John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 34:1

"Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye peoples: let the earth hear, and the fulness thereof; the world, and all things that come forth from it." — Isaiah 34:1 (ASV)

Draw near, you nations. Until now the Prophet, intending to comfort the children of God, preached, so to speak, in their midst; but now, directing his message to the Gentiles, he pursues the same subject, but in a different manner. Having previously shown (Isaiah 33:6, 20) that the Lord takes such care of his people as to find the means of preserving them, he now also adds, what we have often seen in earlier parts of this book, that, after having permitted wicked men to harass them for a time, He will at last be their avenger. He therefore pursues the same subject, but with a different kind of consolation; for he describes what terrible vengeance the Lord will take on wicked men who had injured his people.

Hearken, you peoples. To arouse them further, he opens the address with this exclamation, as if he were about to perform the duty of a herald and summon the nations to appear before the judgment seat of God. It was necessary in this way to shake off the apathy of wicked men, who, amidst ease and prosperity, despise all threats and do not think that God will take vengeance on their crimes. Yet amidst this vehemence, he has his eye principally on the Church; for otherwise he would have spoken to the deaf, and to no avail.

Let the earth hear. He addresses the Edomites who would arrogantly despise these judgments, and therefore he calls heaven and earth to bear witness against them; for he declares that the judgment will be so visible and striking that not only all the nations but even the mute creatures will behold it. It is customary for the prophets in this way to address mute creatures when people, though endowed with reason and understanding, are senseless, as we have previously seen (Isaiah 1:2; Deuteronomy 32:1).