Isaiah 34:14 · Bible study
Isaiah 34:14 Commentary: Lilith and the Desolation of Edom
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Isaiah 34:14 depicts Edom’s utter desolation with wild beasts and the night creature Lilith, a symbol of complete abandonment, not an endorsement
Research Summary
- Meaning: Isaiah 34:14 uses wild animals and the mythological night-creature Lilith to depict Edom’s utter desolation after divine judgment.
- Key words: Tsiyim (desert-dwellers/wildcats), iyyim (jackals/hyenas), lilit (night-creature/Lilith), manoach (resting place).
- Main debate: Are the creatures real desert animals or supernatural beings? Most commentators agree they are real animals described with symbolic language drawn from popular folklore.
- Theological theme: God’s judgment is complete and irreversible; places of human pride become haunts for creatures that shun civilization.
- Best use: As part of a series on the Day of the Lord or judgment/prophecy; paired with Isaiah 35 for the hope that follows judgment.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
The desert creatures will meet with hyenas, and one wild goat will call to another. There the night creature will settle and find her place of repose.
WEB World English Bible 2000
The wild animals of the desert will meet with the wolves, and the wild goat will cry to his fellow. Yes, the night creature shall settle there, and shall find herself a place of rest.
KJV King James Version 1769
The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And the wild beasts of the desert shall meet with the wolves, and the wild goat shall cry to his fellow; yea, the night-monster shall settle there, and shall find her a place of rest.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And met have Ziim with Aiim, And the goat for its companion calleth, Only there rested hath the night-owl, And hath found for herself a place of rest.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And there shall the beasts of the desert meet with the jackals, and the wild goat shall cry to his fellow; the lilith also shall settle there, and find for herself a place of rest.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And demons and monsters shall meet, and the hairy ones shall cry out one to another, there hath the lamia lain down, and found rest for herself.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y las bestias monteses se encontrarán con los gatos cervales, y el peludo gritará á su compañero: la lamia también tendrá allí asiento, y hallará para sí reposo.
E os animais do deserto se encontrarão com os lobos, e o bode berrará ao seu companheiro; os animais noturnos ali pousarão, e acharão lugar de descanso para si.
Les animaux du désert y rencontreront les chiens sauvages,
Da werden untereinander laufen Wüstentiere und wilde Hunde, und ein Feldteufel wird dem andern begegnen; der Kobold wird auch daselbst herbergen und seine Ruhe daselbst finden.
En de wilde dieren der woestijnen zullen de wilde dieren der eilanden daar ontmoeten, en de duivel zal zijn metgezel toeroepen; ook zal het nachtgedierte zich aldaar nederzetten, en het zal een rustplaats voor zich vinden.
Le bestie del deserto vi s’incontreranno coi cani selvatici, il satiro vi chiamerà il compagno; quivi lo spettro notturno farà la sua dimora, e vi troverà il suo luogo di riposo.
Tam się będą potykały dzikie zwierzęta z koczkodanami, i pokusa jedna drugiej ozywać się będzie; tam leżeć będzie jędza, a znajdzie sobie odpocznienie.
И звери пустыни будут встречаться с дикими кошками, и лешие будут перекликаться один с другим; там будет отдыхать ночное привидение и находить себе покой.
曠野 的走獸要和 豺狼 相遇；野山羊 要與 伴偶 對叫。夜間的怪物 必 在那裡 棲身，自 找 安歇之處。
And the beasts of the waste places will come together with the jackals, and the evil spirits will be crying to one another, even the night-spirit will come and make her resting-place there.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Isaiah 34:14
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that Isaiah 34:14 paints a picture of total and permanent desolation for Edom. Barnes, Calvin, and Matthew Henry all note that the parade of creatures, wildcats, jackals, wild goats, and the night-creature Lilith, serves one purpose: to show that Edom will become uninhabited, a haunt for animals that shun human presence. The Hebrew wordplay (tsiyim and iyyim) and the mention of Lilith (from layil, “night”) are not meant to assert the existence of mythological beings. Rather, as Jamieson-Fausset-Brown put it, the text “describes the place as one which superstition would people with such beings.” Calvin agrees that the exact identification matters less than the prophet’s intent: to present a scene so frightening that no person would live there. The Cambridge Bible calls Lilith “a creation of the Babylonian demonology,” used here as a vivid symbol. The consensus is that the imagery reinforces the judgment announced in Isaiah 34: the land lies waste, and only desolate creatures dwell there.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Literal animals view: Most commentators (Calvin, Barnes, Matthew Henry) identify the creatures as real desert animals: wildcats, jackals, goats. The context of ruins (v. 13) supports literal fauna.
