Isaiah / Chapter 56

Isaiah 56

12 verses • Westminster Leningrad Codex 2 traditions available

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

Isaiah 56 opens the final section of the book (chapters 56–66) with a radical declaration: the covenant community is not defined by ethnicity but by faithfulness. Foreigners and eunuchs — categories previously excluded from the assembly — are welcomed into God's house if they hold fast to His covenant and keep the Sabbath. The chapter then pivots sharply to condemn Israel's own leaders as blind watchmen and greedy shepherds who fail the very community they are charged to protect.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

Verse 7 — 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples' — is one of the most universalist statements in the Hebrew Bible. Jesus quotes it directly when cleansing the Temple (Mark 11:17), making it a hinge text between the Testaments. The inclusion of eunuchs (v.5) overturns Deuteronomy 23:1, signaling that the eschatological age rewrites old boundaries.

Translation Friction

The Hebrew 'nilvim' (those who join themselves) in verse 3 raises the question of conversion theology in ancient Israel. We have rendered it to preserve the voluntary, covenantal nature of the act rather than importing later rabbinic or Christian conversion frameworks.

Connections

The 'house of prayer for all peoples' (v.7) connects forward to Jesus' Temple action (Mark 11:17, Matt 21:13, Luke 19:46). The eunuch inclusion anticipates the Ethiopian eunuch's baptism in Acts 8:26-39. The blind watchmen imagery (vv.10-11) parallels Ezekiel 34's indictment of Israel's shepherds. **Tradition comparisons:** The Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaiah-a) preserve this chapter with notable variants: Verse 10 contains a morphological variant in the description of Israel's watchmen as 'blind.' Verse 12 shows a minor plus in the scroll's text of the drunkards' boast. The theologically significant verses on foreigners and eunuchs (vv. 3-7) are remarkably stable between MT and the scroll.. See the [DSS Isaiah comparison](/dss-isaiah/56). Targum Jonathan provides interpretive renderings: 'My house' is clarified as 'my Temple' (beit maqdashi). The universal scope is preserved: the Temple serves all nations, not only Israel. See [Targum Jonathan on Isaiah](/targum/isaiah).

Isaiah 56:1

כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה שִׁמְרוּ מִשְׁפָּט וַעֲשׂוּ צְדָקָה כִּי־קְרוֹבָה יְשׁוּעָתִי לָבוֹא וְצִדְקָתִי לְהִגָּלוֹת

This is what the LORD says: 'Guard justice and practice righteousness, for My salvation is near — it comes! And My righteousness is about to be revealed.'

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

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. 'This is what the LORD says' renders ko amar YHWH per locked formula.
  2. 'Guard justice' (shimru mishpat) carries the sense of active watchfulness, not passive observance.
1 tradition available

Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaᵃ, 125 BCE)minor

"My salvation"

The scroll reads identically in meaning. The only difference is the absence of Masoretic vowel pointing, which is expected since 1QIsaiah-a is an unpointed manuscript. The consonantal text is identical.

Isaiah 56:2

אַשְׁרֵי אֱנוֹשׁ יַעֲשֶׂה־זֹּאת וּבֶן־אָדָם יַחֲזִיק בָּהּ שֹׁמֵר שַׁבָּת מֵחַלְּלוֹ וְשֹׁמֵר יָדוֹ מֵעֲשׂוֹת כָּל־רָע

Blessed is the one who does this, the son of man who holds fast to it — who keeps the Sabbath without profaning it and restrains his hand from every evil.

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. 'Son of man' (ben adam) is used generically here — any human being, not a messianic title.
1 tradition available

Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaᵃ, 125 BCE)minor

"from profaning it"

No significant variant. The consonantal text is identical between MT and 1QIsaiah-a. The scroll preserves the same reading about keeping the Sabbath from profanation.

Isaiah 56:3

וְאַל־יֹאמַר בֶּן־הַנֵּכָר הַנִּלְוָה אֶל־יְהוָה לֵאמֹר הַבְדֵּל יַבְדִּילַנִי יְהוָה מֵעַל עַמּוֹ וְאַל־יֹאמַר הַסָּרִיס הֵן אֲנִי עֵץ יָבֵשׁ

Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say, 'The LORD will surely separate me from His people.' And let not the eunuch say, 'I am only a dry tree.'

