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Revised Isaiah Chapter 56

Canonical Text

¹ This is what the Lord says: "Maintain justice and do what is right, for my salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed.
² Blessed is the man who does this, the man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil."
³ Let no foreigner who has bound himself to the Lord say, "The Lord will surely exclude me from his people." And let not any eunuch complain, "I am only a dry tree."
⁴ 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—
⁵ to them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off.
⁶ And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord to serve him, to love the name of the Lord, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant—
⁷ these I will bring 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 will be called a house of prayer for all nations."
⁸ The Sovereign Lord declares—he who gathers the exiles of Israel: "I will gather still others to them besides those already gathered."
⁹ Come, all you beasts of the field, come and devour, all you beasts of the forest!
¹⁰ Israel's watchmen are blind, they all lack knowledge; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they lie around and dream, they love to sleep.
¹¹ They are dogs with mighty appetites; they never have enough. They are shepherds who lack understanding; they all turn to their own way, each seeks his own gain.
¹² "Come," each one cries, "let me get wine! Let us drink our fill of beer! And tomorrow will be like today, or even far better."

Synopsis

The first seven verses of this canonical chapter carry on from chapter 55. The remaining five verses are exported to three revisions.

Outgoing Verses

1-7. This is what the Lord says: "Maintain justice and do what is right, for my salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed. ² Blessed is the man who does this, the man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil." ³ Let no foreigner who has bound himself to the Lord say, "The Lord will surely exclude me from his people." And let not any eunuch complain, "I am only a dry tree." ⁴ 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— ⁵ to them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off. ⁶ And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord to serve him, to love the name of the Lord, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant— ⁷ these I will bring 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 will be called a house of prayer for all nations."

Analysis: These seven verses carry on the Lord's address begun on Chapter 55.

Destination: Revised Chapter 55, "The Lord Addresses The People."

8. The Sovereign Lord declares—he who gathers the exiles of Israel: "I will gather still others to them besides those already gathered."

Explanation: This verse concerns the ongoing return from Babylon ("besides those already gathered"). The verse hints that the exiles returned in waves.

Destination: Revised Chapter 66, "This Is The One I Esteem,"

⁸ The Sovereign Lord declares—he who gathers the exiles of Israel: "I will gather still others to them besides those already gathered. ^66:19 I will set a sign among them, and I will send some of those who survive to the nations—to Tarshish, to the Libyans and Lydians (famous as archers) to Tubal and Greece and to the distant islands that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory among the nations.

9. Come, all you beasts of the field, come and devour, all you beasts of the forest!

Explanation: The exclamation amplifies Isaiah 18:6 (see below).

Destination: Revised Chapter 5, "The Vineyard of The Lord,"

^18:6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey and to the wild animals; the birds will feed on them all summer, the wild animals all winter. ⁹ Come, all you beasts of the field, come and devour, all you beasts of the forest!

10-12. Israel's watchmen are blind, they all lack knowledge; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they lie around and dream, they love to sleep. ¹¹ They are dogs with mighty appetites; they never have enough. They are shepherds who lack understanding; they all turn to their own way, each seeks his own gain. ¹² "Come," each one cries, "let me get wine! Let us drink our fill of beer! And tomorrow will be like today, or even far better."

Analysis: There are two options for relocating these three verses. The first that comes to mind is Revised Chapter 9, "Ephraim," rounding out its first paragraph,

^28:1 Woe to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim's drunkards, to the fading flower, his glorious beauty, set on the head of a fertile valley—to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine! ^28:7 And these also stagger from wine and reel from beer: Priests and prophets stagger from beer and are befuddled with wine; they reel from beer, they stagger when seeing visions, they stumble when rendering decisions. ^28:8 All the tables are covered with vomit and there is not a spot without filth. ¹⁰ Israel's watchmen are blind, they all lack knowledge; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they lie around and dream, they love to sleep. ¹¹ They are dogs with mighty appetites; they never have enough. They are shepherds who lack understanding; they all turn to their own way, each seeks his own gain. ¹² "Come," each one cries, "let me get wine! Let us drink our fill of beer! And tomorrow will be like today, or even far better."

The second option is Revised Chapter 6, "The Vision of The Lord," making the Lord censure the guides of the people for the erroneous application of his words,

^9:16 Those who guide this people mislead them, and those who are guided are led astray. ¹⁰ Israel's watchmen are blind, they all lack knowledge; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they lie around and dream, they love to sleep. ¹¹ They are dogs with mighty appetites; they never have enough. They are shepherds who lack understanding; they all turn to their own way, each seeks his own gain. ¹² "Come," each one cries, "let me get wine! Let us drink our fill of beer! And tomorrow will be like today, or even far better." ^28:9 Who is it he is trying to teach? To whom is he explaining his message? To children weaned from their milk, to those just taken from the breast? ^28:10 For it is: "Do and do, do and do, rule on rule, rule on rule; a little here, a little there." ^28:11 Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues God will speak to this people, ^28:12 to whom he said, "This is the resting place, let the weary rest" and "This is the place of repose"—but they would not listen. ^28:13 So then, the word of the Lord to them will become: "Do and do, do and do, rule on rule, rule on rule; a little here, a little there," so that they will go and fall backward, be injured and snared and captured.

The first option bears the objection that prolonging the censure of Israel's priests and prophets tilts the spotlight away from the calamity looming over Samaria.

The second option carries the benefit that it provides the antecedent "each one" (v 12) for the pronoun "he" of Isaiah 28:9, the only possibility of concordance available in the entire Book of Isaiah.

Consequently the second option gains the advantage.

Destination: Revised Chapter 6, "The Vision of The Lord."

Revised Chapter 56

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