New King James Version
Isaiah 56:3
3Do not let the son of the foreigner Who has joined himself to the Lord Speak, saying, “The Lord has utterly separated me from His people”; Nor let the eunuch say, “Here I am, a dry tree.”
Isaiah 56:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the Lord, speak, saying, The Lord hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree.
- New International Version (NIV)Let no foreigner who is bound to the Lord say, “The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.” And let no eunuch complain, “I am only a dry tree.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say, "The Lord will surely separate me from his people"; and let not the eunuch say, "Behold, I am a dry tree."
- New Living Translation (NLT)“Don’t let foreigners who commit themselves to the Lord say, ‘The Lord will never let me be part of his people.’ And don’t let the eunuchs say, ‘I’m a dried-up tree with no children and no future.’
Context of Isaiah 56:3
1Thus says the Lord: “Keep justice, and do righteousness, For My salvation is about to come, And My righteousness to be revealed. 2Blessed is the man who does this, And the son of man who lays hold on it; Who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And keeps his hand from doing any evil.” Do not let the son of the foreigner Who has joined himself to the Lord Speak, saying, “The Lord has utterly separated me from His people”; Nor let the eunuch say, “Here I am, a dry tree.” 4For thus says the Lord: “To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, And choose what pleases Me, And hold fast My covenant, 5Even to them I will give in My house And within My walls a place and a name Better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name That shall not be cut off.
Read all of Isaiah 56Isaiah 56:3 word by word
וְאַל־יֹאמַ֣ר בֶּן־הַנֵּכָ֗ר הַנִּלְוָ֤ה אֶל־יְהוָה֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר הַבְדֵּ֧ל יַבְדִּילַ֛נִי יְהוָ֖ה מֵעַ֣ל עַמּ֑וֹ וְאַל־יֹאמַר֙ הַסָּרִ֔יס הֵ֥ן אֲנִ֖י עֵ֥ץ יָבֵֽשׁ׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Neither let the sonבֵּןbên · son: type ofH1121
- of the strangerנֵכָרnêkâr · foreignH5236
- that hath joinedלָוָהlâvâh · to joinH3867
- himself to the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- speakאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- hath utterlyבָּדַלbâdal · to separateH914
- me from his peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
- neither let the eunuchסָרִיסsârîys sâris · eunuchH5631
- a dryיָבֵשׁyâbêsh · dryH3002
- treeעֵץ‛êts · treeH6086
Cross-references for Isaiah 56:3
- Numbers 18:4They shall be joined with you and attend to the needs of the tabernacle of meeting, for all the work of the tabernacle; but an outsider shall not come near you.
- Deuteronomy 23:1“He who is emasculated by crushing or mutilation shall not enter the assembly of the Lord.
- Zechariah 8:20“Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Peoples shall yet come, Inhabitants of many cities;
- Matthew 8:10When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!
- Acts 8:27So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship,
- Acts 10:1There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment,
- Acts 13:47For so the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ”
- Acts 17:4And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas.
- Acts 18:7And he departed from there and entered the house of a certain man named Justus, one who worshiped God, whose house was next door to the synagogue.
- Romans 2:10but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
- Romans 16:9Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and Stachys, my beloved.
- Ephesians 2:12that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
- 1 Peter 1:1Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
- Jeremiah 50:5They shall ask the way to Zion, With their faces toward it, saying, ‘Come and let us join ourselves to the Lord In a perpetual covenant That will not be forgotten.’
- Zephaniah 2:11The Lord will be awesome to them, For He will reduce to nothing all the gods of the earth; People shall worship Him, Each one from his place, Indeed all the shores of the nations.
- 1 Corinthians 6:17But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.
Commentaries on Isaiah 56:3
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3Neither let the son of the stranger - The foreigner who shall become a proselyte to the true religion. That hath joined himself - That has embraced the true faith, and become a worshipper of the true God. It is evidently implied here that there would be such proselytes, and that the true religion would be extended so as to include and embrace them. The idea is, that they should be admitted to the same privileges with those who had been long recognized as…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 3-8Verses 3-8 Unbelief often suggests things to discourage believers, against which God has expressly guarded. Spiritual blessings are unspeakably better than having sons and daughters; for children are a care, and may prove a grief and shame, but the blessings we partake of in God's house, are comforts which cannot be made bitter. Those who love the Lord truly, will serve him faithfully, and then his commandments are not grievous. Three things are promised…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3Foreigners who commit themselves to the Lord would become full members of his covenant community. In earlier times, their participation had strict limits (Deuteronomy 23:3, 7–8). eunuch: In the past, a man who had been emasculated was not allowed to take part fully in the community (Deuteronomy 23:1). Both eunuchs and foreigners were seen as outside Israel’s holiness. They were considered on the edge of God’s people. But in the age to come, God would…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. God welcomes all believers, without distinction of persons, under the new economy (Ac 10:34, 35). joined ... to ... Lord--(Nu 18:4, 7). "Proselytes." separated--Proselytes from the Gentiles were not admitted to the same privileges as native Israelites. This barrier between Jews and Gentiles was to be broken down (Ep 2:14-16). eunuch--(Ac 8:27, &c.). Eunuchs were chamberlains over harems, or court ministers in general. dry tree--barren (compare Lu…Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 56:3
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries