Isaiah 56:3
1 This is what the LORD says: “Maintain justice and do what is right, for My salvation is coming soon, and My righteousness will be revealed.
2 Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath without profaning it and keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
Let no foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say, “The LORD will utterly exclude me from His people.” And let the eunuch not say, “I am but a dry tree.”
4 For this is what the LORD says: “To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, who choose what pleases Me and hold fast to My covenant—
5 I will give them, in My house and within My walls, a memorial and a name better than that of sons and daughters. I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off.
Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- Let no foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say, “The LORD will utterly exclude me from His people.” And let the eunuch not say, “I am but a dry tree.”
- 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.
- WEB
- Let no foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD speak, saying, “The LORD will surely separate me from his people.” Do not let the eunuch say, “Behold, I am a dry tree.”
- ASV
- Neither let the foreigner, that hath joined himself to Jehovah, speak, saying, Jehovah will surely separate me from his people; neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree.
- DARBY
- And let not the son of the alien, that hath joined himself to Jehovah, speak saying, Jehovah hath entirely separated me from his people; neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree;
- BLB
- Let no son of the foreigner [who] has joined himself to YHWH speak, saying, “YHWH will surely separate me from His people.” And let the eunuch not say, “Behold, I [am] a dry tree.”
- ÅB
- Den fremmede som holder seg til Herren, må ikke si: Herren vil visst skille meg fra sitt folk! Og gildingen må ikke si: Se, jeg er et tørt tre!
- OTB
- La ikke den fremmede som har sluttet seg til Herren si, “Herren vil sikkert skille meg fra sitt folk.” La heller ikke evnukken si, “Jeg er bare et tørt tre.”
- B1930
- Den fremmede som holder sig til Herren, må ikke si: Herren vil visst skille mig fra sitt folk! Og gildingen må ikke si: Se, jeg er et tørt tre!
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
1 Corinthians 6:17
But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with Him in spirit.
Read in contextMatthew 19:12–30
For there are eunuchs who were born that way; others were made that way by men; and still others live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”
Read in contextActs 10:34
Then Peter began to speak: “I now truly understand that God does not show favoritism,
Read in contextJeremiah 50:5
They will ask the way to Zion and turn their faces toward it. They will come and join themselves to the LORD in an everlasting covenant that will never be forgotten.
Read in contextNumbers 18:4
They are to join you and attend to the duties of the Tent of Meeting, doing all the work at the Tent; but no outsider may come near you.
Read in contextLuke 7:6–8
So Jesus went with them. But when He was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends with the message: “Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy to have You come under my roof.
Read in contextZephaniah 2:11
The LORD will be terrifying to them when He starves all the gods of the earth. Then the nations of every shore will bow in worship to Him, each in its own place.
Read in contextRomans 2:10–11
but glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does good, first for the Jew, then for the Greek.
Read in context