Isaiah 61:5

5 And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and {foreigners} [shall be] your farmers and vinedressers.

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Isaiah 61:5 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 61:5

And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks
The several congregated churches of Christ, which shall be set among them, compared to flocks of sheep, as they often are; and which shall be fed with knowledge and understanding, with the words of faith and sound doctrine, by pastors of the Gentile race; who shall be raised up by Christ, and shall freely, and faithfully, and constantly perform the office they are called unto; see ( Acts 20:28 ) : and the sons of the alien shall be your ploughmen, and your
vinedressers:
the sons of Gentiles, who were aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, ( Ephesians 2:12 ) , but now being converted and brought to the knowledge of Christ, and gifted by him, will be of eminent service in his church; which, as it is "God's husbandry", ( 1 Corinthians 3:9 ) shall be filled and cultivated by them; the fallow ground of men's hearts shall be ploughed up by them, with the plough of the Gospel the Lord succeeding their labours; and the seed of the word sown in them, which, by the blessing of God, shall take root, spring up, and bring forth fruit. And whereas the church of God is compared to a vineyard, and particular churches of Christ to vines; such men as are called by grace from among the Gentiles, and have received gifts from Christ, shall be the keepers and dressers of these vines, plant, and prune, and water them, and do everything requisite unto them; see ( Song of Solomon 2:15 ) ( 7:12 ) ( Song of Solomon 8:11 Song of Solomon 8:12 ) .

Isaiah 61:5 In-Context

3 to {give} for those in mourning in Zion, to give them a head wrap instead of ashes, [the] oil of joy instead of mourning, a garment of praise instead of a faint spirit. And {they will be called} oaks of righteousness, the planting of Yahweh, to show his glory.
4 And they shall build [the] ancient ruins, they shall erect [the] former deserted [places]. And they shall restore [the] {devastated cities}, [the] deserted [places] of {many generations}.
5 And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and {foreigners} [shall be] your farmers and vinedressers.
6 But you shall be called the priests of Yahweh, {you will be called} servers of our God. You shall eat [the] wealth of [the] nations, and you shall boast in their riches.
7 Instead of your shame, a double portion, and [instead of] insult, they will rejoice [over] their portion. Therefore they will take a double portion in their land; {they shall possess everlasting joy}.

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. Hebrew "flock"
  • [b]. Literally "sons of a foreign country"
Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.