Isaiah 34:6

Translation
King James Version
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.
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KJV (with Strong's)
The sword H2719 of the LORD H3068 is filled H4390 with blood H1818, it is made fat H1878 with fatness H2459, and with the blood H1818 of lambs H3733 and goats H6260, with the fat H2459 of the kidneys H3629 of rams H352: for the LORD H3068 hath a sacrifice H2077 in Bozrah H1224, and a great H1419 slaughter H2874 in the land H776 of Idumea H123.
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Complete Jewish Bible
There is a sword that belongs to ADONAI. It is filled with blood, gorged with fat, filled with the blood of lambs and goats, gorged with the fat of the kidneys of rams. For ADONAI has a sacrifice in Botzrah, a great slaughter in the land of Edom.
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Berean Standard Bible
The sword of the LORD is bathed in blood. It drips 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.
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American Standard Version
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.
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World English Bible Messianic
The LORD’s sword is filled with blood. It is covered 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, And a great slaughter in the land of Edom.
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Geneva Bible (1599)
The sword of the Lord is filled with blood: it is made fat with the fat and with the blood of the lambes and the goates, with the fat of the kidneis of the rams: for the Lord hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Edom.
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Young's Literal Translation
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.
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See also
Isaiah 63:1Jeremiah 49:13Deuteronomy 32:14Zephaniah 1:7Isaiah 63:3Isaiah 34:5Jeremiah 51:40
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God’s Coming Judgement
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In the KJVVerse 18,310 of 31,102

Study This Verse

SUMMARY

Isaiah 34:6 presents a stark and visceral depiction of the Lord's impending, comprehensive judgment against Edom, serving as a symbolic representation of all nations hostile to God and His people. Through graphic sacrificial imagery, the prophet portrays divine wrath as a "sacrifice" and "great slaughter" in Bozrah and Idumea, where the "sword of the LORD" is drenched and engorged with the blood and fat of countless victims, thereby underscoring the absolute, devastating, and righteous nature of God's retribution against unrepentant rebellion.

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: Isaiah 34 forms a distinct prophetic oracle, often termed "The Day of the Lord's Vengeance," which immediately follows a section (Isaiah 28-33) dealing with various nations and culminating in a promise of Zion's restoration. This chapter, however, shifts dramatically to a universal judgment, with Edom serving as a prime example. Verse 6 builds directly upon the preceding verse, which declares God's "sword" to be "bathed in heaven" and prepared to descend upon Edom (Isaiah 34:5). The detailed description of the slaughter in verse 6 intensifies the imagery, moving from preparation to execution, setting the stage for the utter desolation described in subsequent verses, such as the perpetual burning and wasteland of Edom (Isaiah 34:9-10). The singular focus on Edom (Idumea) functions as a specific, tangible illustration of this broader, universal judgment, a microcosm of divine wrath against all who oppose God and His covenant community.
  • Historical & Cultural Context: Edom, also known as Idumea, was a nation descended from Esau, Jacob's elder twin brother, situated southeast of Judah, bordering the Arabah. Throughout the history of Israel, Edom was a persistent and often treacherous adversary, characterized by its pride, hostility, and opportunistic actions against Judah, particularly during times of distress and vulnerability, such as the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem (e.g., Psalm 137:7 and Obadiah 1:10-14). Bozrah was a prominent capital city of Edom, renowned for its strategic location and fortifications, making its inclusion in the prophecy particularly significant as a symbol of Edomite strength. The imagery of "sacrifice," "blood," and "fatness" would have been immediately recognizable to an ancient Israelite audience, as these terms were central to their understanding of temple worship and the sacrificial system ordained by Yahweh. The repurposing of these sacred cultic terms for a scene of bloody divine judgment highlights a profound theological reversal, where the enemies of God become the unwilling "sacrifice" of His wrath, emphasizing the severity and completeness of the impending destruction.
  • Key Themes: This verse powerfully contributes to several overarching themes within the book of Isaiah and broader biblical theology. Firstly, it underscores the theme of Divine Judgment and Wrath, portraying God not merely as a passive observer but as an active, formidable warrior who executes perfect justice against wickedness. The "sword of the LORD" is a potent and terrifying symbol of His irresistible power and righteous indignation. Secondly, it masterfully employs Ironic Sacrificial Imagery, transforming the familiar and sacred language of cultic offerings into a terrifying depiction of divine retribution. This dark parody emphasizes the thoroughness and severity of the judgment, where the "fatness" and "blood" are not from voluntary offerings of worship but from the involuntary slaughter of the unrighteous, a "sacrifice" of judgment rather than propitiation. Finally, the specific targeting of Edom highlights the pervasive theme of Edom's Prophesied Destruction, a common motif in prophetic literature (e.g., Jeremiah 49:7-22 and Ezekiel 35:1-15). Edom, due to its persistent hostility, serves as an archetype of the proud, unrepentant nation that ultimately faces the full brunt of God's righteous anger, a warning to all who defy the Almighty.

