God’s Word Translation
Isaiah 56:10
10⌞Israel’s⌟ watchmen are blind. None of them know anything. All of them are like dogs that are unable to bark. They lie around dreaming; they love to sleep.
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 Almighty Lord, who gathers the scattered people of Israel, declares, “I will gather still others besides those I have already gathered.” 9All you animals in the field, all you animals in the forest, come and eat. ⌞Israel’s⌟ watchmen are blind. None of them know anything. All of them are like dogs that are unable to bark. They lie around dreaming; they love to sleep. 11These dogs have huge appetites. They are never full. They are the shepherds, but they don’t understand. All of them have turned to go their own ways. Each one seeks his own gain. 12⌞Each one cries,⌟ “Let me get some wine, and we’ll fill ourselves with liquor. And tomorrow will be like today, only better.”
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 raise their voices and shout together joyfully. When the Lord brings Zion back, they will see it with their own eyes.
- Ezekiel 3:17“Son of man, I have made you a watchman over the people of Israel. Listen to what I say, and warn them for me.
- Isaiah 29:10The Lord has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep. He will shut your eyes. (Your eyes are the prophets.) He will cover your heads. (Your heads are the seers.)
- Jeremiah 14:13Then I said, “Almighty Lord, prophets are saying to them, ‘You won’t see wars or famines, because I, the Lord, will give you lasting peace in this place.’ ”
- Hosea 4:6I will destroy my people because they are ignorant. You have refused to learn, so I will refuse to let you be my priests. You have forgotten the teachings of your God, so I will forget your children.
- Hosea 9:7The time for them to be punished will come. The time for them to pay for their sins will come. ⌞When this happens,⌟ Israel will know it. ⌞They think that⌟ prophets are fools and that spiritual people are crazy. They have sinned a lot, and they are very hostile.
- Matthew 15:14Leave them alone! They are blind leaders. When one blind person leads another, both will fall into the same pit.”
- Matthew 23:16“How horrible it will be for you, you blind guides! You say, ‘To swear an oath by the temple doesn’t mean a thing. But to swear an oath by the gold in the temple means a person must keep his oath.’
- Luke 6:39Jesus also gave them this illustration: “Can one blind person lead another? Won’t both fall into the same pit?
- Isaiah 58:1Cry aloud! Don’t hold back! Raise your voice like a ram’s horn. Tell my people about their rebellion and the descendants of Jacob about their sins.
- Jeremiah 6:13“All of them, from the least important to the most important, are eager to make money dishonestly. All of them, from prophets to priests, act deceitfully.
- Jeremiah 23:13“⌞Say this⌟ about the prophets of Samaria: I saw something disgusting. The prophets of Samaria prophesied by Baal and led my people Israel astray.
- Ezekiel 3:15I went to Tel Abib, to the exiles who lived by the Chebar River. I sat there among them for seven days. I was stunned.
- Ezekiel 13:16The prophets of Israel who prophesied to Jerusalem are gone. Those who said that everything was alright, when it wasn’t alright, are gone, declares the Almighty Lord.” ’
- Ezekiel 33:6“ ‘But if the watchman sees the enemy coming and doesn’t blow his horn to warn the people and the enemy comes and kills someone, that watchman must die because of his sin. I will hold him responsible for their deaths.’
- Philippians 3:2Beware of dogs! Beware of those who do evil things. Beware of those who insist on circumcision.
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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