Isaiah 56:2 (YLT)

Passage

O the happiness of a man who doth this, And of a son of man who keepeth hold on it, Keeping the sabbath from polluting it, And keeping his hand from doing any evil.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 56:1 Thus said Jehovah: `Keep ye judgment, and do righteousness, For near <FI>is<Fi> My salvation to come, And My righteousness to be revealed.'

Isaiah 56:2 O the happiness of a man who doth this, And of a son of man who keepeth hold on it, Keeping the sabbath from polluting it, And keeping his hand from doing any evil.

Isaiah 56:3 Nor speak let a son of the stranger, Who is joined unto Jehovah, saying: `Jehovah doth certainly separate me from His people.' Nor say let the eunuch, `Lo, I am a tree dried up,'

Isaiah 56:4 For thus said Jehovah of the eunuchs, Who do keep My sabbaths, And have fixed on that which I desired, And are keeping hold on My covenant:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "happiness", "doth", "keepeth", "hold", "keeping", "sabbath", and "polluting". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "happiness" and "doth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 1's "Thus said Jehovah Keep ye judgment and..." into verse 3's "Nor speak let a son of the...", so "happiness" and "doth" 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 "happiness" and "doth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.