Isaiah 34:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Draw near, O nations, to hear, and give attention, O peoples! Let the earth hear, and all that fills it; the world, and all that comes from it.

NIV: Come near, you nations, and listen; pay attention, you peoples! Let the earth hear, and all that is in it, the world, and all that comes out of it!

NASB: Come near, you nations, to hear; and listen, you peoples! Let the earth and all it contains hear, and the world and all that springs from it.

CSB: You nations, come here and listen; you peoples, pay attention! Let the earth and all that fills it hear, the world and all that comes from it.

NLT: Come here and listen, O nations of the earth. Let the world and everything in it hear my words.

KJV: Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all things that come forth of it.

NKJV: Come near, you nations, to hear; And heed, you people! Let the earth hear, and all that is in it, The world and all things that come forth from it.

Isaiah 34:1–4 begins with a call for "nations" to listen. These are the cultures and people groups who have utterly rejected the Lord. In the end times, God will bring brutal slaughter to His enemies in heaven and on earth. The carnage will create rivers of blood and piles of corpses. Even the heavens—possibly meaning demons or evil spirits—will be subjected to His righteous power.

The Lord is enraged against the godless nations who have rejected Him. In the end times, He will devoted all the unbelieving peoples of the earth to destruction and slaughter (Revelation 19:15–18). After judging heaven and earth, God will turn His wrath on Edom. They will be destroyed as thoroughly as if they were animals sacrificed on an altar. Even the land and soil will be ruined so no one dares even cross the territory. Only animals will live there. This is all part of the Lord's divine plan and purpose.

This is part of an announcement of the Lord's judgment against the pagan, godless nations of earth (Isaiah 33). This passage focuses specifically on Edom (Genesis 36:1). God's bloody sword of judgment will turn to Edom and utterly destroy it. Even the environment will be spoiled. None will even dare cross the territory, other than the various animals God will allow to reclaim the land., This matches descriptions of Christ's return and millennial rule (Revelation 19:15–18).

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).

Accessed 5/14/2026 10:31:18 AM