Isaiah 34:13 · Bible study
Isaiah 34:13 Commentary: Jackals and Ostriches
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Study of Isaiah 34:13, what the thorns, jackals and ostriches mean as symbols of total judgment and desolation. Commentary from Barnes, Calvin, Keil, Gill.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Divine judgment reduces proud Edom to a wilderness inhabited by jackals and ostriches, total desolation.
- Key words: ‘ālâ (will come up), tannîm (jackals), ya‘anâ (ostrich), cha·tsîr (abode, haunt).
- Main debate: Whether the animals are literal (jackals, ostriches) or legendary (dragons, owls). Most modern translations see jackals and ostriches.
- Theological theme: God's justice overturns human pride; the curse returns what was built.
- Best use: A warning against pride and a backdrop for the restoration hope of chapter 35.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Her towers will be overgrown with thorns, her fortresses with thistles and briers. She will become a haunt for jackals, an abode for ostriches.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Thorns will come up in its palaces, nettles and thistles in its fortresses; and it will be a habitation of jackals, a court for ostriches.
KJV King James Version 1769
And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof: and it shall be an habitation of dragons, and a court for owls.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And thorns shall come up in its palaces, nettles and thistles in the fortresses thereof; and it shall be a habitation of jackals, a court for ostriches.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And gone up her palaces have thorns, Nettle and bramble are in her fortresses, And it hath been a habitation of dragons, A court for daughters of an ostrich.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in her fortresses; and it shall be a dwelling-place of wild dogs, a court for ostriches.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And thorns and nettles shall grow up in its houses, and the thistle in the fortresses thereof: and it shall be the habitation of dragons, and the pasture of ostriches.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
En sus alcázares crecerán espinas, y ortigas y cardos en sus fortalezas; y serán morada de chacales, patio para los pollos de los avestruces.
E em seus palácios crescerão espinhos; urtigas e cardos em suas fortalezas; e será habitação de chacais e habitação de avestruzes.
Les épines croîtront dans ses palais,
und werden Dornen wachsen in seinen Palästen, Nesseln und Disteln in seinen Schlössern; und es wird eine Behausung sein der Schakale und Weide für die Strauße.
En in hun paleizen zullen doornen opgaan, netelen en distelen in hun vestingen; en het zal een woning der draken zijn, een zaal voor de jongen der struisen.
Nei suoi palazzi cresceranno le spine; nelle sue fortezze, le ortiche ed i cardi; diventerà una dimora di sciacalli, un chiuso per gli struzzi.
I urosną na pałacach ich ciernie, pokrzywy i oset na zamkach ich; i będzie przybytkiem smoków, a mieszkaniem strusiów.
И зарастут дворцы ее колючими растениями, крапивою и репейником - твердыни ее; и будет она жилищем шакалов, пристанищем страусов.
以東的宮殿 要長 荊棘；保障 要長蒺藜 和刺草；要作 野狗 的住處，鴕鳥 的居所。
And thorns will come up in her fair houses, and waste plants in her strong towers: and foxes will make their holes there, and it will be a meeting-place for ostriches.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Isaiah 34:13
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree this verse depicts the complete desolation of Edom under divine judgment. The Hebrew verb translated 'will come up' (‘ālâ) suggests vegetation growing unchecked where people once ruled, a sign of the curse (Calvin). Barnes notes that thorns and nettles recall Isaiah 5:6, where God threatens to command the clouds not to rain on his vineyard. The animals, jackals (tannîm) and ostriches (ya‘anâ), are standard images of desolation in prophecy (Isaiah 13:21; 34:14, 15; Jeremiah 9:11). Keil and Delitzsch see a deliberate 'caricature' of former life: where nobles once proclaimed kings, wild beasts now gather. The common core is that the land passes from human habitation to a haunt for creatures that represent God's judgment, a vivid, unsettling picture of what happens when divine wrath removes every trace of ordered life.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Literal historical Edom: The surrounding context (verse 5 'the sword of the LORD descends on Edom') and the specific mention of Bozrah, Edom's capital.
- Typological / eschatological judgment: The cosmic language in verses 4–10 and the 'forever' desolation suggest a pattern for God's final judgment on all enemies.
- Symbolic of Rome / papacy (Reformation reading): Gill explicitly identifies the palaces as Rome and the thorns as the curse on the papacy, based on analogies in Revelation.
What is clear: Whatever the historical referent, the verse unambiguously proclaims that God's judgment turns human glory into a wasteland inhabited by wild creatures.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Identity of the animals | The creatures represent desolation and curse, typical in prophetic judgment literature. | Some translations (KJV, Douay) render tannîm as 'dragons' and ya‘anâ as 'owls'; modern versions (WEB, ASV) favor 'jackals' and 'ostriches.' The debate is lexical: the Hebrew terms could refer to mythical or actual creatures. |
| Historical referent | The passage originally targets Edom (see Isaiah 34:5). | Some interpreters (e.g., Gill) see a secondary reference to Rome or the Antichrist, while most historical-critical readings limit it to Edom. |
| Nature of the judgment | It depicts total, permanent desolation as an act of God. | Calvin sees it as a temporal judgment within history; others (e.g., Matthew Henry) see it as a type of final judgment. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Isaiah 34 is part of a larger unit (chapters 34, 35) that contrasts judgment on Edom with restoration for God's people. Edom, descended from Esau, had a long history of hostility toward Israel (Numbers 20:14, 21; Obadiah). The prophecy likely dates to the late eighth century BC, when Edom took advantage of Judah's weakness. The language of 'palaces' (armôn) and 'fortresses' (mibṣār) reflects Edom's reputation for strongholds carved into the rocky terrain of Petra, cities that seemed impregnable. Calvin remarks that the insult of turning 'splendid houses' into 'nests of birds' is more disgraceful than if they had become fields; it abolishes every trace of human glory.
Culturally, thorns and nettles carried covenantal overtones. In Genesis 3:18, the ground brings forth thorns as part of the curse. In Isaiah 5:6, God threatens to make his vineyard a waste where 'briers and thorns' grow. The animals listed, jackals, ostriches, and in the wider passage also 'wild goats,' 'night creatures' and 'arrow snakes', belong to the wilderness, places outside civilised order. Keil and Delitzsch note that the mention of 'Lilith' (a night demon in later Jewish folklore) in verse 14 deepens the sense of uncanny desolation. The overall effect is a landscape stripped of God's blessing, returned to chaos, the 'line of confusion' and 'plumb line of emptiness' of verse 11.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentaries note no significant textual variants for Isaiah 34:13. The ancient versions (LXX, Vulgate) generally support the Masoretic reading, though they differ in naming the animals (LXX has 'onokentauroi' and 'struthoi'). The differences in English translations stem from lexical decisions, not manuscript evidence.
Reception History
This verse has been read across traditions as a powerful image of God's judgment on pride. Early Christian writers like Jerome (commenting on the Vulgate's 'dragons' and 'owls') saw the animals as demons inhabiting ruined souls. The Reformation-era commentators (Calvin, Geneva Notes) focused on the historical judgment of Edom as a warning to all nations. Eighteenth-century interpreters (Gill, Matthew Henry) expanded the referent to include the papacy or the final judgment. In modern hymnody and preaching, the verse is rarely cited alone but often paired with Isaiah 35 to show judgment setting the stage for redemption.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Judgment arrives as a reversal of order. Palaces and fortresses, symbols of human strength and pride, become breeding grounds for thorns and thistles. God's sentence humbles what exalts itself.
- Desolation is visible and tangible. The animals are not metaphors but real inhabitants of a cursed land. The prophecy is meant to be seen, not just heard.
- God's word guarantees the outcome. Verse 16 invites readers to 'search the book of the LORD', the same fate that befell Edom stands as a warning for all who oppose God.
Five-point outline
- The place of power becomes a place of thorns. What humans built for security, God fills with wild growth.
- The occupant is replaced. People are driven out; jackals and ostriches take their place.
- Total reversal reflects divine judgment. Nothing remains of former glory.
- Creatures of the waste signal God's curse. Each animal (jackals, ostriches, etc.) was culturally associated with desolation.
- The certainty of prophecy. The chapter closes with the Lord casting the lot for these creatures, their possession is permanent.
Illustration hooks
- A once-thriving factory town where the main employer shut down, empty buildings, broken windows, weeds pushing through parking lots. The visible evidence of collapse matches the prophecy's picture.
