Isaiah 56:3 (LSB)

Passage

Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to Yahweh say, “Yahweh will surely separate me from His people.” Nor let the eunuch say, “Behold, I am a dry tree.”

Nearby Context

Isaiah 56:1 Thus says Yahweh, “Keep justice and do righteousness, For My salvation is about to come And My righteousness to be revealed.

Isaiah 56:2 How blessed is the man who does this, And the son of man who takes hold of it, Who keeps from profaning the sabbath, And keeps his hand from doing any evil.”

Isaiah 56:3 Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to Yahweh say, “Yahweh will surely separate me from His people.” Nor let the eunuch say, “Behold, I am a dry tree.”

Isaiah 56:4 For thus says Yahweh, “To the eunuchs who keep My sabbaths, And choose what pleases Me, And hold fast My covenant,

Isaiah 56:5 To them I will give 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 which will not be cut off.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "foreigner", "joined", "himself", "yahweh", "surely", "separate", and "people". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "foreigner" and "joined", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "How blessed is the man who does..." into verse 4's "For thus says Yahweh To the eunuchs...", so "foreigner" and "joined" belong inside that flow. In Isaiah context, the local focus is the Holy One of Israel, judgment and restoration, the servant of the LORD, and Zion's hope.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "foreigner" and "joined" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.