried, and as a result their corpses will stink, and their blood will fill the streams that flow down the mountains.
Berean Amplified Bible — Isaiah 34:3
BAB
Word Study
Hover over any word to see its amplified meaning. Click a word to explore its full definition and translation comparisons.
Amplified text is generated using scripting to tie together English translations for comparison. Always refer to the core BSB translation and original Hebrew/Greek text for accuracy. Anomalies may occur.
Isaiah 34:3 Interlinear (Deep Study)
BIB
HEB
וְ/חַלְלֵי/הֶ֣ם
יֻשְׁלָ֔כוּ
וּ/פִגְרֵי/הֶ֖ם
יַעֲלֶ֣ה
בָאְשָׁ֑/ם
וְ/נָמַ֥סּוּ
הָרִ֖ים
מִ/דָּמָֽ/ם
וְ/חַלְלֵי/הֶ֣ם
châlâl
H2491
slain
Conj | Adj | Suff
יֻשְׁלָ֔כוּ
shâlak
H7993
to throw
V-Hophal-Imperf-3mp
וּ/פִגְרֵי/הֶ֖ם
peger
H6297
corpse
Conj | N-mp | Suff
יַעֲלֶ֣ה
ʻâlâh
H5927
to ascend
V-Qal-Imperf-3ms
בָאְשָׁ֑/ם
bᵉʼôsh
H889
stench
N-ms | Suff
וְ/נָמַ֥סּוּ
mâçaç
H4549
to melt
Conj | V-Niphal-3cp
הָרִ֖ים
har
H2022
mountain
N-mp
מִ/דָּמָֽ/ם
dâm
H1818
blood
Prep | N-ms | Suff
Hebrew Word Study
Select any word above to explore its original meaning, root, and usage across Scripture.
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Hebrew Word Reference — Isaiah 34:3
וְ/חַלְלֵי/הֶ֣ם
châlâl
H2491
"slain"
Conj | Adj | Suff
This word describes something or someone that has been profaned or hurt, like in Numbers 35:33. It can also mean to be pierced or wounded, as in physically harmed.
Definition: : killed 1) slain, fatally wounded, pierced 1a) pierced, fatally wounded 1b) slain Also means: cha.lal (חָלָל ": wounded" H2491H)
Usage: Occurs in 85 OT verses. KJV: kill, profane, slain (man), [idiom] slew, (deadly) wounded. See also: Genesis 34:27; Isaiah 66:16; Psalms 69:27.
יֻשְׁלָ֔כוּ
shâlak
H7993
"to throw"
V-Hophal-Imperf-3mp
To throw or cast away is the meaning of this Hebrew verb. It is used in various contexts, including throwing lots or casting out something unwanted. The word appears in stories like Jonah being thrown into the sea.
Definition: 1) to throw, cast, hurl, fling 1a) (Hiphil) 1a1) to throw, cast, throw away, cast off, shed, cast down 1a2) to cast (lots) (fig) 1b) (Hophal) 1b1) to be thrown, be cast 1b2) to be cast forth or out 1b3) to be cast down 1b4) to be cast (metaph)
Usage: Occurs in 121 OT verses. KJV: adventure, cast (away, down, forth, off, out), hurl, pluck, throw. See also: Genesis 21:15; Nehemiah 9:11; Psalms 2:3.
וּ/פִגְרֵי/הֶ֖ם
peger
H6297
"corpse"
Conj | N-mp | Suff
A dead body, either human or animal, as seen in the story of the death of Saul in 1 Samuel 31:8-13. It can also refer to an idol or image that is lifeless and useless.
Definition: 1) corpse, carcass, monument, stela 1a) corpse (of man) 1b) carcass (of animals)
Usage: Occurs in 21 OT verses. KJV: carcase, corpse, dead body. See also: Genesis 15:11; Isaiah 34:3; Isaiah 14:19.
יַעֲלֶ֣ה
ʻâlâh
H5927
"to ascend"
V-Qal-Imperf-3ms
To ascend means to go up or rise, like the smoke from an altar going up to God, as described in many Bible passages, including Leviticus and Psalms.
Definition: : rise/go 1) to go up, ascend, climb 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to go up, ascend 1a2) to meet, visit, follow, depart, withdraw, retreat 1a3) to go up, come up (of animals) 1a4) to spring up, grow, shoot forth (of vegetation) 1a5) to go up, go up over, rise (of natural phenomenon) 1a6) to come up (before God) 1a7) to go up, go up over, extend (of boundary) 1a8) to excel, be superior to 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be taken up, be brought up, be taken away 1b2) to take oneself away 1b3) to be exalted 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to bring up, cause to ascend or climb, cause to go up 1c2) to bring up, bring against, take away 1c3) to bring up, draw up, train 1c4) to cause to ascend 1c5) to rouse, stir up (mentally) 1c6) to offer, bring up (of gifts) 1c7) to exalt 1c8) to cause to ascend, offer 1d) (Hophal) 1d1) to be carried away, be led up 1d2) to be taken up into, be inserted in 1d3) to be offered 1e) (Hithpael) to lift oneself
Usage: Occurs in 817 OT verses. KJV: arise (up), (cause to) ascend up, at once, break (the day) (up), bring (up), (cause to) burn, carry up, cast up, [phrase] shew, climb (up), (cause to, make to) come (up), cut off, dawn, depart, exalt, excel, fall, fetch up, get up, (make to) go (away, up); grow (over) increase, lay, leap, levy, lift (self) up, light, (make) up, [idiom] mention, mount up, offer, make to pay, [phrase] perfect, prefer, put (on), raise, recover, restore, (make to) rise (up), scale, set (up), shoot forth (up), (begin to) spring (up), stir up, take away (up), work. See also: Genesis 2:6; Exodus 34:4; Joshua 7:6.
בָאְשָׁ֑/ם
bᵉʼôsh
H889
"stench"
N-ms | Suff
This word refers to a strong and unpleasant smell, like a stench or foul odor. It is used to describe something that smells very bad.
Definition: stench, foul odour
Usage: Occurs in 3 OT verses. KJV: stink. See also: Isaiah 34:3; Joel 2:20; Amos 4:10.
וְ/נָמַ֥סּוּ
mâçaç
H4549
"to melt"
Conj | V-Niphal-3cp
To melt or waste away is what this verb means, often used to describe something weakening or disappearing. It appears in books like Psalms and Isaiah, describing the effects of disease or fear. This word can also mean to faint or lose strength.
Definition: 1) to dissolve, melt 1a) (Qal) to waste away 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to melt, vanish, drop off, melt away 1b2) to faint, grow fearful (fig.) 1b3) wasted, worthless (participle) 1c) (Hiphil) to cause to melt
Usage: Occurs in 20 OT verses. KJV: discourage, faint, be loosed, melt (away), refuse, [idiom] utterly. See also: Exodus 16:21; Psalms 68:3; Psalms 22:15.
הָרִ֖ים
har
H2022
"mountain"
N-mp
A mountain or hill, sometimes used to describe a spiritual high point. In the Bible, it can refer to a real mountain or a figurative one. The word is often translated as hill or mount.
Definition: : mount/hill hill, mountain, hill country, mount
Usage: Occurs in 486 OT verses. KJV: hill (country), mount(-ain), [idiom] promotion. See also: Genesis 7:19; Deuteronomy 3:12; Judges 18:13.
מִ/דָּמָֽ/ם
dâm
H1818
"blood"
Prep | N-ms | Suff
Blood refers to the liquid that flows through the body, essential for life. In the Bible, blood is often used to symbolize life, guilt, or sacrifice, as seen in the story of Jesus' crucifixion.
Definition: 1) blood 1a) of wine (fig.)
Usage: Occurs in 295 OT verses. KJV: blood(-y, -guiltiness, (-thirsty), [phrase] innocent. See also: Genesis 4:10; Numbers 19:5; Psalms 5:7.
Study Notes — Isaiah 34:3
Show Verse Quote Highlights
- Context
- Cross References
- Isaiah 34:3 Summary
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Reflection Questions
- Gill's Exposition on Isaiah 34:3
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Isaiah 34:3
- Matthew Poole's Commentary on Isaiah 34:3
- Trapp's Commentary on Isaiah 34:3
- Cambridge Bible on Isaiah 34:3
- Barnes' Notes on Isaiah 34:3
- Whedon's Commentary on Isaiah 34:3
- Sermons on Isaiah 34:3
Context — Judgment on the Nations
1Come near, O nations, to listen; pay attention, O peoples. Let the earth hear, and all that fills it, the world and all that springs from it.
2The LORD is angry with all the nations and furious with all their armies. He will devote them to destruction; He will give them over to slaughter.
3Their slain will be left unburied, and the stench of their corpses will rise; the mountains will flow with their blood.
4All the stars of heaven will be dissolved. The skies will be rolled up like a scroll, and all their stars will fall like withered leaves from the vine, like foliage from the fig tree. 5When My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens, then it will come down upon Edom, upon the people I have devoted to destruction.Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joel 2:20 | The northern army I will drive away from you, banishing it to a barren and desolate land, its front ranks into the Eastern Sea, and its rear guard into the Western Sea. And its stench will rise; its foul odor will ascend. For He has done great things. |
| 2 | Ezekiel 39:4 | On the mountains of Israel you will fall—you and all your troops and the nations with you. I will give you as food to every kind of ravenous bird and wild beast. |
| 3 | Isaiah 34:7 | And the wild oxen will fall with them, the young bulls with the strong ones. Their land will be drenched with blood, and their soil will be soaked with fat. |
| 4 | Ezekiel 39:11 | And on that day I will give Gog a burial place in Israel, the Valley of the Travelers, east of the Sea. It will block those who travel through, because Gog and all his hordes will be buried there. So it will be called the Valley of Hamon-gog. |
| 5 | Jeremiah 22:19 | He will be buried like a donkey, dragged away and thrown outside the gates of Jerusalem. |
| 6 | Ezekiel 32:5–6 | I will put your flesh on the mountains and fill the valleys with your remains. I will drench the land with the flow of your blood, all the way to the mountains— the ravines will be filled. |
| 7 | Isaiah 14:19–20 | But you are cast out of your grave like a rejected branch, covered by those slain with the sword, and dumped into a rocky pit like a carcass trampled underfoot. You will not join them in burial, since you have destroyed your land and slaughtered your own people. The offspring of the wicked will never again be mentioned. |
| 8 | Jeremiah 8:1–2 | “At that time,” declares the LORD, “the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of the officials, the bones of the priests, the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the people of Jerusalem will be removed from their graves. They will be exposed to the sun and moon, and to all the host of heaven which they have loved, served, followed, consulted, and worshiped. Their bones will not be gathered up or buried, but will become like dung lying on the ground. |
| 9 | Ezekiel 14:19 | Or if I send a plague into that land and pour out My wrath upon it through bloodshed, cutting off from it both man and beast, |
| 10 | Revelation 14:20 | And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and the blood that flowed from it rose as high as the bridles of the horses for a distance of 1,600 stadia. |
Isaiah 34:3 Summary
Isaiah 34:3 is a vivid and intense picture of God's judgment on the nations that have opposed Him. The image of the slain being left unburied and the mountains flowing with blood is a powerful reminder of the severity of God's wrath on sin, as seen in Romans 6:23. However, even in the midst of such judgment, God offers hope and salvation to those who turn to Him, as described in John 3:16. As we reflect on this verse, we are reminded of the importance of seeking God's mercy and forgiveness, and sharing that message of hope with others.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean for the slain to be left unburied in Isaiah 34:3?
In biblical times, being left unburied was a sign of great disrespect and shame, as seen in Deuteronomy 21:23 and Ezekiel 29:5. This verse emphasizes the severity of God's judgment on the nations.
Why will the mountains flow with blood in Isaiah 34:3?
