Isaiah 56:1-7

Rewards for Obedience to God

1 Thus says the LORD, "¹Preserve justice and do righteousness, For My ²salvation is about to come And My righteousness to be revealed.

2 "How ³blessed is the man who does this, And the son of man who ⁴takes hold of it; Who ⁵keeps from profaning the sabbath, And keeps his hand from doing any evil."

3 Let not the ⁶foreigner * who has joined himself to the LORD say, "The LORD will surely separate me from His people." Nor let the ⁷eunuch say, "Behold, I am a dry tree."

4 For thus says the LORD, "To the eunuchs who ⁸keep My sabbaths, And choose what pleases Me, And ⁹hold fast My covenant,

5 To them I will give in My ¹⁰house and within My ¹¹walls a memorial, And a name better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting ¹²name which ¹³will not be cut off.

6 "Also the ¹⁴foreigners * who join themselves to the LORD, To minister to Him, and to love the name of the LORD, To be His servants, every one who ¹⁵keeps from profaning the sabbath And holds fast My covenant;

7 Even ¹⁶those I will bring to My ¹⁷holy mountain And ¹⁸make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on ¹⁹My altar; For ²⁰My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples."

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Isaiah 56:1-7 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH 56

This chapter contains a prophecy of the conversion of the Gentiles, and their accession to the church, and of the corrupt state of the church afterwards, especially of its rulers, which brought in men comparable to wild beasts to devour. It begins with an exhortation to the duties of judgment and justice, enforced by the nearness of Christ's salvation, and the clear relation of his righteousness in the Gospel, and by the blessedness of the man that does those duties, and lays hold on those blessings, and observes the whole of religion, instituted and moral, Isa 56:1,2, when encouragement is given to eunuchs, and strangers or Gentiles, sensible and religious persons, to hope for acceptance with God, and that they shall be welcome to his house, with an answer to their objections, and promises of special favours, Isa 56:3-7 to which is subjoined a promise or prophecy of future additions, both of Jews and Gentiles, to the church of God in the latter day, Isa 56:8 and then follows a call upon some savage people, comparable to wild beasts, to come and devour, which will be previous to the above prophecy, Isa 56:9, the reason of which is the sad corruption of the rulers of the church, their ignorance, negligence, avarice, and drunkenness, Isa 56:10-12.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 20

1. Isaiah 1:17; Isaiah 33:5; Isaiah 61:8
2. Psalms 85:9; Isaiah 46:13; Isaiah 51:5
3. Psalms 112:1; Psalms 119:1, 2
4. Isaiah 56:4, 6
5. Exodus 20:8-11; Exodus 31:13-17; Isaiah 56:6; Isaiah 58:13; Jeremiah 17:21, 22; Ezekiel 20:12, 20
6. Isaiah 14:1; Isaiah 56:6
7. Deuteronomy 23:1; Jeremiah 38:7; Acts 8:27
8. Isaiah 56:2, 6
9. Isaiah 56:6
10. Isaiah 2:2, 3; Isaiah 56:7; Isaiah 66:20
11. Isaiah 26:1; Isaiah 60:18
12. Isaiah 62:2
13. Isaiah 48:19; Isaiah 55:13
14. Isaiah 56:3; Isaiah 60:10; Isaiah 61:5
15. Isaiah 56:2, 4
16. Isaiah 2:2, 3; Isaiah 60:11; Micah 4:1, 2
17. Isaiah 11:9; Isaiah 65:25
18. Isaiah 61:10
19. Isaiah 60:7
20. Matthew 21:13; Mark 11:17; Luke 19:46

Footnotes 1

[a]. So DSS; M.T. reads "him"