The
Lord Yahweh, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says, “I will yet gather others to him, besides his own who are gathered.”
Isaiah 56:8
Isaiah 56 [3.] Let 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.”
Isaiah 56 [4.] For Yahweh says, “To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
and choose the things that please me,
and hold fast to my covenant:
I 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.
Also 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;
I 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.”
The Lord Yahweh, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says,
“I will yet gather others to him,
besides his own who are gathered.”
Isaiah 56 [9.] All you animals of the field,
come to devour,
all you animals in the forest.
His watchmen are blind.
They are all without knowledge.
They are all mute dogs.
They can’t bark;
dreaming, lying down, loving to slumber.
Yes, 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.
“Come,” say they, “I will get wine,
and we will fill ourselves with strong drink;
and tomorrow will be as today,
great beyond measure.”
Meaning:
Isaiah 56 opens the final section of Isaiah with a surprising message of welcome. Foreigners and eunuchs, people who might have felt shut out from God’s people, are told not to say, “Yahweh will surely separate me from his people.” Instead, God promises them a place in his house. Verse 8 sums up the chapter’s hope with a solemn word from “the Lord Yahweh.”
- “Who gathers the outcasts of Israel”:
God describes himself by what he does: he gathers the scattered. Israel had been driven into exile because of its sins, and the prophets promised that God would bring his people home. Isaiah had already spoken of God as a shepherd who “will gather the lambs in his arm” (Isaiah 40:11). The God of Israel is not content to leave anyone lost.
- “I will yet gather others to him”:
God’s gathering does not stop with Israel. “Others” will be gathered “besides his own who are gathered.” In context these are the foreigners who “join themselves to Yahweh,” love his name and hold fast his covenant (Isaiah 56:6). Their sacrifices will be accepted, “for my house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” Jesus quoted those words when he cleansed the temple (Mark 11:17). The servant of the Lord was also told, “I will also give you as a light to the nations, that you may be my salvation to the end of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6).
- Blind watchmen and selfish shepherds:
The next verses contrast God’s gathering care with Israel’s leaders: “His watchmen are blind,” and “They are shepherds who can’t understand. They have all turned to their own way, each one to his gain.” God gathers, but careless leaders neglect the flock.
- Fulfilled in the Good Shepherd:
The PIB footnote on John 10:16 points to this verse. Jesus said, “I have other sheep, which are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will hear my voice. They will become one flock with one shepherd” (John 10:16). He spoke these words just after the Pharisees, blind guides, had thrown out a man he healed. Through Christ, Gentiles who were once outsiders “are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19).
The Significance of Isaiah 56:8
- No one is too far outside:
The foreigner and the eunuch feared they had no place among God’s people. God answered with a promise. Whatever our background, God welcomes all who come to him through faith.
- A gathering mission:
The God who gathers calls his people to share his heart. The church exists to carry the good news to every nation so that others may be gathered into the one flock.
Cross-References:
Isaiah 56:7: "for my house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples." Foreigners welcomed into God’s house.
Isaiah 49:6: "I will also give you as a light to the nations, that you may be my salvation to the end of the earth." Salvation for the nations.
John 10:16: "I have other sheep, which are not of this fold." The Good Shepherd gathers the nations.
Ephesians 2:19: "So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints" Gentiles gathered into God’s household.
Conclusion: In Isaiah 56:8 the Lord who gathers Israel’s outcasts promises to gather others as well, foreigners who join themselves to him. Jesus fulfilled this as the Good Shepherd who brings other sheep into one flock. The verse assures us that God’s welcome reaches people of every nation and calls his people to share in his gathering work.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible