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Isaiah

About this book
Chapter 56

1 This is what the Lord says, “Promote justice! Do what is right!⁠ For I am ready to deliver you; I am ready to vindicate you openly. 2 The people who do this will be blessed, the people who commit themselves to obedience, who observe the Sabbath and do not defile it, who refrain from doing anything that is wrong. 3 No foreigner who becomes a follower of the Lord should say, ‘The Lord will certainly exclude me from his people. ’The eunuch should not say, ‘Look, I am like a dried-up tree.’” 4 For this is what the Lord says: “For the eunuchs who observe my Sabbaths and choose what pleases me and are faithful to my covenant, 5 I will set up within my temple and my walls a monument that will be better than sons and daughters. I will set up a permanent monument for them that will remain.⁠ 6 As for foreigners who become followers of the Lord and serve him, who love the name of the Lord and want to be his servants—all who observe the Sabbath and do not defile it, and who are faithful to my covenant—⁠ 7 I will bring them to my holy mountain; I will make them happy in the temple where people pray to me. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar, for my temple will be known as a temple where all nations may pray.” 8 The Sovereign Lord says this, the one who gathers the dispersed of Israel: “I will still gather them up.”⁠ 9 All you wild animals in the fields, come and devour, all you wild animals in the forest! 10 All their watchmen are blind, they are unaware. All of them are like mute dogs, unable to bark. They pant, lie down, and love to snooze.⁠ 11 The dogs have big appetites; they are never full. They are shepherds who have no understanding; they all go their own way, each one looking for monetary gain. 12 Each one says, “Come on, I’ll get some wine! Let’s guzzle some beer! Tomorrow will be just like today! We’ll have everything we want!”

Texts in conversation

Compare Isaiah 56:8 and John 10:16

Hebrew Bible · New Testament

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Summary

In John, Jesus uses the language of Isaiah 56 and its description of gathering the exiles to describe the unity of believers. The gospel expands this vision to highlight the unity of both Jewish people and Gentiles under one leader.

Passages

Isaiah 56:8

Hebrew Bible
7 I will bring them to my holy mountain; I will make them happy in the temple where people pray to me. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar, for my temple will be known as a temple where all nations may pray.” 8 The Sovereign Lord says this, the one who gathers the dispersed of Israel: “I will still gather them up.” 9 All you wild animals in the fields, come and devour, all you wild animals in the forest! 10 All their watchmen are blind, they are unaware. All of them are like mute dogs, unable to bark. They pant, lie down, and love to snooze.
740–450 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Isaiah

John 10:16

New Testament
15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that do not come from this sheepfold. I must bring them too, and they will listen to my voice, so that there will be one flock and one shepherd. 17 This is why the Father loves me—because I lay down my life, so that I may take it back again.
90–110 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in John

References

"... John’s Gospel features numerous Old Testament (OT) allusions and verbal parallels with the OT. The range of allusions spans virtually the entire OT. Particularly frequent are allusions to the Pentateuch, Psalms, and OT prophetic literature, particularly Isaiah (see also Ezekiel and Zechariah). In some cases, a given Johannine reference presupposes a foundational passage in the OT (e.g., 19:31 with reference to Deuteronomy 21:22–23). At times, reference is made to a particular OT event (e.g., 3:14; 6:32; 7:22–23). In yet other instances, a given statement in John’s Gospel employs OT language (e.g., 16:22 with reference to Isaiah 66:14). More significant still are verifiable OT allusions and verbal parallels that draw on the theology of a particular OT passage (e.g., 10:16 with reference to Isaiah 56:8; Ezekiel 34:23; 37:24). Together with the direct OT quotations and references to broader OT themes (including the Johannine replacement motif), the OT allusions found in John’s Gospel create a web of intertextuality that grounds the theology of the Fourth Gospel profoundly in the Hebrew Scriptures ..."
Andreas J. Köstenberger, "John" in Beale, G. K., and D. A. Carson, editors. Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007), 1004.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Isaiah 56:8 and John 10:16

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