Isaiah 56:10 (YLT)

Passage

Blind <FI>are<Fi> his watchmen--all of them, They have not known, All of them <FI>are<Fi> dumb dogs, they are not able to bark, Dozing, lying down, loving to slumber.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 56:8 An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, Who is gathering the outcasts of Israel: `Again I gather to him--to his gathered ones.'

Isaiah 56:9 Every beast of the field, Come to devour, every beast in the forest.

Isaiah 56:10 Blind <FI>are<Fi> his watchmen--all of them, They have not known, All of them <FI>are<Fi> dumb dogs, they are not able to bark, Dozing, lying down, loving to slumber.

Isaiah 56:11 And the dogs <FI>are<Fi> strong of desire, They have not known sufficiency, And they <FI>are<Fi> shepherds! They have not known understanding, All of them to their own way they did turn, Each to his dishonest gain from his quarter:

Isaiah 56:12 `Come ye, I take wine, And we drink, quaff strong drink, And as this day hath been to-morrow, Great--exceeding abundant!'

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "blind", "watchmen--all", "known", "dumb", "dogs", "able", "bark", and "dozing". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "blind" and "watchmen--all", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 9's "Every beast of the field Come to..." into verse 11's "And the dogs FI are Fi strong...", so "blind" and "watchmen--all" 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 "blind" and "watchmen--all" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.