Isaiah 56 · Verse 9

Isaiah 56:9

All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts in the forest.

Isaiah 56:9, King James Version

Isaiah 56:9 in other translations

BSB	Come, all you beasts of the field; eat greedily, all you beasts of the forest.
WEB	All you animals of the field, come to devour, all you animals in the forest.
ASV	All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts in the forest.
YLT	Every beast of the field, Come to devour, every beast in the forest.
DARBY	All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, all ye beasts in the forest.
BBE	All you beasts of the field, come together for your meat, even all you beasts of the wood.
Webster	All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yes, all ye beasts in the forest.

What does Isaiah 56:9 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

9. beasts--Gentile idolatrous nations hostile to the Jews, summoned by God to chastise them (Jr 12:7-9; 50:17; Eze 34:5): the Chaldeans and subsequently the Romans. The mention of the "outcasts of Israel" (Is 56:8) brings in view the outcasting, caused by the sins of their rulers (Is 56:10-12). to devour--namely, Israel.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 9 All ye beasts of the field - Here manifestly begins a new section. The prophet in the foregoing chapters, having comforted the faithful Jews with many great promises of God's favor to be extended to them, in the restoration of their ruined state, and in the enlargement of his Church by the admission of the Gentiles; here on a sudden makes a transition to the more disagreeable part of the prospect, and to a sharp reproof of the wicked and unbelievers; and especially of the negligent and faithless governors and teachers, of the idolaters and hypocrites, who would still draw down his judgments upon the nation. Probably having in view the destruction of their city and polity by the Chaldeans, and perhaps by the Romans. The same subject is continued in the next chapter; in which the charge of corruption and apostasy becomes more general against the whole Jewish Church. Some expositors have made great difficulties in the 9th verse of this chapter, where there seems to be none. It is perfectly well explained by Jeremiah, Jer 12:7, Jer 12:9, where, having introduced God declaring his purpose of punishing his people, by giving them up as a prey to their enemies the Chaldeans, a charge to these his agents is given in words very nearly the same with those of Isaiah in this place: - "I have forsaken my house; I have deserted my heritage; I have given up the beloved of my soul into the hands of her enemies. - Come away, be gathered together, all ye beasts of the field; Come away to devour." All ye beasts in the forest "All ye beasts of the forest" - Instead of ביער baiyaar, three MSS. have יער yaar, without the preposition; which seems to be right, and is confirmed by all the ancient Versions.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Isaiah 56:9-12

Desolating judgments are called for; and this severe rebuke of the rulers and teachers of the Jewish church, is applicable to other ages and places. It is bad with a people when their shepherds slumber, and are eager after the world. Let us pray the Great Shepherd to send us pastors after his own heart, who will feed us with knowledge, that we may rejoice in his holy name, and that believers may be daily added to the church.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

Isaiah 56:9 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

כֹּ֖לkolO everyH3605

חַיְת֣וֹchay.Toanimal ofH2416

שָׂדָ֑יsa.Dai[the] fieldH7704

אֵתָ֕יוּ'e.Ta.yucomeH857

לֶאֱכֹ֥לle.'e.Kholto devourH398

כָּל\־kol-O everyH3605

חַיְת֖וֹchay.ToanimalH2416

בַּיָּֽעַר\׃\ \סbai.Ya.'arin the forestH3293

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Isaiah 56:9

Jeremiah 12:9
Mine heritage is unto me as a speckled bird, the birds round about are against her; come ye, assemble all the beasts of the field, come to devour.
Deuteronomy 28:26
And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away.
Isaiah 18:6
They shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains, and to the beasts of the earth: and the fowls shall summer upon them, and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them.
Ezekiel 39:17
And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood.
Ezekiel 29:5
And I will leave thee thrown into the wilderness, thee and all the fish of thy rivers: thou shalt fall upon the open fields; thou shalt not be brought together, nor gathered: I have given thee for meat to the beasts of the field and to the fowls of the heaven.
Revelation 19:17-18
And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

De 28:26; Jer 12:9; Eze 29:5; 39:17; Re 19:17,18

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Isaiah 56:8
The Lord God which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him.
Isaiah 56:9
All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts in the forest.
Isaiah 56:10
His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.

Read all of Isaiah 56

Isaiah 56:9 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Todas las bestias del campo, todas las bestias del monte, venid á devorar.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Vous, toutes les bêtes des champs, venez pour dévorer, vous, toutes les bêtes de la forêt!
German Elberfelder 1871	Kommet her, um zu fressen, alle ihr Tiere des Feldes, alle ihr Tiere im Walde!
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Omnes bestiæ agri, venite ad devorandum, universæ bestiæ saltus.