About Isaiah

Isaiah proclaims both judgment and salvation, containing the most detailed messianic prophecies in the Old Testament.

Author: IsaiahWritten: c. 740-680 BCReading time: ~2 minVerses: 12

HolinessJudgmentSalvationMessiahServantRestoration

Places in This Chapter

Jerusalem(Settlement)

King James Version

Isaiah 56

12 verses with commentary

Salvation for Foreigners

1

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

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KJV Study Commentary

God commands: 'Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed.' The Hebrew 'mishpat' (judgment) and 'tsedaqah' (justice/righteousness) are covenant requirements. Yet the motivation is not earning salvation but responding to it: salvation is 'near to come' - divine initiative precedes human response.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

LVI. (1) **Thus saith the Lord.**—Isaiah 56:1-8 form a distinct section, and obviously had an historical starting. point. It has been said (Cheyne, following many other critics) that “the writer of this section presupposes the circumstances of a period long subsequent to the reign of Hessekiah.” It will be seen in the following notes that I cannot altogether accept that statement, and find circums...

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

CHAPTER 20 Is 20:1-6. Continuation of the Subject of the Nineteenth Chapter, BUT AT A Later Date. Captivity of Egypt and Ethiopia. In the reign of Sargon (722-715 B.C.), the successor of Shalmaneser, an Assyrian invasion of Egypt took place. Its success is here foretold, and hence a party among the Jews is warned of the folly of their "expectation" of aid from Egypt or Ethiopia. At a later perio...

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2

Blessed 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.

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KJV Study Commentary

Blessing comes to the one who 'doeth this' - keeping sabbath and keeping hands from evil. The Hebrew 'chazeq' (holds fast) suggests determined commitment. Sabbath-keeping becomes a test case for covenant loyalty, representing trust in God's provision rather than anxious self-reliance.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(2) **That keepeth the sabbath from polluting it . . .**—It lies in the nature of the case that a devout king like Hezekiah would be an observer of the Sabbath. It is almost certain that the counsellors of the young Manasseh (probably the Shebna party), abandoning the religion of Israel in other things, would also disregard this. I take the prophet’s teaching accordingly as directed against that e...

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**2. by--**literally, "by the hand of" (compare Eze 3:14). **sackcloth--**the loose outer garment of coarse dark hair-cloth worn by mourners (2Sa 3:31) and by prophets, fastened at the waist by a girdle (Mt 3:4; 2Ki 1:8; Zec 13:4). **naked--**rather, "uncovered"; he merely put off the outer sackcloth, retaining still the tunic or inner vest (1Sa 19:24; Am 2:16; Joh 21:7); an emblem to show tha...

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3

Neither 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.

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KJV Study Commentary

God addresses two marginalized groups: 'the son of the stranger' (foreigner joined to Israel) and 'the eunuch' (castrated male excluded from assembly per Deuteronomy 23:1). Both feared exclusion: 'The LORD hath utterly separated me from his people' or 'I am a dry tree' (unable to have descendants). Grace overcomes these barriers.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(3) **Neither let the son of** **the stranger . . .**—Two classes of persons were likely to suffer specially from Manasseh’s policy—(1) the heathen proselytes, who, as in Psalms 87, had been admitted as citizens of Zion under Hezekiah’s special protection; and (2) in the highest degree, those of that body who had been taken, as Ebed-Melech afterwards was (Jeremiah 38:7), into the king’s household ...

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**3. three years--**Isaiah's symbolical action did not continue all this time, but at intervals, to keep it before the people's mind during that period [Rosenmuller]. Rather, join "three years" with "sign," a three years' sign, that is, a sign that a three years' calamity would come on Egypt and Ethiopia [Barnes], (Is 8:18). This is the only instance of a strictly symbolical act performed by Isaia...

