1Thus says Jehovah, Keep justice and do righteousness; for My salvation is near to come, and My righteousness to be revealed. 2Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who lays hold on it; who keeps from defiling the sabbath, and keeps his hand from doing any evil. 3And do not let the son of the foreigner, who has joined himself to Jehovah, speak, saying, Jehovah has utterly separated me from His people. And do not let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree. 4For thus says Jehovah to the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, and choose what pleases Me, and hold fast to My covenant: 5Even to them will I give within My house and within My walls a share and a name better than that of sons and of daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. 6Also the children of the foreigner, who join themselves to Jehovah to serve Him, and to love the name of Jehovah, to be His servants, everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and holds fast to My covenant: 7Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted on My altar; for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations. 8Thus says the Lord Jehovah who gathers the outcasts of Israel, Yet I will gather to him others besides those who are gathered to him. 9All you beasts of the field, come to devour, all you beasts in the forest. 10His watchmen are blind; they are all ignorant; they are all dumb dogs who cannot bark, dreaming, lying down, loving to slumber. 11Yea, they are greedy dogs which never have enough. And they are shepherds who cannot understand; they all look to their own way, every one for his own gain, to his own end. 12They say, Come, let us get wine and binge on strong drink; and tomorrow shall be like today; much more abundant.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 THE PREPARATION NEEDED ON THE PART OF THOSE WHO WISH TO BE ADMITTED TO THE KINGDOM OF GOD. (
Isa 56:1-
Isa 56:12)
judgment--equity. John the Baptist preached similarly a return to righteousness, as needed to prepare men for Messiah's first coming (
Luke 3:3,
Luke 3:8-
Luke 3:14). So it shall be before the second coming (
Mal 4:4-
Mal 4:6).
near to come-- (
Matt 3:2;
Matt 4:17), also as to the second coming (
Isa 62:10-
Isa 62:11;
Luke 21:28,
Luke 21:31;
Rom 13:11-
Rom 13:12;
Heb 10:25).
righteousness--answering to "salvation" in the parallel clause; therefore it means righteousness which bringeth salvation (
Isa 46:13;
Rom 3:25-
Rom 3:26).
2 (
Luke 12:43).
the man--Hebrew, enosh, "a man in humble life," in contradistinction to Hebrew, ish, "one of high rank." Even the humblest, as "the stranger" and "the eunuch" (
Isa 56:4,
Isa 56:6), are admissible to these privileges.
this . . . it--what follows: "keeping the Sabbath," &c. (
Isa 58:13-
Isa 58:14;
Ezek 20:12). A proof that the Sabbath, in the spirit of its obligation, was to be binding under the Gospel (
Isa 66:23). That gospel times are referred to is plain, from the blessing not being pronounced on the man who observed the sacrificial ritual of the Jewish law.
layeth hold--image from one grasping firmly some precious object which he is afraid of having forcibly snatched from him. The "Sabbath" here includes all the ordinances of divine worship under the new gospel law.
keepeth . . . hand . . . from . . . evil--The observance of the second table of the law; as the "Sabbath" referred to the first table. Together, they form the whole duty of man, the worship of God and a holy life.
3 God welcomes all believers, without distinction of persons, under the new economy (
Acts 10:34-
Acts 10:35).
joined . . . to . . . Lord-- (
Num 18:4,
Num 18:7). "Proselytes."
separated--Proselytes from the Gentiles were not admitted to the same privileges as native Israelites. This barrier between Jews and Gentiles was to be broken down (
Eph 2:14-
Eph 2:16).
eunuch-- (
Acts 8:27, &c.). Eunuchs were chamberlains over harems, or court ministers in general.
dry tree--barren (compare
Luke 23:31); not admissible into the congregation of Israel (
Deut 23:1-
Deut 23:3). Under the Gospel the eunuch and stranger should be released from religious and civil disabilities.
4 please me--sacrifice their own pleasure to mine.
take hold--so "layeth hold" (see on
Isa 56:2).
5 in mine house--the temple, the emblem of the Church (
1Tim 3:15). They shall no longer be confined as proselytes were, to the outer court, but shall be admitted "into the holiest" (
Heb 10:19-
Heb 10:20).
a place--literally, "a hand."
than of sons--Though the eunuch is barren of children (
Isa 56:3), I will give him a more lasting name than that of being father of sons and daughters (regarded as a high honor among the Hebrews) (
John 1:12;
John 10:3;
1John 3:1;
Rev 2:17;
Rev 3:12).
6 join . . . Lord-- (
Jer 50:6). Conditions of admission to the privileges of adoption.
7 Even them-- (
Eph 2:11-
Eph 2:13).
to my holy mountain--Jerusalem, the seat of the Lord's throne in His coming kingdom (
Isa 2:2;
Jer 3:17).
joyful-- (
Rom 5:11).
burnt offerings . . . sacrifices--spiritual, of which the literal were types (
Rom 12:1;
Heb 13:15;
1Pet 2:5).
accepted-- (
Eph 1:6).
altar-- (
Heb 13:10), spiritually, the Cross of Christ, which sanctifies our sacrifices of prayer and praise.
house . . . for all people--or rather, "peoples." No longer restricted to one favored people (
Mal 1:11;
John 4:21,
John 4:23;
1Tim 2:8). To be fully realized at the second coming (
Isa 2:2-
Isa 2:4). No longer literal, but spiritual sacrifice, namely, "prayer" shall be offered (
Ps 141:2;
Ps 51:17;
Mal 1:11;
Matt 21:13).
8 Jehovah will not only restore the scattered outcasts of Israel (
Isa 11:12;
Ps 147:2) to their own land, but "will gather others ('strangers') to him (Israel), besides those gathered" (Margin, "to his gathered"; that is, in addition to the Israelites collected from their dispersion), (
John 10:16;
Eph 1:10;
Eph 2:19).
9 beasts--Gentile idolatrous nations hostile to the Jews, summoned by God to chastise them (
Jer 12:7-
Jer 12:9;
Jer 50:17;
Ezek 34:5): the Chaldeans and subsequently the Romans. The mention of the "outcasts of Israel" (
Isa 56:8) brings in view the outcasting, caused by the sins of their rulers (
Isa 56:10-
Isa 56:12).
to devour--namely, Israel.
10 His watchmen--Israel's spiritual leaders (
Isa 62:6;
Ezek 3:17).
dumb dogs--image from bad shepherds' watchdogs, which fail to give notice, by barking, of the approach of wild beasts.
blind-- (
Matt 23:16).
sleeping, lying down--rather, "dreamers, sluggards" [LOWTH]. Not merely sleeping inactive, but under visionary delusions.
loving to slumber--not merely slumbering involuntarily, but loving it.
11 greedy--literally, "strong" (that is, insatiable) in appetite (
Ezek 34:2-
Ezek 34:3;
Mic 3:11).
cannot understand--unable to comprehend the wants of the people, spiritually: so
Isa 56:10, "cannot bark."
look to . . . own way--that is, their own selfish interests; not to the spiritual welfare of the people (
Jer 6:13;
Ezek 22:27).
from his quarter--rather, "from the highest to the lowest" [LOWTH]. "From his quarter"; that is, from one end to the other of them, one and all (
Gen 19:4).
12 fetch wine--language of the national teachers challenging one another to drink. BARNES translates, "I will take another cup" (
Isa 5:11).
to-morrow, &c.--Their self-indulgence was habitual and intentional: not merely they drink, but they mean to continue so.
In the midst of the excesses of the unfaithful watchmen (
Isa 56:10-
Isa 56:12), most of the few that are godly perish: partly by vexation at the prevailing ungodliness; partly by violent death in persecution: prophetical of the persecuting times of Manasseh, before God's judgments in causing the captivity in Babylon; and again those in the last age of the Church, before the final judgments on the apostasy (
2Kgs 21:16;
Matt 23:29-
Matt 23:35,
Matt 23:37;
Rev 11:17). The Hebrew for "perisheth," and "is taken away," expresses a violent death (
Mic 7:2).