- An abandoned house in a neighbourhood: the yard overgrown, animals nesting in the attic. What was once someone's pride has become a haunt for wildlife.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does God still judge nations today, or was that only for ancient Israel?
- How can a loving God bring such total destruction?
- If this prophecy came true for Edom, does it have any meaning for Christians now?
Leading a Discussion
This verse paints a grim picture of divine judgment, but it also sets the stage for the hope of chapter 35. As you discuss, aim to understand both the warning and the promise.
Discussion questions
- What kinds of images in this verse grab your attention most? Why?
- Read Isaiah 5:1, 7. How does the language of thorns and briers connect to God's judgment on his vineyard?
- The prophecy is against Edom, a nation hostile to Israel. What does that tell you about God's care for his people?
- In verse 15, they mention 'the arrow snake' and 'kites.' Why do you think the prophet piles up so many specific animals?
- How does verse 16 ('search the book of the LORD') change how you read the whole section?
- If God can turn a fortified city into a wilderness, what does that say about human security?
- How does the following chapter (Isaiah 35), with its blooming desert and highway of holiness, shape your understanding of this judgment?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Psalms 44:19 | though you have crushed us in the haunt of jackals, and covered us with the shadow of death. |
| Isaiah 13:21 | But wild animals of the desert will lie there, and their houses will be full of jackals. Ostriches will dwell there, and wild goats will frolic there. |
| Isaiah 13:22 | Hyenas will cry in their fortresses, and jackals in the pleasant palaces. Her time is near to come, and her days will not be prolonged. |
| Isaiah 32:13 | Thorns and briers will come up on my people’s land; yes, on all the houses of joy in the joyous city. |
| Isaiah 32:14 | For the palace will be forsaken. The populous city will be deserted. The hill and the watchtower will be for dens forever, a delight for wild donkeys, a pasture of flocks, |
| Isaiah 35:7 | The burning sand will become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water. Grass with reeds and rushes will be in the habitation of jackals, where they lay. |
| Jeremiah 9:11 | “I will make Jerusalem heaps, a dwelling place of jackals. I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.” |
| Jeremiah 10:22 | The voice of news, behold, it comes, and a great commotion out of the north country, to make the cities of Judah a desolation, a dwelling place of jackals. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke identifies the creature as the ostrich, not an owl, by tracing the Hebrew word to its root meaning "to cry," supported by naturalist reports of the ostrich's loud, varied groans and roars. He also notes that all ancient versions confirm the reading "thorns" will overrun the palaces.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes argues that the physical ruins of Idumea, especially Petra, stand as visible proof that Isaiah's prophecy was fulfilled. He quotes a traveler who says even a skeptic, standing among those desolate rocks, would be shaken by seeing the exact desolation the prophet described.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin sees a special disgrace in palaces overgrown with thorns: worse than being turned to fields, it is God's deliberate reversal of human ambition. Builders who sought lasting fame through costly houses instead receive monuments to their foolish pride, as wild beasts replace the lords of creation.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible Schools observe that Edom's judgment is described through two images that cannot both be literal: a fire that never goes out and a lonely wasteland where only eerie creatures live. Both images serve to stress that the judgment is utter and permanent.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes highlight how God's judgment completely reverses human security: once-impregnable fortresses and palaces become wild wastelands fit only for dragons and ostriches. Their point is that no earthly power can withstand divine wrath, reducing proud strongholds to abandoned ruins where only fierce creatures dwell.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill applies this prophecy directly to papal Rome, interpreting the palaces as the dwellings of popes and cardinals. The thorns and brambles are God's curse tokens, while the dragons and owls point to Satan and the beast who gave the papacy its power.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB corrects the common translation "court for owls" to "a dwelling for ostriches," noting that the Hebrew refers to a different bird. They also link the mention of dragons to their earlier notes on the same creatures in Isaiah.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch highlights the stark reversal in Edom's fate: where princes once proclaimed new kings, a female demon called Lilith now finds rest. The prophet draws a deliberate caricature of former glory, replacing royal palaces with thorns, wild animals, and a place where demons and serpents feel at home.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange argues that God's sword first becomes drunk with blood in heaven, then descends to earth because it finds no more work above. Edom is singled out as a representative example of the universal judgment, showing how God's decree of destruction moves from heaven to a specific nation.