Isaiah 56:4-12

4 For thus says the LORD, "To the eunuchs who ¹keep My sabbaths, And choose what pleases Me, And ²hold fast My covenant,

5 To them I will give in My ³house and within My ⁴walls a memorial, And a name better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting ⁵name which ⁶will not be cut off.

6 "Also the ⁷foreigners * 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 ⁸keeps from profaning the sabbath And holds fast My covenant;

7 Even ⁹those I will bring to My ¹⁰holy mountain And ¹¹make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on ¹²My altar; For ¹³My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples."

8 The Lord GOD, who ¹⁴gathers the dispersed of Israel, declares, "Yet ¹⁵others I will gather to them, to those already gathered."

9 All you ¹⁶beasts of the field, All you beasts in the forest, Come to eat.

10 His ¹⁷watchmen are ¹⁸blind, All of them know nothing. All of them are mute dogs unable * to bark, Dreamers lying down, who love to slumber;

11 And the dogs are ¹⁹greedy *, they are not satisfied *. And they are shepherds who have ²⁰no understanding; They have all ²¹turned to their own way, Each one to his unjust gain, to the last one.

12 "Come," they say, "let us get ²²wine, and let us drink heavily of strong drink; And ²³tomorrow will be like today *, only more * so."

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Isaiah 56:4-12 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 23

1. Isaiah 56:2, 6
2. Isaiah 56:6
3. Isaiah 2:2, 3; Isaiah 56:7; Isaiah 66:20
4. Isaiah 26:1; Isaiah 60:18
5. Isaiah 62:2
6. Isaiah 48:19; Isaiah 55:13
7. Isaiah 56:3; Isaiah 60:10; Isaiah 61:5
8. Isaiah 56:2, 4
9. Isaiah 2:2, 3; Isaiah 60:11; Micah 4:1, 2
10. Isaiah 11:9; Isaiah 65:25
11. Isaiah 61:10
12. Isaiah 60:7
13. Matthew 21:13; Mark 11:17; Luke 19:46
14. Isaiah 11:12
15. Isaiah 60:3-11; Isaiah 66:18-21; John 10:16
16. Isaiah 18:6; Isaiah 46:11
17. Ezekiel 3:17
18. Isaiah 29:9-14; Jeremiah 14:13, 14
19. Isaiah 28:7; Ezekiel 13:19; Micah 3:5, 11
20. Isaiah 1:3
21. Isaiah 57:17; Jeremiah 22:17
22. Is 5:11, 12, 22
23. Psalms 10:6; Luke 12:19, 20

Footnotes 7

[a]. So DSS; M.T. reads "him"
[b]. Heb "YHWH," usually rendered LORD
[c]. Lit "him"
[d]. So DSS; M.T. "Ravers"
[e]. Lit "strong of soul/appetite"
[f]. Lit "do not know satisfaction"
[g]. So DSS and many versions; M.T. "me"