Isaiah 56:11 (WEB)

Passage

Yes, the dogs are greedy. They can never have enough. They are shepherds who can’t understand. They have all turned to their own way, each one to his gain, from every quarter.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 56:9 All you animals of the field, come to devour, all you animals in the forest.

Isaiah 56:10 His watchmen are blind. They are all without knowledge. They are all mute dogs. They can’t bark; dreaming, lying down, loving to slumber.

Isaiah 56:11 Yes, the dogs are greedy. They can never have enough. They are shepherds who can’t understand. They have all turned to their own way, each one to his gain, from every quarter.

Isaiah 56:12 “Come,” say they, “I will get wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow will be as today, great beyond measure.”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "dogs", "greedy", "never", "enough", "shepherds", "understand", "turned", and "each". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "dogs" and "greedy", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "His watchmen are blind They are all..." into verse 12's "Come say they I will get wine...", so "dogs" and "greedy" 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 "dogs" and "greedy" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.