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

  • Sword (Hebrew, chereb', H2719): This term (H2719) refers to a cutting instrument, such as a knife or sword, specifically noted for its destructive effect. In this context, "the sword of the LORD" is a powerful anthropomorphism, representing God's active agent of judgment and the instrument through which He executes His divine will. It is not a literal sword but a metaphorical embodiment of His irresistible wrath and destructive power.
  • Blood (Hebrew, dâm', H1818): This word (H1818) denotes the life-giving fluid, but when shed, it universally signifies death. It can also figuratively represent bloodshed, guilt, or the consequence of violence. Here, the sword being "filled with blood" vividly portrays the immense carnage and loss of life resulting from God's judgment, emphasizing the severity, scale, and completeness of the divine slaughter.
  • Sacrifice (Hebrew, zebach', H2077): While typically referring to a slaughter (H2077) for the purpose of an offering made to God, particularly the flesh of an animal offered in worship, its use here is profoundly ironic. Instead of a propitiatory or thanksgiving offering, it describes a "slaughter" of enemies as an act of divine vengeance, transforming the sacred concept of sacrifice into a metaphor for utter and destructive judgment.

Verse Breakdown

  • "The sword of the LORD is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness": This opening clause immediately establishes the graphic and violent nature of the divine judgment. The "sword of the LORD" is personified as an instrument of war, not merely used, but actively "filled" and "made fat" with the very essence of life—blood and fat. This imagery suggests an overwhelming, superabundant slaughter, where the instrument of judgment is literally gorged with its victims, indicating the vast scale, thoroughness, and gruesome reality of the destruction. The "fatness" (H2459, cheleb') implies the richest or choicest part, ironically applied to the victims.
  • "[and] with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams": This clause further elaborates on the nature of the "fatness" and "blood," using specific animal references that powerfully evoke sacrificial language. Lambs (H3733, kar), goats (H6260, ʻattûwd), and rams (H352, ʼayil) were common sacrificial animals in Israelite worship. The "fat of the kidneys" (H3629, kilyâh) was considered the choicest part of the animal, typically reserved for God in offerings as a sign of dedication and honor. By applying this precise cultic imagery to the victims of judgment, Isaiah underscores a profound and ironic reversal: what was once consecrated to God in worship now becomes the gruesome "offering" of His wrath, emphasizing the totality of the judgment and the preciousness of the lives being consumed by divine fury.
  • "for the LORD hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea": This final clause provides the theological rationale and precise geographical target for the preceding graphic imagery. The "sacrifice" (H2077, zebach') and "great slaughter" (H2874, ṭebach', H1419, gâdôwl) are explicitly declared to be taking place in Bozrah (H1224, Botsrâh), a chief city, and the wider land of Idumea (H123, ʼĔdôm). This confirms that the graphic descriptions are not random hyperbole but are precise prophecies of God's deliberate and devastating judgment against this specific, historically hostile nation (H776, ʼerets), serving as a powerful and concrete example of the consequences of defying the Lord.

