This verse recalls the volcano imagery of Gen 19.24, which refers to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The prophet changes the earlier imagery of rivers of blood (verse 3) into that of rivers of tar. He is possibly referring to the flow of lava after a volcanic eruption, a flow that eventually hardens to become a solid layer.

And the streams of Edom shall be turned into pitch: The streams of Edom is literally “her streams” (RSV footnote). Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation make it clear that the pronoun “her” refers to Edom. Pitch or “tar” (Good News Translation) is a black sticky mineral substance. It could be found in Edom at the southern end of the Dead Sea. If translators do not have a word for pitch in their language, they may use a descriptive phrase such as “thick/heavy oil,” or they may transliterate the word, based on its form in an international language. Of course, it should also be explained in the glossary.

And her soil into brimstone; her land shall become burning pitch: Her soil and her land refer to the whole territory of Edom (see verse 7). The images of brimstone and burning pitch speak of the destruction of the land’s usefulness for farming or any other occupation. For brimstone see the comments on 30.33. It could refer to the hardened lava from a volcano here, but its basic meaning is “sulfur” (Good News Translation, New Revised Standard Version, New International Version, New American Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). Translators that do not have a word for brimstone in their languages may use a descriptive phrase such as “yellow rocks that burn hot,” or they may transliterate it and explain it in the glossary. However, the better alternative in such cases may be to refer to the land becoming useless, without using the technical term brimstone; for example, the second line may be rendered “and the whole land will become dry and useless.” Her land shall become burning pitch heightens the description of the land’s destruction. All of it will be on fire. Contemporary English Version says “then the whole country will go up in flames.”

Some translation examples for this verse are:

• The rivers of Edom will turn into rivers of tar,
her soil will turn into sulfur,
and her land will become burning tar.

• Edom’s rivers will turn to tar,
her soil to brimstone,
her land to blazing tar.

• Edom’s streams will become streams of [thick/heavy] oil from the earth,
her soil will become dry and useless,
and her land will be full of burning oil.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .