Isaiah 56:10

56:10 All their watchmen ¹  are blind,

they are unaware. ² 

All of them are like mute dogs,

unable to bark.

They pant, ³  lie down,

and love to snooze.

Isaiah 56:1

The Lord Invites Outsiders to Enter

56:1 This is what the Lord says,

“Promote ⁴  justice! Do what is right!

For I am ready to deliver you;

I am ready to vindicate you openly. ⁵ 

Isaiah 4:1

4:1 Seven women will grab hold of

one man at that time. ⁶ 

They will say, “We will provide ⁷  our own food,

we will provide ⁸  our own clothes;

but let us belong to you ⁹  –

take away our shame!” ¹⁰ 

Isaiah 5:8

Disaster is Coming

5:8 Those who accumulate houses are as good as dead, ¹¹ 

those who also accumulate landed property ¹² 

until there is no land left, ¹³ 

and you are the only landowners remaining within the land. ¹⁴ 

[56:10]  ¹ sn The “watchmen” are probably spiritual leaders, most likely prophets and priests, responsible for giving the people moral direction.

[56:10]  ² tn Heb “they do not know”; KJV “they are all ignorant”; NIV “they all lack knowledge.”

[56:10]  ³ tn The Hebrew text has הֹזִים (hozim), which appears to be derived from an otherwise unattested verbal root הָזָה (hazah). On the basis of alleged cognates, BDB 223 s.v. הָזָה offers the definition “dream, rave” while HALOT 243 s.v. הזה lists “pant.” In this case the dog metaphor of the preceding lines continues. The reference to dogs at the beginning of v. 11 favors the extension of the metaphor. The Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has חזים (“seers”) here. In this case the “watchmen” are directly identified as prophets and depicted as lazy.

[56:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “guard”; KJV “Keep”; NAB “Observe”; NASB “Preserve”; NIV, NRSV “Maintain.”

[56:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “for near is my deliverance to enter, and my vindication [or “righteousness”] to be revealed.”

[4:1]  ⁶ tn Or “in that day” (ASV).

[4:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “eat” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); CEV “buy.”

[4:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “wear” (so NASB, NRSV); NCV “make.”

[4:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “only let your name be called over us.” The Hebrew idiom “call the name over” indicates ownership. See 2 Sam 12:28, and BDB 896 s.v. I ָקרָא Niph. 2.d.(4). The language reflects the cultural reality of ancient Israel, where women were legally the property of their husbands.

[4:1]  ¹⁰ sn This refers to the humiliation of being unmarried and childless. The women’s words reflect the cultural standards of ancient Israel, where a woman’s primary duties were to be a wife and mother.

[5:8]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Woe [to] those who make a house touch a house.” The exclamation הוֹי (hoy, “woe, ah”) was used in funeral laments (see 1 Kgs 13:30; Jer 22:18; 34:5) and carries the connotation of death.

[5:8]  ¹² tn Heb “[who] bring a field near a field.”

[5:8]  ¹³ tn Heb “until the end of the place”; NASB “until there is no more room.”

[5:8]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and you are made to dwell alone in the midst of the land.”