English Standard Version
Isaiah 56:10
10His watchmen are blind; they are all without knowledge; they are all silent dogs; they cannot bark, dreaming, lying down, loving 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.
- 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.
- New Living Translation (NLT)For the leaders of my people— the Lord’s watchmen, his shepherds— are blind and ignorant. They are like silent watchdogs that give no warning when danger comes. They love to lie around, sleeping and dreaming.
Context of Isaiah 56:10
8The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares, "I will gather yet others to him besides those already gathered." 9All you beasts of the field, come to devour— all you beasts in the forest. His watchmen are blind; they are all without knowledge; they are all silent dogs; they cannot bark, dreaming, lying down, loving to slumber. 11The dogs have a mighty appetite; they never have enough. But they are shepherds who have no understanding; they have all turned to their own way, each to his own gain, one and all. 12"Come," they say, "let me get wine; let us fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow will be like this day, great beyond measure."
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 52:8The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice; together they sing for joy; for eye to eye they see the return of the Lord to Zion.
- Ezekiel 3:17"Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me.
- Isaiah 29:10For the Lord has poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes (the prophets), and covered your heads (the seers).
- Jeremiah 14:13Then I said: "Ah, Lord God, behold, the prophets say to them, 'You shall not see the sword, nor shall you have famine, but I will give you assured peace in this place.'"
- Hosea 4:6My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.
- Hosea 9:7The days of punishment have come; the days of recompense have come; Israel shall know it. The prophet is a fool; the man of the spirit is mad, because of your great iniquity and great hatred.
- Matthew 15:14Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit."
- Matthew 23:16"Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.'
- Luke 6:39He also told them a parable: "Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?
- Isaiah 58:1"Cry aloud; do not hold back; lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their transgression, to the house of Jacob their sins.
- Jeremiah 6:13"For from the least to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for unjust gain; and from prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely.
- Jeremiah 23:13In the prophets of Samaria I saw an unsavory thing: they prophesied by Baal and led my people Israel astray.
- Ezekiel 3:15And I came to the exiles at Tel-abib, who were dwelling by the Chebar canal, and I sat where they were dwelling. And I sat there overwhelmed among them seven days.
- Ezekiel 13:16the prophets of Israel who prophesied concerning Jerusalem and saw visions of peace for her, when there was no peace, declares the Lord God.
- Ezekiel 33:6But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand.
- Philippians 3:2Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh.
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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