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4

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

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KJV Study Commentary

To eunuchs who keep sabbaths and choose what pleases God, holding fast to His covenant, God promises inclusion. The conditions - sabbath-keeping, choosing God's pleasure, covenant-holding - are matters of heart and will, not physical capability. Character trumps physical condition.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**4. buttocks uncovered--**Belzoni says that captives are found represented thus on Egyptian monuments (Is 47:2, 3; Na 3:5, 8, 9), where as here, Egypt and Ethiopia are mentioned as in alliance.

5

Even 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.

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KJV Study Commentary

God promises faithful eunuchs '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.' The Hebrew 'yad' (hand/memorial) and 'shem' (name) constitute a permanent legacy. The 'dry tree' receives eternal fruit - legacy in God's house surpasses biological descendants.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(5) **Even unto them will I give . . .**—The words may refer simply to the spiritual blessedness of the faithful (Revelation 2:17; Revelation 3:5), but the customs of Eastern temples and of the later synagogues suggest that they may refer primarily to the memorial tablets which were put up in such places in commemoration of distinguished benefactors. For “place” read *memorial. *We note, of course...

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**5. they--**the Philistine allies of Egypt who trusted in it for help against Assyria. A warning to the party among the Jews, who, though Judah was then the subordinate ally of Assyria, were looking to Egypt as a preferable ally (Is 30:7). Ethiopia was their "expectation"; for Palestine had not yet obtained, but hoped for alliance with it. Egypt was their "glory," that is, boast (Is 13:19); for t...

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6

Also 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;

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KJV Study Commentary

Foreigners who join themselves to the LORD 'to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants' are welcomed. The threefold description - serving, loving, being servants - emphasizes genuine devotion. Sabbath-keeping and covenant-holding again mark true faith.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(6) **Also the sons of the stranger . . .**—Proselytes also were to share in the blessings of the wider covenant. The words “to serve him” have been referred to some menial offices like that of the Nethinim, “hewers of wood and drawers of water” (Joshua 9:27; Ezra 8:20). The usage of the word, however, limits it to honourable functions. The germ of Isaiah’s thought appears in Solomon’s dedication ...

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**6. isle--**that is, coast on the Mediterranean--Philistia, perhaps Phoenicia (compare Is 23:2; 11:11; 13:22; Psa 72:10). **we--**emphatical; if Egypt, in which we trusted, was overcome, how shall we, a small weak state, escape?

7

Even 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.

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KJV Study Commentary

God promises to bring foreigners to His holy mountain and make them joyful in His 'house of prayer.' Their offerings and sacrifices are accepted on God's altar. The stunning declaration: 'for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.' Jesus quotes this when cleansing the temple (Mark 11:17).

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(7) **Even them will I bring . . .**—The words foreshadow the breaking down of the “middle wall of partition” (Ephesians 2:14). Every privilege of the Israelite worshipper is to belong also to the proselyte. It is perhaps assumed that the proselyte is circumcised. The development of truth is in such cases gradual, and it was left for St. Paul to complete the work of Isaiah (Romans 2:26-29; Galatia...

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8

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

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KJV Study Commentary

The Lord GOD who 'gathereth the outcasts of Israel' declares He 'will gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him.' The Hebrew 'qabats' (gather) describes God actively assembling His scattered people. The 'others' added to Israel anticipates Gentile inclusion in salvation.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(8) **The Lord God . . . saith.**—The phrase is the normal one for introducing an oracle of special importance. This, so to speak, was to be one of the “faithful sayings” of Isaiah. We can hardly fail to find in John 10:16 a deliberate reproduction of Isaiah’s thought. The first clause refers clearly to the gathering of the heathen as following on that of the “outcasts” of Israel.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

CHAPTER 21 Is 21:1-10. Repetition of the Assurance Given in the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Chapters to the Jews About to Be Captives in Babylon, that Their Enemy Should Be Destroyed and They Be Delivered. He does not narrate the event, but graphically supposes himself a watchman in Babylon, beholding the events as they pass. **1. desert--**the champaign between Babylon and Persia; it was once a...

