The sword of the Lord is filled with blood

Okay, I don't know how that's possible. How can a sword be filled with blood?

But maybe it's just a metaphor. Maybe God doesn't even have a sword, and non-existent swords are rarely filled with blood. To find out, let's look at the context. Context, believers like to say, covers a multitude of sins.

The title quote comes from Isaiah, chapter 34. Let's start from verse 1.

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. Isaiah 34:1

So God is speaking here to the whole world about important stuff, things that really matter. "Let the earth hear, and all that is therein."

In the next verse, God starts to deliver his message. He is angry at all nations and all people. He has delivered them all to be slaughtered.

For the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter. Isaiah 34:2

Now God gets into the gory details. He is going to kill so many people that land will stink from the rotting bodies and the mountains will be melted from all the blood.

Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood. Isaiah 34:3

Next we're told that the stars will fall from the sky like figs from a fig tree.

And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree. Isaiah 34:4

Verse five tells us this interesting fact: God's sword is bathed in heaven.

For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment. Isaiah 34:5

So we know that God has a sword in heaven and that is is bathed in something. Context tells us what that something is. It's blood.

God has a bloody sword in heaven. He carries it around with him all the time.

But the second part of verse 5 is a bit confusing. God's bloody sword is going to come down on Idumea and upon people that he curses.

Luckily I've got my Quest Study Bible (QSB) with me. It explains everything.

Who was Edom? (34:5)
Although this was a specific nation, here it symbolizes all the enemies of God and his people. Quest Study Bible, p. 1027

(The NIV has "Edom" for "Idumea" in the KJV.)

So, as the QSB explains, God's bloody sword is going to come down from heaven on his enemies.

Now, let's go on to verse 6, which includes the title quote for this post.

The sword of the LORD is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the LORD hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea. Isaiah 34:6

"The sword of the Lord is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness." It has blood from the kidney fat of lambs, goats, rams, and humans.

Then God tells us about unicorns. The land of the unicorns will be soaked with blood and fat. I guess it's good to know that.

And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness. Isaiah 34:7

So there you have it. God has a blood-filled sword in heaven that he uses to kill animals and people. The ground will stink with dead bodies, the mountains will melt with blood, all the stars will fall from the sky, and the land of the unicorns will be soaked in blood and fat.

Or it could all just be a metaphor that means God is love, or something like that.

Yeah, that's probably it.