Isaiah 34:11
11. cormorant--The Hebrew is rendered, in Psa 102:6, "pelican," which is a seafowl, and cannot be meant here: some waterfowl (katta, according to Burckhardt) that tenants desert places is intended. bittern--rather, "the hedgehog," or "porcupine" [Gesenius] (Is 14:23). owl--from its being enumerated among water birds in Le 11:17; De 14:16. Maurer thinks rather the heron or crane is meant; from a Hebrew root, "to blow," as it utters a sound like the blowing of a horn (Re 18:2). confusion--devastation. line ... stones--metaphor from an architect with line and plummet-stone (see on Is 18:2; Is 28:17); God will render to it the exact measure of justice without mercy (Jas 2:13; 2Ki 21:13; La 2:8; Am 7:7, 8). emptiness--desolation. Edom is now a waste of "stones."
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