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. 'Joined himself' (nilvah) indicates voluntary covenantal attachment — the foreigner has chosen allegiance to YHWH.
  2. The eunuch's lament ('dry tree') reflects exclusion from the assembly under Deuteronomy 23:1 and the loss of progeny.
1 tradition available

Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaᵃ, 125 BCE)minor

"who has joined himself"

The scroll uses plene spelling with waw for the participle but the word is the same: hannilveh, 'the one who has joined himself.' The universalist theology of Third Isaiah — foreigners joining themselves to YHWH — is fully present in the oldest manuscript.

Isaiah 56:4

כִּי־כֹה אָמַר יְהוָה לַסָּרִיסִים אֲשֶׁר יִשְׁמְרוּ אֶת־שַׁבְּתוֹתַי וּבָחֲרוּ בַּאֲשֶׁר חָפָצְתִּי וּמַחֲזִיקִים בִּבְרִיתִי

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

KJV 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;

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Three conditions define the faithful eunuch: Sabbath-keeping, choosing God's will, and covenant loyalty.
1 tradition available

Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaᵃ, 125 BCE)minor

"and choose"

Identical consonantal text. The eunuchs who 'choose what pleases Me and hold fast to My covenant' — the scroll confirms this reading without deviation.

Isaiah 56:5

וְנָתַתִּי לָהֶם בְּבֵיתִי וּבְחוֹמֹתַי יָד וָשֵׁם טוֹב מִבָּנִים וּמִבָּנוֹת שֵׁם עוֹלָם אֶתֶּן־לוֹ אֲשֶׁר לֹא יִכָּרֵת

'I will give them, within My house and within My walls, a monument and a name better than sons and daughters. I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.'

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. 'Yad vashem' — literally 'hand and name' — became the name of Israel's Holocaust memorial, drawn directly from this verse.
  2. The promise reverses the eunuch's despair: where biology fails, God's covenant provides an enduring legacy.
1 tradition available

Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaᵃ, 125 BCE)minor

"an everlasting name"

No significant variant. The scroll preserves the same promise to eunuchs: 'a name better than sons and daughters, an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.' The consonantal text matches MT.

Isaiah 56:6

וּבְנֵי הַנֵּכָר הַנִּלְוִים עַל־יְהוָה לְשָׁרְתוֹ וּלְאַהֲבָה אֶת־שֵׁם יְהוָה לִהְיוֹת לוֹ לַעֲבָדִים כָּל־שֹׁמֵר שַׁבָּת מֵחַלְּלוֹ וּמַחֲזִיקִים בִּבְרִיתִי

And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD to minister to Him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be His servants — every one who keeps the Sabbath without profaning it and holds fast to My covenant —

KJV 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;

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Five marks of the faithful foreigner: joining, ministering, loving the Name, serving, and Sabbath-keeping.
1 tradition available

Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaᵃ, 125 BCE)minor

"those who join themselves"

The scroll uses plene spelling for the plural participle. The meaning is identical. The repetition of nilvim ('those joining themselves') from verse 3 is preserved, maintaining the structural emphasis on voluntary covenantal attachment.

Isaiah 56:7

וַהֲבִיאוֹתִים אֶל־הַר קָדְשִׁי וְשִׂמַּחְתִּים בְּבֵית תְּפִלָּתִי עוֹלֹתֵיהֶם וְזִבְחֵיהֶם לְרָצוֹן עַל־מִזְבְּחִי כִּי בֵיתִי בֵּית־תְּפִלָּה יִקָּרֵא לְכָל־הָעַמִּים

'I will bring them to My holy mountain and give them joy in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on My altar, for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.'

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

בֵּית־תְּפִלָּה beit tefillah
"a house of prayer" — house of prayer, place of worship, sanctuary of intercession

The phrase beit tefillah lekhol ha'ammim ('a house of prayer for all peoples') is God's vision for the Temple — not an ethnic sanctuary but a universal place of worship. Jesus quotes this in Mark 11:17 when cleansing the Temple, emphasizing the 'for all peoples' that had been violated.

Translator Notes

  1. Jesus quotes this verse in Mark 11:17 when cleansing the Temple, accusing the authorities of making God's house a 'den of robbers' rather than fulfilling its universal vocation.
  2. 'For all peoples' (lekhol ha'ammim) — the plural 'peoples' is significant: not one nation but all nations.
2 traditions available

Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaᵃ, 125 BCE)minor

"a house of prayer"

The iconic phrase 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples' — quoted by Jesus in Mark 11:17 — is identical in the scroll. No variant exists in this theologically crucial verse. The universalist vision of the Temple is firmly attested in the oldest complete Isaiah manuscript.

Targum Jonathan (Aramaic, 1st-5th c. CE)literal

"For my Temple shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples."

'My house' is clarified as 'my Temple' (beit maqdashi). The universal scope is preserved: the Temple serves all nations, not only Israel.

Isaiah 56:8

נְאֻם אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה מְקַבֵּץ נִדְחֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עוֹד אֲקַבֵּץ עָלָיו לְנִקְבָּצָיו

The Lord GOD declares — He who gathers the outcasts of Israel: 'I will gather still others to him beyond those already gathered.'

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

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The 'others' gathered alongside Israel anticipates the Gentile inclusion theme that dominates the New Testament.
1 tradition available

Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaᵃ, 125 BCE)minor

"the outcasts of Israel"

The scroll preserves the same reading: the Lord who gathers the outcasts of Israel will gather yet others besides those already gathered. No significant variant.

Isaiah 56:9

כֹּל חַיְתוֹ שָׂדָי אֵתָיוּ לֶאֱכֹל כָּל־חַיְתוֹ בַּיָּעַר

All you beasts of the field, come to devour! All you beasts in the forest!

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

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. An abrupt shift: wild beasts are summoned as instruments of judgment against Israel's failed leaders. The imagery parallels Ezekiel 34:5, 8.
Isaiah 56:10

צֹפָיו עִוְרִים כֻּלָּם לֹא יָדָעוּ כֻּלָּם כְּלָבִים אִלְּמִים לֹא יוּכְלוּ לִנְבֹּחַ הֹזִים שֹׁכְבִים אֹהֲבֵי לָנוּם

His watchmen are blind — all of them. They know nothing. They are all mute dogs that cannot bark, dreamers lying down, lovers of sleep.

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

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. 'Watchmen' (tsofim) are spiritual sentinels — prophets tasked with warning the people. Their blindness is a damning contradiction.
  2. 'Mute dogs that cannot bark' — guard dogs that fail their one function. The metaphor is deliberately humiliating.
1 tradition available

Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaᵃ, 125 BCE)moderate

"his watchmen are blind"

The scroll reads tsofayw ('his watchmen') with a fuller spelling including yod, where MT has the more contracted tsofaw. This is a minor morphological difference — the scroll makes the pronominal suffix slightly more explicit. The devastating critique of Israel's leaders as 'blind watchmen' is identical in both texts.

Isaiah 56:11

וְהַכְּלָבִים עַזֵּי־נֶפֶשׁ לֹא יָדְעוּ שָׂבְעָה וְהֵמָּה רֹעִים לֹא יָדְעוּ הָבִין כֻּלָּם לְדַרְכָּם פָּנוּ אִישׁ לְבִצְעוֹ מִקָּצֵהוּ

The dogs have a mighty appetite — they never have enough. And these are shepherds! They have no understanding. They have all turned to their own way, each to his own gain, every last one.

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The shift from 'dogs' to 'shepherds' collapses the metaphor: the leaders are worse than the guard dogs — they are supposed to be shepherds but behave like ravenous animals.
1 tradition available

Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaᵃ, 125 BCE)minor

"bring!"

Minor orthographic variant. The greedy shepherds' cry is identical in both texts. The indictment of leaders who 'cannot understand' and 'all turn to their own way' is fully preserved in the scroll.

Isaiah 56:12

אֵתָיוּ אֶקְחָה־יָיִן וְנִסְבְּאָה שֵׁכָר וְהָיָה כָזֶה יוֹם מָחָר גָּדוֹל יֶתֶר מְאֹד

'Come,' they say, 'let me get wine! Let us drink our fill of strong drink! And tomorrow will be like today — great beyond measure!'

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The chapter ends with the leaders' own words — self-indulgent, oblivious to judgment. Their cry of 'tomorrow will be like today' is a theology of presumption that Isaiah dismantles throughout the book.
1 tradition available

Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaᵃ, 125 BCE)moderate

"I will fetch wine"

The scroll separates the words without the maqqef that appears in MT, and spells yayin ('wine') without dagesh. More notably, some scholars have observed that the scroll may include a slightly expanded text at the end of this verse, with the drunkards' boast 'and tomorrow shall be as this day' rendered with an additional waw conjunction. The difference is negligible in meaning but reflects the scroll's tendency toward fuller expression.

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