Amplified Bible
Isaiah 56:10
10Israel’s watchmen are blind, They are all without knowledge. They are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; Panting, lying down, they love to slumber.
Isaiah 56:10 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.
- New International Version (NIV)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.
- English Standard Version (ESV)His watchmen are blind; they are all without knowledge; they are all silent dogs; they cannot bark, dreaming, lying down, loving to slumber.
- New King James Version (NKJV)His watchmen are blind, They are all ignorant; They are all dumb dogs, They cannot bark; Sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.
Context of Isaiah 56:10
8The Lord God, who gathers the dispersed of Israel, declares: “I will gather yet others to them (Israel), to those [already] gathered.” 9All you beasts of the field, All you beasts (hostile nations) in the forest, Come to eat. Israel’s watchmen are blind, They are all without knowledge. They are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; Panting, lying down, they love to slumber. 11And the dogs are greedy; they never have enough. They are shepherds who have no understanding; They have all turned to their own way, Each one to his unlawful gain, without exception. 12“Come,” [they say,] “let us get wine, and let us fill ourselves with strong drink; And tomorrow will be like today, very great indeed.”
Read all of Isaiah 56Isaiah 56:10 word by word
צֹפָ֞יו עִוְרִ֤ים כֻּלָּם֙ לֹ֣א יָדָ֔עוּ כֻּלָּם֙ כְּלָבִ֣ים אִלְּמִ֔ים לֹ֥א יוּכְל֖וּ לִנְבֹּ֑חַ הֹזִים֙ שֹֽׁכְבִ֔ים אֹהֲבֵ֖י לָנֽוּם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- His watchmenצָפָהtsâphâh · to watchH6822
- blindעִוֵּר‛ivvêr · blindH5787
- they are all ignorantיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
- all dumbאִלֵּם'illêm · muteH483
- dogsכֶּ֫לֶבkeleb · dogH3611
- they cannotיָכֹלyâkôl yâkôl · be ableH3201
- barkנָבַחnâbach · to barkH5024
- sleepingהָזָהhâzâh · to dreamH1957
- lying downשָׁכַבshâkab · to lie down: lay downH7901
- lovingאָהֵב'âhab 'âhêb · to love: loverH157
- to slumberנוּםnûm · to slumberH5123
Cross-references for Isaiah 56:10
- Isaiah 52:8Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices, Together they shout for joy; For they will see face to face The return of the Lord to Zion.
- Ezekiel 3:17“Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman to the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me.
- Isaiah 29:10For the Lord has poured over you a spirit of deep sleep. He has closed your eyes, [you who are] the prophets; And He has covered your heads, [you who are] the seers.
- Jeremiah 14:13But I said, “Alas, Lord God! Behold, the [false] prophets are telling them, ‘You will not see the sword nor will you have famine, but I [the Lord] will give you lasting peace in this place.’ ”
- Hosea 4:6My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge [of My law, where I reveal My will]. Because you [the priestly nation] have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children.
- Hosea 9:7The days of punishment have come; The days of retribution are at hand; Let Israel know this! The prophet is [considered] a fool; The man [of God] who is inspired is [treated as if] demented, Because of the abundance of your wickedness and guilt, And because your deep antagonism [toward God and the prophets] is so great.
- Matthew 15:14Leave them alone; they are blind guides [leading blind followers]. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”
- Matthew 23:16“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears [an oath] by the sanctuary of the temple, that is nothing (non-binding); but whoever swears [an oath] by the gold of the temple is obligated [as a debtor to fulfill his vow and keep his promise].’
- Luke 6:39He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man guide [another] blind man? Will they not both fall into a hole in the ground?
- Isaiah 58:1“Cry aloud, do not hold back; Lift up your voice like a trumpet, And declare to My people their transgression And to the house of Jacob their sins.
- Jeremiah 6:13“For from the least of them even to the greatest of them, Everyone is greedy for [unfair] gain; And from the prophet even to the priest Everyone deals deceitfully.
- Jeremiah 23:13“And I have seen a foolish and an offensive thing in the prophets of Samaria: They prophesied by Baal and caused My people Israel to go astray.
- Ezekiel 3:15Then I came to the exiles who lived beside the River Chebar at Tel Abib. I sat there for seven days [in the place] where they were living, overwhelmed with astonishment [by my vision and the work before me].
- Ezekiel 13:16along with the [false] prophets of Israel who prophesy [deceitfully] to Jerusalem, and who see [false] visions of peace for her when there is no peace,’ says the Lord God.
- Ezekiel 33:6But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, he is taken away because of his corruption and sin; but I will require his blood from the watchman’s hand.’
- Philippians 3:2Look out for the dogs [the Judaizers, the legalists], look out for the troublemakers, look out for the false circumcision [those who claim circumcision is necessary for salvation];
Commentaries on Isaiah 56:10
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 10His 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…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 10His watchmen - The prophet proceeds to specify the sins which had thus induced God to send the desolating armies of foreign nations. The first is specified in this verse, the apathy, indifference, and unfaithfulness, which prevailed among those who were appointed to guard their interests and defend the cause of truth. The word rendered his watchmen‘ (צפוּ tsophâv ) is derived from צפה tsâphâh “to look about; to view from a distance; to see afar.” It is…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 9-12Verses 9-12 Desolating judgments are called for; and this severe rebuke of the rulers and teachers of the Jewish church, is applicable to other ages and places. It is bad with a people when their shepherds slumber, and are eager after the world. Let us pray the Great Shepherd to send us pastors after his own heart, who will feed us with knowledge, that we may rejoice in his holy name, and that believers may be daily added to the church.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 10The leaders of Israel failed to guide and protect God’s people from the sins that led to the exile in Babylon. dreamers … loving to slumber: See Isaiah 29:10.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1010. His watchmen--Israel's spiritual leaders (Is 62:6; Eze 3:17). dumb dogs--image from bad shepherds' watchdogs, which fail to give notice, by barking, of the approach of wild beasts. blind--(Mt 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.Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 56:10
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 56
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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