Literary Devices

Isaiah 34:6 is replete with powerful Imagery, particularly Gustatory Imagery and Anthropomorphism. The "sword of the LORD" is a striking Anthropomorphism, portraying God as a divine warrior wielding a weapon, making His judgment tangible and active. The sword is then described with vivid and gruesome Imagery of being "filled with blood" and "made fat with fatness," which evokes a sense of overwhelming and consuming destruction. This leads to profound Irony: terms typically associated with sacred, propitiatory temple sacrifices ("blood of lambs and goats," "fat of the kidneys of rams," "sacrifice") are repurposed to describe a scene of divine retribution and mass slaughter. This Ironic Juxtaposition heightens the horror and underscores the complete reversal of what is holy when God's righteous wrath is unleashed. The specific mention of "Bozrah" and "Idumea" provides crucial Geographic Specificity, grounding the universal judgment in a concrete, historical context, making the prophecy more immediate and impactful for its original audience.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

Isaiah 34:6 profoundly reveals the character of God as both a righteous judge and the sovereign ruler over all nations. It underscores that divine wrath is not capricious or arbitrary, but a just and necessary response to unrepentant sin, rebellion, and persistent hostility towards His purposes and His people. The graphic imagery, while disturbing to modern sensibilities, serves to emphasize the absolute seriousness of defying the Almighty and the unwavering certainty of His decreed judgments. This passage, by portraying judgment as a "sacrifice," highlights the theological principle that sin demands a reckoning, and in this context, the lives of the wicked become the unwilling "payment" for their rebellion. It serves as a stark warning to all who oppose God, demonstrating that His patience is not infinite and His justice will ultimately prevail, ensuring that all injustice is addressed and His holiness vindicated.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

Isaiah 34:6, with its stark imagery of divine judgment, calls us to a profound reflection on the holiness of God and the gravity of sin. While the specific target is ancient Edom, the underlying principles are timeless: God is sovereign, righteous, and will ultimately hold all nations and individuals accountable for their actions. This passage should instill a healthy fear of the Lord, not a paralyzing dread, but a reverent awe that acknowledges His absolute authority, His unwavering justice, and the devastating consequences of rejecting His rule. For those who trust in Christ, it deepens our appreciation for the immense grace and mercy extended to us, knowing that we have been spared from such wrath through His atoning sacrifice. It also compels us to live in a manner that honors God, to pursue righteousness, and to urgently share the message of reconciliation with a world that desperately needs to hear of God's justice and His boundless love offered in Christ.

Questions for Reflection

  • How does the imagery of God's "sword" being "filled with blood" challenge or deepen your understanding of God's character and His justice?
  • In what ways does this passage highlight the seriousness of sin and rebellion against God, even for nations?
  • How should the certainty of God's judgment motivate believers to live differently, to pursue holiness, and to engage with the world around them?

FAQ

Why is Edom singled out for such a severe prophecy in Isaiah 34?

Answer: Edom (Idumea) is frequently singled out in prophetic literature, including Isaiah 34, primarily because of its consistent historical antagonism towards Israel, God's chosen people. Descended from Esau, Jacob's brother, Edom often acted with pride, hostility, and opportunistic cruelty, even rejoicing in Jerusalem's downfall and participating in the plundering of Judah (e.g., Obadiah 1:10-14). Therefore, Edom became a symbolic representation of all nations that embody unrepentant pride and actively oppose God and His covenant community. Its destruction serves as a vivid object lesson of God's righteous judgment against all forms of wickedness and those who harm His people, demonstrating that no nation, however strong or proud, is beyond His divine reckoning.

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

While Isaiah 34:6 depicts a literal and symbolic judgment on ancient Edom, its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment is found in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ and His final victory over all evil. The "sacrifice" and "great slaughter" described here, though gruesome, foreshadow the profound theological necessity of an ultimate reckoning for sin. In the New Testament, we learn that God's righteous wrath against sin was fully poured out not on humanity, but on His own Son, Jesus, who became the perfect and ultimate "sacrifice" for sin (e.g., Hebrews 9:26 and 1 John 2:2). He absorbed the "sword of the LORD's" judgment on the cross, taking away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Therefore, for those who are in Christ, the terrifying judgment described in Isaiah 34:6 has been averted, as they are covered by His atoning blood. However, for those who reject Him, the passage also points to a future "Day of the Lord" when Christ will return in power and glory, not as a suffering servant, but as the righteous Judge, to execute final judgment on all unrighteousness, as vividly described in passages like Revelation 19:11-16, where He is depicted as a warrior whose robe is "dipped in blood," bringing ultimate justice and establishing His eternal kingdom.

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Commentary on Isaiah 34 verses 1–8

I. II. Main points1. 2. Sub-points

Here we have a prophecy, as elsewhere we have a history, of the wars of the Lord, which we are sure are all both righteous and successful. This world, as it is his creature, he does good to; but as it is in the interest of Satan, who is called the god of this world, he fights against it.

I. Here is the trumpet sounded and the war proclaimed, Isa 34:1. All nations must hear and hearken, not only because what God is about to do is well worthy their remark (as Isa 33:13), but because they are all concerned in it; it is with them that God has a quarrel; it is against them that God is coming forth in wrath. Let them all take notice that the great God is angry with them; his indignation is upon all nations, and therefore let all nations come near to hear. The trumpet is blown in the city (Amo 3:6), and the watchmen on the walls cry, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet, Jer 6:17. Let the earth hear, and the fulness thereof, for it is the Lord's (Psa 24:1) and ought to hearken to its Maker and Master. The world must hear, and all things that come forth of it, the children of men, that are of the earth earthy, come out of it, and must return to it; or the inanimate products of the earth are called to, as more likely to hearken than sinners, whose hearts are hardened against the calls of God. Hear, O you mountains! the Lord's controversy, Mic 6:2. It is so just a controversy that all the world may be safely appealed to concerning the equity of it.

II. Here is the manifesto published, setting forth,

1.Whom he makes war against (Isa 34:2): The indignation of the Lord is upon all nations; they are all in confederacy against God and religion, all in the interests of the devil, and therefore he is angry with them all, even with all the nations that forget him. He has long suffered all nations to walk in their own ways (Act 14:16), but now he will no longer keep silence. As they have all had the benefit of his patience, so they must all expect now to feel his resentments. His fury is in a special manner upon all their armies, (1.) Because with them they have done mischief to the people of God; those are they that have made bloody work with them, and therefore they must be sure to have blood given them to drink. (2.) Because with them they hope to make their part good against the justice and power of God they trust to them as their defence, and therefore on them, in the first place, God's fury will come. Armies before God's fury are but as dry stubble before a consuming fire, though ever so numerous and courageous.

2.Whom he makes war for, and what are the grounds and reasons of the war (Isa 34:8): It is the day of the Lord's vengeance, and he it is to whom vengeance belongs, and who is never unrighteous in taking vengeance, Rom 3:5. As there is a day of the Lord's patience, so there will be a day of his vengeance; for, though he bear long, he will not bear always. It is the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion. Zion is the holy city, the city of our solemnities, a type and figure of the church of God in the world. Zion has a just quarrel with her neighbours for the wrongs they have done her, for all their treacherous and barbarous usage of her, profaning her holy things, laying waste her palaces, and slaying her sons. She has left it to God to plead her cause, and he will do so when the time, even the set time, to favour Zion shall have come; then he will recompense to her persecutors and oppressors all the mischiefs they have done her. The controversy will be decided, that Zion has been wronged, and therein Zion's God has been himself abused. Judgment will be given upon this decision, and execution done. Note, There is a time prefixed in the divine counsels for the deliverance of the church and the destruction of her enemies, a year of the redeemed, which will come, a year of recompences for the controversy of Zion; and we must patiently wait till then, and judge nothing before the time.

III. Here are the operations of the war, and the methods of it, settled, with an infallible assurance of success. 1. The sword of the Lord is bathed in heaven; this is all the preparation here made for the war, Isa 34:5. It may probably allude to some custom they had then of bathing their swords in some liquor or other, to harden them or brighten them; it is the same with the furbishing of it, that it may glitter, Eze 21:9-11. God's sword is bathed in heaven, in his counsel and decree, in his justice and power, and then there is not standing before it. 2. It shall come down. What he has determined shall without fail be put in execution. It shall come down from heaven, and the higher the place is, whence it comes, the heavier will it fall. It will come down upon Idumea, the people of God's curse, the people that lie under his curse and are by it doomed to destruction. Miserable, for ever miserable, are those that have by their sins made themselves the people of God's curse; for the sword of the Lord will infallibly attend the curse of the Lord and execute the sentences of it; and those whom he curses are cursed indeed. It shall come down to judgment, to execute judgment upon sinners. Note, God's sword of war is always a sword of justice. It is observed of him out of whose mouth goeth the sharp sword that in righteousness he doth judge and make war, Rev 19:11, Rev 19:15. 3. The nations and their armies shall be given up to the sword (Isa 34:2): God has delivered them to the slaughter, and then they cannot deliver themselves, nor can all the friends they have deliver them from it. Those only are slain whom God delivers to the slaughter, for the keys of death are in his hand; and, in delivering them to the slaughter, he has utterly destroyed them; their destruction is as sure, when God has doomed them to it, as if they were destroyed already, utterly destroyed. God has, in effect, delivered all the cruel enemies of his church to the slaughter by that word (Rev 13:10), He that kills with the sword must be killed by the sword, for the Lord is righteous. 4. Pursuant to the sentence, a terrible slaughter shall be made among them (Isa 34:6): The sword of the Lord, when it comes down with commission, does vast execution; it is filled, satiated, surfeited, with blood, the blood of the slain, and made fat with their fatness. When the day of God's abused mercy and patience is over the sword of his justice gives no quarter, spares none. Men have by sin lost the honour of the human nature and made themselves like the beasts that perish; they are therefore justly denied the compassion and respect that are owing to the human nature and killed as beasts, and no more is made of slaying an army of men than of butchering a flock of lambs or goats and feeding on the fat of the kidneys of rams. Nay, the sword of the Lord shall not only dispatch the lambs and goats, the infantry of their armies, the poor common soldiers, but (Isa 34:7) the unicorns too shall be made to come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls, though they are ever so proud, and strong, and fierce (the great men, and the mighty men, and the chief captains Rev 6:15), the sword of the Lord will make as easy a prey of as of the lambs and the goats. The greatest of men are nothing before the wrath of the great God. See what bloody work will be made: The land shall be soaked with blood, as with the rain that comes often upon it and in great abundance; and their dust, their dry and barren land, shall be made fat with the fatness of men slain in their full strength, as with manure. Nay even the mountains, which are hard and rocky, shall be melted with their blood, Isa 34:3. These expressions are hyperbolical (as St. John's vision of blood to the horse-bridles, Rev 14:20), and are made use of because they sound very dreadful to sense (it makes us even shiver to think of such abundance of human gore), and are therefore proper to express the terror of God's wrath, which is dreadful beyond conception and expression. See what work sin and wrath make even in this world, and think how much more terrible the wrath to come is, which will bring down the unicorns themselves to the bars of the pit. 5. This great slaughter will be a great sacrifice to the justice of God (Isa 34:6): The Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah; there it is that the great Redeemer has his garments dyed with blood, Isa 63:1. Sacrifices were intended for the honour of God, to make it appear that he hates sin and demands satisfaction for it, and that nothing but blood will make atonement; and for these ends the slaughter is made, that in it the wrath of God may be revealed from heaven against all the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, especially their ungodly unrighteous enmity to his people, which was the sin that the Edomites were notoriously guilty of. In great sacrifices abundance of beasts were killed, hecatombs offered, and their blood poured out before the altar; and so will it be in this day of the Lord's vengeance. And thus would the whole earth have been soaked with the blood of sinners if Jesus Christ, the great propitiation, had not shed his blood for us; but those who reject him, and will not make a covenant with God by that sacrifice, will themselves fall as victims to divine wrath. Damned sinners are everlasting sacrifices, Mar 9:48, Mar 9:49. Those that sacrifice not (which is the character of the ungodly, Ecc 9:2) must be sacrificed. 