Isaiah — Chapter 56

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1This is what the LORD says: “Maintain justice and do what is right, for My salvation is coming soon, and My righteousness will be revealed.

2Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath without profaning it and keeps his hand from doing any evil.”

3Let no foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say, “The LORD will utterly exclude me from His people.” And let the eunuch not say, “I am but a dry tree.”

4For this is what the LORD says: “To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, who choose what pleases Me and hold fast to My covenant—

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

6And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD to minister to Him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be His servants—all who keep the Sabbath without profaning it and who hold fast to My covenant—

7I will bring them to My holy mountain and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on My altar, for My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations.”

8Thus declares the Lord GOD, who gathers the dispersed of Israel: “I will gather to them still others besides those already gathered.”

9Come, all you beasts of the field; eat greedily, all you beasts of the forest.

10Israel’s watchmen are blind, they are all oblivious; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they are dreamers lying around, loving to slumber.

11Like ravenous dogs, they are never satisfied. They are shepherds with no discernment; they all turn to their own way, each one seeking his own gain:

12“Come, let me get the wine, let us imbibe the strong drink, and tomorrow will be like today, only far better!”

1Thus saith the LORD, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed.

2Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.

3Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the LORD, speak, saying, The LORD hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree.

4For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant;

5Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.

6Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant;

7Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.

8The Lord GOD which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him.

9All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts in the forest.

10His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.

11Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.

12Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.

1Thus saith Jehovah, Keep ye justice, and do righteousness; for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed.

2Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that holdeth it fast; that keepeth the sabbath from profaning it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.

3Neither let the foreigner, that hath joined himself to Jehovah, speak, saying, Jehovah will surely separate me from his people; neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree.

4For thus saith Jehovah of the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and hold fast my covenant:

5Unto them will I give in my house and within my walls a memorial and a name better than of sons and of daughters; I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.

6Also the foreigners that join themselves to Jehovah, to minister unto him, and to love the name of Jehovah, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from profaning it, and holdeth fast my covenant;

7even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt-offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.

8The Lord Jehovah, who gathereth the outcasts of Israel, saith, Yet will I gather [others] to him, besides his own that are gathered.

9All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, [yea], all ye beasts in the forest.

10His watchmen are blind, they are all without knowledge; they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; dreaming, lying down, loving to slumber.

11Yea, the dogs are greedy, they can never have enough; and these are shepherds that cannot understand: they have all turned to their own way, each one to his gain, from every quarter.

12Come ye, [say they], I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to-morrow shall be as this day, [a day] great beyond measure.

1This is what the Lord says, “Promote justice! Do what is right! For I am ready to deliver you; I am ready to vindicate you openly.

2The people who do this will be blessed, the people who commit themselves to obedience, who observe the Sabbath and do not defile it, who refrain from doing anything that is wrong.

3No foreigner who becomes a follower of the Lord should say, ‘The Lord will certainly exclude me from his people.’ The eunuch should not say, ‘Look, I am like a dried-up tree.’”

4For this is what the Lord says: “For the eunuchs who observe my Sabbaths and choose what pleases me and are faithful to my covenant,

5I will set up within my temple and my walls a monument that will be better than sons and daughters. I will set up a permanent monument for them that will remain.

6As for foreigners who become followers of the Lord and serve him, who love the name of the Lord and want to be his servants— all who observe the Sabbath and do not defile it, and who are faithful to my covenant—

7I will bring them to my holy mountain; I will make them happy in the temple where people pray to me. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar, for my temple will be known as a temple where all nations may pray.”

8The Sovereign Lord says this, the one who gathers the dispersed of Israel: “I will still gather them up.”

9All you wild animals in the fields, come and devour, all you wild animals in the forest!

10All their watchmen are blind, they are unaware. All of them are like mute dogs, unable to bark. They pant, lie down, and love to snooze.

11The dogs have big appetites; they are never full. They are shepherds who have no understanding; they all go their own way, each one looking for monetary gain.

12Each one says, “Come on, I’ll get some wine! Let’s guzzle some beer! Tomorrow will be just like today! We’ll have everything we want!”

1Yahweh says, “Maintain justice, and do what is right; for my salvation is near, and my righteousness will soon be revealed.

2Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who holds it fast; who keeps the Sabbath without profaning it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil.”

3Let no foreigner, who has joined himself to Yahweh, speak, saying, “Yahweh will surely separate me from his people.” Do not let the eunuch say, “Behold, I am a dry tree.”

4For Yahweh says, “To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and hold fast to my covenant:

5I will give them in my house and within my walls a memorial and a name better than of sons and of daughters. I will give them an everlasting name, that will not be cut off.

6Also the foreigners who join themselves to Yahweh, to serve him, and to love Yahweh’s name, to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath from profaning it, and holds fast my covenant;

7I will bring these to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”

8The Lord Yahweh, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says, “I will yet gather others to him, besides his own who are gathered.”

