Isaiah 56

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 56:6

The sons of the stranger - The Gentiles. That join themselves to the Lord - Who shall enter into the Christian covenant by baptism and faith in Christ, as the Jews and proselytes did by circumcision. To serve him - To live according to the Gospel, and ever do that which is right in the sight of the Lord. To love the name of the Lord - The name of Jesus, the Christ, the Savior of sinners, the Anointed of God, and the Giver of the Holy Spirit to his followers. To be his servants... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 56:7

Shall be accepted - A word is here lost out of the text: it is supplied from the Septuagint, יהיו yihyu , εσονται , "they shall be." - Houbigant. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 56:9

All ye beasts of the field - Here manifestly begins a new section. The prophet in the foregoing chapters, having comforted the faithful Jews with many great promises of God's favor to be extended to them, in the restoration of their ruined state, and in the enlargement of his Church by the admission of the Gentiles; here on a sudden makes a transition to the more disagreeable part of the prospect, and to a sharp reproof of the wicked and unbelievers; and especially of the negligent and... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 56:10

His watchmen are blind - Kimchi observes, "The flock is intrusted to the care of these watchmen. The wild beasts come; these dogs bark not; and the wild beasts devour the flock. Thus they do not profit the flock. Yea, they injure it; for the owner trusts in them, that they will watch and be faithful; but they are not. These are the false teachers and careless shepherds." Dumb dogs, they cannot bark - See note on Isaiah 62:6 . Sleeping "Dreamers" - הזים hozim , ενυπνιαζομενοι ... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 56:11

Greedy dogs - Insatiably feeding themselves with the fat, and clothing themselves with the wool, while the flock is scattered, ravaged, and starved! O what an abundance of these dumb and greedy dogs are there found hanging on and prowling about the flock of Christ! How can any careless, avaricious, hireling minister read this without agitation and dismay? read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 56:12

I will fetch wine "Let us provide wine" - For אקחה ekchah , first person singular, an ancient MS. has נקחה nikchah , first person plural; and another ancient MS. has אק ak upon a rasure. So the Syriac, Chaldee, and Vulgate render it. The spirit of this Epicurean sentiment is this: Let us indulge ourselves in the present time to the utmost, and instead of any gloomy forebodings of the future, let us expect nothing but increasing hilarity for every day we shall live. Thus they, ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 56:1

Keep ye judgment, and do justice; rather, keep ye Law , and observe righteousness. The exhortation is general, and has no special bearing on trials or law-courts. It is a call on the Jews, in their captivity, to keep, so far as was possible, the whole Law given on Sinai. My salvation is near to come. The nearer the time of deliverance approaches, the more faithful and exact ought Israel to be in life and conduct. God's "salvation" and his "righteousness" go hand-in-hand. It is as his... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 56:1

The attitude of holy expectation. God evidently requires of us that, when we are anticipating any special manifestation on his part, there should be special purity on our part. We look at— I. OUR CONDITION . This is one of complete dependence on God. We need the action of the Divine power to give efficacy to all our labour; nothing that we do, of any kind whatever, is effectual without the energizing touch of his hand. We need also the manifestation of this Divine power for... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 56:1

God's nearness a plea. "My salvation is near to come;" therefore "keep ye judgment, and do justice." Isaiah announced God's delivering and redeeming from Babylon as close at hand, and used this fact as a plea by which to urge immediate moral preparation. "When God is coming to us in a way of mercy we must go forth to meet him in a way of duty." Illustration may be found in Psalms 50:23 ; Malachi 4:4 6. John the Baptist had a similar commission to this of Isaiah. He was to call to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 56:1-8

AN EXHORTATION TO OBSERVE THE LAW , ESPECIALLY THE LAW OF THE SABBATH , COMBINED WITH PROMISES . There was much of the Law which it was impossible to observe during the Captivity. Sacrifice had ceased, the temple was destroyed, almost all the ceremonial law must have been suspended; even the command to do no work on the sabbath day cannot have been kept by a nation of slaves, whose masters would certainly not have permitted them to be idle one day in seven.... read more

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