Isaiah 34:9

Modern

Edom’s streams will be turned to tar, and her soil to sulfur; her land will become a blazing pitch.

Traditional

And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch.

Literal

And her streams will be turned to pitch, and her dust to brimstone, and her land will become a burning pitch.

Latin

Et convertentur torrentes ejus in picem, et humus ejus in sulphur; et erit terra ejus in picem ardentem.

Hebrew

English

Edom’s streams will be turned to tar, and her soil to sulfur; her land will become a blazing pitch.

Edom’s judgment was similar to the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24; see also Jeremiah 49:17–18).

This prophecy of judgment was against the nations at the terrifying day of the Lord (see study note on Isaiah 2:5–22; see also Isaiah 63:1–6).

Theme notes and profiles

Deuteronomy 29:23
All its soil will be a burning waste of sulfur and salt, unsown and unproductive, with no plant growing on it, just like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the LORD overthrew in His fierce anger.
Psalm 11:6
On the wicked He will rain down fiery coals and sulfur; a scorching wind will be their portion.
Revelation 21:8
But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”
Job 18:15
Fire resides in his tent; burning sulfur rains down on his dwelling.
Jude 1:7
In like manner, Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, who indulged in sexual immorality and pursued strange flesh, are on display as an example of those who sustain the punishment of eternal fire.
Luke 17:29
But on the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
Genesis 19:28
He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of the plain, and he saw the smoke rising from the land like smoke from a furnace.
Revelation 19:20
But the beast was captured along with the false prophet, who on its behalf had performed signs deceiving those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. Both the beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.