- Supernatural/folklore view: Many scholars (Keil & Delitzsch, Cambridge Bible) note that <em>lilit</em> is a Babylonian night demon; the prophet uses folklore to intensify the horror. This view highlights the rhetorical, not literal, use of mythology.
- Hybrid view: Some (Gill, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown) allow both: real animals named alongside a figure from popular superstition, all depicting total desolation. The plural 'wild beasts' are real; Lilith is a symbol.
What is clear: The verse describes complete, irreversible desolation: Edom will become a place where only creatures that avoid human contact find a home.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Identity of the creatures | The creatures denote desolate, uninhabitable conditions, the land becomes a haunt for wild beasts. | Some traditions (e.g., Calvin, Barnes) see them as real animals (wildcats, jackals, goats). Others (Gill, Keil & Delitzsch) note the mythological background of Lilith as a night demon, but use it rhetorically. Both agree the imagery is not literal demonology. |
| Lilith: demon or literary symbol? | All agree the text uses the figure of Lilith to heighten the sense of desolation. | Conservative Reformed commentators (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown) stress it is a figure of speech, not an assertion of her existence. Some Jewish and Catholic traditions note her later role in Talmudic demonology, but the prophet is drawing on popular belief, not affirming it. |
| Extent of the judgment | Edom faced historical destruction and depopulation. | Some readings see this as only Edom’s historical fate (7th, 6th century BC). Others interpret it typologically, pointing to the final judgment of all enemies of God (e.g., Matthew Henry). Both sides agree the principle of divine justice is universal. |
| Use of the word 'rest' (manoach) | The night creature finds a 'place of rest', a resting place that should have been for people is now for creatures of desolation. | Some see this as poetic irony: the land meant for human habitation becomes a rest for wild beasts. Others note a possible allusion to restless spirits (Matthew 12:43), but the majority view is literal rest for animals. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Isaiah 34 is an oracle of judgment against Edom, a nation descended from Esau that repeatedly opposed Israel. The context is the larger “Day of the Lord” (Isaiah 34:8), when God will execute vengeance for Zion’s cause. Historically, Edom’s downfall began with Babylonian invasions in the 6th century BC, and by the 1st century AD the region was largely depopulated.
The creatures named here come from two sources. First, real desert animals: tsiyim (desert-dwellers, probably wildcats or wolves), iyyim (howling beasts, likely jackals or hyenas), and se‘ir (a hairy goat). These animals were known to inhabit ruins, reinforcing the picture of abandoned cities. Second, the lilit draws on ancient Near Eastern folklore. Keil and Delitzsch explain that Lilith was a female night demon in Babylonian and later Jewish tradition, a creature that haunted desolate places. The prophet uses this popular belief rhetorically, not to confirm superstition but to intensify the horror of Edom’s fate. As Barnes notes, the margin’s “night-monster” captures the sense: a place so empty that even the stuff of nightmares feels at home.
The literary context (Isaiah 34:11, 17) piles up images of thorns, nettles, jackals, ostriches, and snakes. Verse 14 fits this catalogue, emphasizing that Edom’s palaces and fortresses become permanent habitats for creatures that thrive in utter desolation. The repeated adverb sham (“there”) drives home the point: this is the final, irreversible condition of the land.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Isaiah 34:14. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts. Variations in English translations (e.g., “screech owl” in KJV, “night creature” in WEB, “night-monster” in ASV) reflect different interpretations of the Hebrew word lilit, not a difference in the underlying text. The LXX renders lilit as onokentauros (a mythological creature), and the Vulgate uses lamia, both following the same interpretive path of reading the term as a mythological being rather than a literal animal.
Reception History
Early Jewish interpretation, reflected in the Targum, rendered lilit as a demon, and the Talmud later developed legends about Lilith as a night spirit. The Septuagint and Vulgate also treated the term mythologically, translating it as onokentauros and lamia respectively. Church fathers like Jerome read the passage as a literal prophecy of Edom’s desolation, noting the creatures as real animals. Medieval Christian commentators often allegorized the beasts as heretics or demons. Reformation commentators (Calvin, Luther) emphasized the rhetorical power of the imagery rather than the literal existence of Lilith. In modern scholarship, the consensus is that the prophet borrows from Babylonian demonology to create a vivid portrait of abandonment. The verse is seldom used in liturgy, but it appears in studies of Old Testament judgment and in discussions of the use of mythological language in Scripture.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Judgment empties what pride built. Edom’s palaces and fortresses become wild habitat. No human dwells there.