9All you animals of the field, come to devour, all you animals in the forest.

10His watchmen are blind. They are all without knowledge. They are all mute dogs. They can’t bark; dreaming, lying down, loving to slumber.

11Yes, the dogs are greedy. They can never have enough. They are shepherds who can’t understand. They have all turned to their own way, each one to his gain, from every quarter.

12“Come,” say they, “I will get wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow will be as today, great beyond measure.”

Summary
Authorship & Background
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

God announces that his salvation is coming soon and calls his people to keep justice and righteousness in response, promising blessing to anyone, including foreigners and eunuchs, who holds fast to his covenant and keeps the Sabbath, regardless of what excluded them before (vv. 1-5). His house, he says, will be called a house of prayer for all peoples, not for Israel alone, and he will gather still more besides the outcasts already gathered (vv. 6-8). The tone then shifts sharply: Isaiah pictures Israel's watchmen as blind, silent, and lazy, more interested in sleep and their own appetites than warning the people, while the nation's leaders are compared to greedy shepherds who look only after their own profit (vv. 9-12).

Authorship & Background

Author: Isaiah son of Amoz (see Chapter 1 notes for full details).
Classification: Prophetic Oracle — Inclusivity and Leadership Failure (opens final section, chs. 56-66)
Key Themes: Radical inclusion (foreigners, eunuchs), the Sabbath as covenant sign, a house of prayer for all people, the failure of Israel's watchmen/shepherds, leaders as blind dogs
Historical Context: Chapter 56 opens the third section of Isaiah (chs.56-66). While 40-55 focused on comfort and the Servant, 56-66 addresses the restored community — its ethics, failures, and ultimate glory. The chapter begins with radical inclusion: foreigners (Gentiles) and eunuchs (excluded by Deut 23:1) are welcomed if they keep the Sabbath and hold God's covenant. Jesus quotes v.7 when cleansing the temple (Mark 11:17). Then the tone shifts: Israel's leaders are denounced as blind, ignorant, silent watchdogs, greedy shepherds — the very people who should welcome others are consumed by self-interest.
Keep Ye Judgment (v.1): Thus saith the LORD, Keep ye judgment, and do justice, for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed. One verse, and it does the work of a hinge. What is asked is conduct, and the reason given is timing rather than obligation, which sets up the two groups the rest of the chapter is about: people who were told they did not qualify, and people who assumed they did.
The Eunuch and the Stranger (vv.2-8): The passage names two categories that the law had explicitly excluded and admits both. Deuteronomy 23 barred the eunuch from the congregation and restricted the foreigner, and their objections are quoted here in their own words, let not the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree, and neither let the son of the stranger say, The LORD hath utterly separated me from his people. What is offered the eunuch is exactly what he cannot have any other way, I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off, better than of sons and of daughters. And the foreigners are given the temple itself, mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people, which is the clause Jesus quotes when he clears the courts in Mark 11, in a temple that had by then built a wall to keep foreigners out of them. The qualification in both cases is the same and it is not descent, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant.
The Watchmen Are Blind (vv.9-12): All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, and the animals are being invited in because nobody is guarding the flock. Then the leadership described by what it cannot do, his watchmen are blind, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark, sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. A guard dog that will not bark is the most economical picture of useless authority in the prophets. And the last verse quotes them at table, come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink, and tomorrow shall be as this day. Set against the previous section the contrast is deliberate: the outsiders are keeping the sabbath and the appointed watchmen are asleep.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

Isaiah 56 - Bible Study, Explanation, and Application
2BeLikeChrist

A PLACE AND A NAME - Isaiah 56:3-5
David Guzik

Isaiah 56-57 | The Outcast's Hope | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

Articles

  • BibleProject: bibleproject.com On the whole book: the promised king who runs through Isaiah from beginning to end.
  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of Isaiah -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • Keep Justice, Salvation Is Near (v.1) — God calls His people to do justice and righteousness because His salvation is about to be revealed. Does the nearness of God's promises shape how you actually live day to day, or stay a separate compartment from your ethics?
  • A Name Better Than Sons and Daughters (v.5) — Eunuchs, who were once excluded from the assembly, are promised a place and an everlasting name within God's house better than any human legacy. If you feel disqualified by your past or your circumstances, does this promise change how you see your place with God?
  • A House of Prayer for All Peoples (v.7) — God declares His house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples, not just for Israel. Do you welcome others into God's presence as freely as He does, or find yourself gatekeeping who belongs?
  • Blind Watchmen Who Won't Bark (v.10) — Israel's watchmen are described as blind and ignorant, like silent dogs that cannot bark to warn of danger. Do you speak up when you see danger to people you're responsible for, or stay silent to avoid discomfort?
  • Shepherds Who Feed Themselves (v.11) — The shepherds are condemned for each pursuing his own gain instead of caring for the flock. If you're in any position of leading or serving others, are you feeding them or quietly feeding yourself?