6. These slain shall be detestable to mankind, and shall be as much their loathing as ever they were their terror (Isa 34:3): They shall be cast out, and none shall pay them the respect of a decent burial; but their stink shall come up out of their carcases, that all people by the odious smell, as well as by the ghastly sight, may be made to conceive an indignation against sin and a dread of the wrath of God. They lie unburied, that they may remain monuments of divine justice. 7. The effect and consequence of this slaughter shall be universal confusion and desolation, as if the whole frame of nature were dissolved and melted down (Isa 34:4): All the host of heaven shall pine and waste away (so the word is); the sun shall be darkened, and the moon look black, or be turned into blood; the heavens themselves shall be rolled together as a scroll or parchment when we have done with it, and lay it by, or as when it is shrivelled up by the heat of the fire. The stars shall fall as the leaves in autumn; all the beauty, joy, and comfort, of the vanquished nation shall be lost and done away, magistracy and government shall be abolished, and all dominion and rule, but that of the sword of war, shall fall. Conquerors, in those times, affected to lay waste the countries they conquered; and such a complete desolation is here described by such figurative expressions as will yet have a literal and full accomplishment in the dissolution of all things at the end of time, of which last day of judgment the judgments which God does now sometimes remarkably execute on sinful nations are figures, earnests, and forerunners; and by these we should be awakened to think of that, for which reason these expressions are used here and Rev 6:12, Rev 6:13. But they are used without a metaphor, Pe2 3:10, where we are told that the heavens shall pass away with a great noise and the earth shall be burnt up.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–8. Public domain.
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JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Isaiah
(Chapter 34, Verse 1, etc.) Come near, you nations, and listen; pay attention, you peoples! Let the earth and all that fills it hear, the world and all that springs from it. For the Lord's indignation is against all the nations, and His fury is against all their armies; He has utterly destroyed them and given them over to slaughter. Their slain will be thrown out, and the stench of their corpses will rise; the mountains will be drenched with their blood. And all the host of heaven will rot away; the skies will roll up like a scroll, and all their host will wither away like a withered leaf from the vine, like foliage from the fig tree. For my sword is drenched in the heavens; indeed, it is drunk with blood. Behold, he will come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my slaughter, to judgment. The sword of the Lord is filled with blood, it is made thick with fatness, with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fatness of the kidneys of rams: for there is a victim of the Lord in Bosra, and a great slaughter in the land of Edom. And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls: and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their soil made fat with fatness. After the overthrow of Jerusalem, and the shipwreck of the once very firm ship, and the plunder of all its furnishings, it is said concerning the destruction of all nations, and concerning the consummation of the world, which is in the future day of judgment. Whereby all peoples and nations of the earth and its fullness, the world and all its offspring, both those inhabited places and those uninhabitable due to excessive cold and heat, are commanded to hear, and to know with every trembling of the mind what is to come. For the wrath of the Lord is not only against one nation, the Jews, but also against the Assyrians and Chaldeans, the Egyptians, Moabites, and Ammonites, and the Philistines; but also against all nations, and against the entire host, or as the Septuagint translated, their number. She is described as a venture, which kills them and causes the stench of decaying bodies to rise up high, signifying the sins of all nations, so that their filth and impurities fill the mountains with blood. The lofty virtues and angels that presided over each nation and all the celestial hosts wither away, or fold up like a book, and all their armies and forces, as the LXX have translated, and the stars flow down like leaves, which, with the approaching cold, fall off dried and contracted from the vine and fig tree. Which also the Savior speaks in the Gospel: Stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken, and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven (Matthew 24:29-30). And it is to be considered that it does not say that the heavens will perish, but that they will be folded up or rolled up, like a book, so that after all sins have been exposed and read, those that were previously open may be folded up, so that the sins of many may no longer be written in them. Regarding these type of books, Daniel speaks in his volume: Judgment sat, and the books were opened (Dan. 7:10), in which the deeds of each individual were described. Many people think that the stars are falling, according to the Book of Revelation of John (Rev. 6 and 8). And that which is written elsewhere: All the stars will burn out and the sky and earth will pass away (Luke 21:2). For the figure of this world is passing away. Some believe that these stars are being referred to. which glow in the sky, so as to show in part and as a whole, namely that through the fall of the stars even the destruction of the heavens is revealed. But others think that these stars are going to fall, of which even the Apostle Paul writes: For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. It is not surprising, therefore, if the demons who dwell in the air are said to be heavenly, since even the birds of the sky, which certainly do not fly in the heavens but in the air, are called celestial in Scripture. For Satan himself transforms into an angel of light (2 Cor. 11), simulating a star. And the Savior saw him falling from heaven like lightning (Luke 10). And in a metaphorical sense, he is called fallen from the great star: How you have fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! (Isaiah 14:12). All these things will happen, because his sword is drunk in the sky, the punishment and the sentence, and the vengeance against sinners, which is brought forth by the Lord. This sword and dagger in Ezekiel (Ezek. XXI) is sharpened against the wicked; and after many are killed, he is ordered to enter his sheath. And when he is drunk and filled in the sky; that is, in the air, which is called heaven according to the custom of the Scriptures, then he will also descend to Edom, that is, to the earthly: so that after the punishment of the demons, even the souls of men may be judged. Idumaea indeed in our language means earthly. And it is filled with blood; and thickened with the fat of lambs and goats, and of the marrow of rams and bulls: that it may signify both princes and people to be punished. For the Lord's victim is in Bosra, and a great slaughter in the land of Edom. Of which Bosra and Idumaea the same prophet also witnesses in the following, saying: Who is this that comes from Edom, with red garments from Bosra? And some think that Bosra, which means 'flesh', is called so because through the sacrifice of the Lord in Bosra, the torments of all are shown in the flesh: they are caught in a pious error. In the present place, it is not by the letter Sin, which is put in Bosor (), that is, in the flesh: but it is written with Sade, and it is called Bosra (), which according to Jesus and Jeremiah is not in Edom, that is, Edom; but it is found in the land of Moab (Jeremiah 48). But Bosra in our language sounds fortified and surrounded, or firm: it teaches that the city of the lands of the Lord is solidified by His will, according to what is sung in the psalm; He founded it above the seas, and He placed it above the rivers (Psalm 24, 2); and about the firmness of the earth, it is said in the person of God: I have strengthened its pillars (Psalm 75, 3). And when the sacrifice of the Lord shall be in Bosra, and his slaughter in Edom, unicorns shall come down with them, and the powerful bulls, namely kings and princes of the earth; and all the slaughter and blood shall be filled with the fat of the once rich and powerful. Through these words, according to human custom, instilling terror in those who hear them, torments are shown to all the rulers and powerful ones, as well as the people and the humble. Bosra, that is, fortified and strengthened, and Edom, or Duma, and Idumea, are understood by the Jewish teachers to refer to Rome, and everything concerning it is said in the following chapter.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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