- God uses vivid symbols to seal the truth. The mention of Lilith shows the depth of desolation, even superstitious fears take up residence.
- The book of the Lord guarantees the outcome. What God decrees, His Spirit gathers to fulfill (Isaiah 34:16, 17). The prophecy is certain.
Five-point outline
- Context: The Day of the Lord against Edom (Isaiah 34:1, 8). Justice is coming.
- Desolation: Palaces become thorns; fortresses become nests (Isaiah 34:13).
- Creatures: Wild beasts and Lilith find a home (v. 14). The land is uninhabitable.
- Certainty: God’s word commands; His Spirit gathers (v. 16). Nothing fails.
- Contrast: Next chapter (Isaiah 35) promises a transformed wilderness for God’s redeemed.
Illustration hooks
- Abandoned building: A factory or school left to decay, squatters and vermin take over. That is Edom’s fate.
- A empty house after tragedy: When a home stands empty, it becomes a place where old fears whisper. The prophet uses that universal feeling.
- A playground after dark: Places that once held life become eerie. The prophet names the eerie to show total absence of human life.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Is Lilith a real demon? (The text uses folklore as a figure of speech, not a doctrine.)
- Does this apply to Edom alone, or is there a wider warning? (The chapter targets Edom, but the principle of divine judgment stands.)
- How do we reconcile judgment with God’s love? (Judgment is part of God’s justice, and the next chapter offers hope, a pattern through Scripture.)
Leading a Discussion
Isaiah 34:14 is part of a larger prophecy against Edom. The imagery is deliberately harsh: wild beasts calling to one another, a night creature settling in the ruins. This passage raises questions about how God uses cultural symbols and how we read violent judgment in the Old Testament. The group discussion will explore the original meaning and what it means for our walk with God today.
Discussion questions
- Read Isaiah 34:8, 15. What words and images stand out to you? Why does the prophet repeat words like “there” (sham)?
- What do the commentators say about the identity of the animals? How does that affect your understanding of the verse?
- Why do you think the prophet mentions “Lilith,” a figure from pagan folklore? What does that tell us about God’s use of contemporary culture to communicate truth?
- How does the next chapter (Isaiah 35) change the tone? What does that contrast teach us about God’s character?
- In what ways does this passage warn against pride and oppression? How might Edom represent attitudes that persist today?
- How can we speak about God’s judgment without sounding harsh or unloving? What role does hope play in this passage?
- If God’s word “will not fail” (Isaiah 34:16), how does that encourage you in your own life?
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)
| 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. |
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 each ambiguous creature name from the Hebrew text with specific animals: the wild desert beasts are mountain cats, the island wild beasts are jackals, the satyr is a he-goat, and the screech owl is a night-bird.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes points out a wordplay in the original Hebrew that no translation can capture. He unpacks each term — “wild beasts of the desert,” “jackal,” “satyr,” “screech-owl” — to show they refer to real creatures and night-specters from Jewish superstition, all underscoring a land left to total, permanent desolation.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin says the exact identity of the strange beasts mentioned does not matter, because the prophet’s point is simply that Idumea will be so utterly ruined that only terrifying creatures will live there. He sees this desolation as a just punishment for the nation's ambitious cruelty toward the poor.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator identifies the "shrick owl" as Lilith, a figure from Babylonian demonology whose name derives from the Hebrew word for night. This creature appears only once in Scripture, and the rabbis later expanded her into a full legend. The restless nature of such evil spirits parallels Jesus' description of demons seeking rest.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Bible notes identify the specific creatures mentioned here as signs of total desolation. The "satyre" is likely a wild goat or demonic figure, and the "shricheowle" a night bird. Together they show the land reduced to a haunt for unclean and ominous beings.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill interprets these creatures not as literal animals but as demons and evil spirits that will haunt the desolate ruins of Rome. He connects the satyr and the screech owl (Lilith) directly to demonic habitation, matching Revelation's description of Babylon as a dwelling place for every unclean spirit.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB suggests that the Hebrew word often translated as screech owl actually refers to a night specter from Jewish folklore, a female spirit said to carry off children at night. The commentator stresses that Isaiah does not affirm this superstition; rather, he describes a place so desolate that superstition would naturally imagine such beings haunting it.
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 the sword of the Lord becomes drunk with blood in heaven before descending to earth for judgment. Edom serves as a representative example of the worldwide destruction, showing that divine judgment begins in heaven and continues on earth against those under God’s ban.