They shall call the nobles thereof to the kingdom, but none shall be there, and all her princes shall be nothing.
Parallel translations
- WEB They shall call its nobles to the kingdom, but none shall be there; and all its princes shall be nothing.
- BSB No nobles will be left to proclaim a king, and all her princes will come to nothing.
- NKJV They shall call its nobles to the kingdom, But none shall be there, and all its princes shall be nothing.
- NASB Its nobles—there is no one there Whom they may proclaim king— And all its officials will be nothing.
- NLT It will be called the Land of Nothing, and all its nobles will soon be gone.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Edom's nobility and rulers come to nothing, its kingdom left without leaders.
Overview
The nation that once boasted princes and nobles will have none to call upon; its leadership is reduced to nothing. The collapse of human authority underlines that earthly power cannot endure under God's judgment. It magnifies the contrast with God's everlasting kingdom, which alone stands secure.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Isa 3:6–8When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, saying, Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let this ruin be under thy hand:
- Eccl 10:16–17Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning!
- Jer 39:6Then the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah before his eyes: also the king of Babylon slew all the nobles of Judah.
- 1 Cor 8:4As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.
- 2 Cor 12:11I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing.
- 1 Cor 13:2And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
- Isa 41:24Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work of nought: an abomination is he that chooseth you.
- Isa 41:11–12Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.
- Jer 27:20Which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took not, when he carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem;
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).
How Isaiah 34:12 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.