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9

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

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KJV Study Commentary

A sudden shift: 'All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts in the forest.' This call to predators symbolizes judgment on unfaithful leaders (verses 10-12). Wild animals invading represents the breakdown of protection when shepherds fail. The contrast with inclusion (verses 1-8) is stark.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(9) **All ye beasts of the field . . .**—The sudden change of tone indicates that we enter on an entirely new section, which extends to the close of Isaiah 57. The contents of that section fit in with the assumption of its having been written early in the reign of Manasseh, better than With that of a date after the exile. The opening words summon the enemies of Israel to do their work of punishmen...

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**2. dealeth treacherously--**referring to the military stratagem employed by Cyrus in taking Babylon. It may be translated, "is repaid with treachery"; then the subject of the verb is Babylon. She is repaid in her own coin; Is 33:1; Ha 2:8, favor this. **Go up--**Isaiah abruptly recites the order which he hears God giving to the Persians, the instruments of His vengeance (Is 13:3, 17). **Elam...

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His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. sleeping: or, dreaming, or, talking in their sleep

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KJV Study Commentary

Israel's watchmen are indicted: they are 'blind' (unable to see threats), 'ignorant' (lacking knowledge), 'dumb dogs, they cannot bark' (failing to warn). They are 'sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.' These shepherds who should alert and protect instead sleep and ignore danger.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(10) **His watchmen are blind.**—These are the guides of the people, and specially the self-styled prophets, who are “blind” to the signs of the times, who are “dumb,” and give no warning to the people of the real dangers that threaten them, who prophesy for the rewards of divination (Numbers 22:7 :1Samuel 9:7; Nehemiah 6:12), who are conspicuous for their luxury and intemperance. Given the men wh...

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

3. Isaiah imagines himself among the exiles in Babylon and cannot help feeling moved by the calamities which come on it. So for Moab (Is 15:5; 16:11). **pain--**(Compare Is 13:8; Eze 30:4, 19; Na 2:10). **at the hearing--**The Hebrew may mean, "I was so bowed down that I could not hear; I was so dismayed that I could not see" (Ge 16:2; Psa 69:23) [Maurer].

Yea, 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. greedy: Heb. strong of appetite can: Heb. know not to be satisfied

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KJV Study Commentary

These failed leaders are 'greedy dogs which can never have enough.' The Hebrew 'nephesh' (soul/appetite) is never satisfied - they exemplify insatiable appetite. They are 'shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain.' Self-interest replaces sacrificial service.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(11) **Shepherds that cannot understand . . .**—Better, *and such are shepherds; they cannot understand. *There is no confusion or change of metaphors. What is implied is that the prophets who are not fit to be watch-dogs of the flock, assume the office of its shepherds. **From his quarter**—*i.e., *in modern phrase, from his own sphere of influence.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**4. panted--**"is bewildered" [Barnes]. **night of my pleasure--**The prophet supposes himself one of the banqueters at Belshazzar's feast, on the night that Babylon was about to be taken by surprise; hence his expression, "my pleasure" (Is 14:11; Jr 51:39; Da 5:1-31).

Come 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.

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KJV Study Commentary

The final indictment quotes the leaders: 'Come 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.' Indulgence today, assumed prosperity tomorrow - this denial of coming judgment epitomizes false security.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(12) **Come ye, say they . . .**—The words in italics are necessary to complete the sense; but their absence from the Hebrew is noticeable, and noteworthy as an example of the prophet’s bold use of a dramatic form. He represents the false prophet as giving a feast to his friends, and promising a yet more splendid banquet on the morrow. Here again we note continuity of character (Isaiah 22:13). Com...

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**5. Prepare the table--**namely, the feast in Babylon; during which Cyrus opened the dykes made by Semiramis to confine the Euphrates to one channel and suffered them to overflow the country, so that he could enter Babylon by the channel of the river. Isaiah first represents the king ordering the feast to be got ready. The suddenness of the irruption of the foe is graphically expressed by the rap...

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