This is a poetic expression of the vast amount of blood that will be shed in God's judgment, similar to what is described in Revelation 14:20. It highlights the intensity of God's wrath on the nations that have opposed Him.
Is Isaiah 34:3 talking about a literal or spiritual battle?
While the verse does not explicitly state whether the battle is literal or spiritual, the context of Isaiah 34 suggests that it is a combination of both, as seen in Ephesians 6:12 where we wrestle against spiritual forces of evil. The physical judgment described in the verse is a manifestation of God's spiritual judgment on the nations.
How does Isaiah 34:3 relate to the rest of the Bible?
This verse is part of a larger narrative of God's judgment on the nations, as seen in Isaiah 13:1-22 and Jeremiah 25:30-38. It also foreshadows the ultimate judgment described in Revelation 19:11-21, where God will pour out His wrath on the nations that have opposed Him.
Reflection Questions
- What does this verse reveal about God's character, and how should that impact my relationship with Him?
- How does the image of the slain being left unburied challenge my perspective on the consequences of sin?
- In what ways can I apply the principle of God's judgment on the nations to my own life and community?
- What hope can I find in the midst of such a grim description of judgment, and how can I share that hope with others?
Gill's Exposition on Isaiah 34:3
Their slain also shall be cast out,.... Upon the open fields, and there lie unburied, and become meat for the fowls of heaven, who are invited to them as to a supper, even the supper of the great
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Isaiah 34:3
Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood. Their slain also shall be cast out - unburied (Isaiah 14:19).
Matthew Poole's Commentary on Isaiah 34:3
Shall be cast out into the fields, where they shall lie unburied, and be left for a prey to all ravenous birds and beasts; whereby he implies, either the vast numbers which shall be slain, so as they could not have time or place to bury them; or the curse of God upon them, and the people’ s contempt and abhorrency of them. The mountains about Jerusalem, where they are supposed to be gathered to fight against Jerusalem, as the Assyrians now were, and as other enemies afterward would be, 14:2. Shall be melted with their blood; shall be filled with their blood, which shall run down abundantly from the mountains with great force, and dissolve and carry down part of the earth of the mountains with it, as great showers of rain frequently do.
Trapp's Commentary on Isaiah 34:3
Isaiah 34:3 Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood.Ver. 3. Their slain also shall be cast out.] Buried with the burial of an ass, which Cicero somewhere calleth sepulturam insepultam and unburied grave. This may also befall such as for God’ s sake are slain all the day long; but to them it is no such judgment: Coelo tegitur qui caret urna. And their stink shall come up out of their carcases.] They stink alive as goats, as whited tombs, as walking dunghills; and now their dead carcases also shall stink above ground. And the mountains shall be melted with their blood.] Iuste omnino, because they moistened the earth with the blood of God’ s people, and dunged the land with their dead carcases.
Cambridge Bible on Isaiah 34:3
3. Cf. Joe 2:20; Amos 4:10.
Barnes' Notes on Isaiah 34:3
Their slain also shall be cast out - They would lie unburied. The slaughter Would be so extensive, and the desolation would be so entire, that there would not remain enough to bury the dead (compare the notes at Isaiah 14:19).
Whedon's Commentary on Isaiah 34:3
1-3. Come near, ye nations — All mankind is summoned, including all creation in the high poetic ideal, to witness the final fate of all Jehovah’s foes.
Sermons on Isaiah 34:3
| Sermon | Description | |
|---|---|---|
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Redefining the Gospel by Jacob Prasch | In this sermon, the speaker discusses the negative impact of consumerism and media on the preaching of the Gospel. He highlights the obsession with instant results and the constant |
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The Unicorn by Harriet N. Cook | Harriet N. Cook discusses the mysterious animal mentioned in the Bible that starts with the letter U, known as the unicorn. The true identity of this creature remains uncertain, wi |
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(Isaiah) the Highway of Holiness by David Guzik | In this sermon, the preacher focuses on the hope and transformation that believers can experience through the power of God. He emphasizes that nature is eagerly waiting for the Mes |