Isaiah 56:8 - Exposition

The Lord God ; rather, the Lord Jehovah—Adonai Jehovah. An unusual phrase. Which gathereth together the outcasts of Israel ; i.e. the Lord who has pledged himself to bring back Israel from captivity, and to gather together Israel's outcasts from all regions ( Isaiah 11:11 ; Isaiah 27:12 , Isaiah 27:13 ; Isaiah 43:5 , Isaiah 43:6 , etc.). This same Lord now promises something further: "He will gather others also to Israel, besides his own gathered ones." Introduced with such emphasis and formality, this was probably, when delivered, a new revelation. In the present arrangement of the prophecies, however, it announces no novelty. The addition of Gentile members to the Israelite community has been declared frequently (see Isaiah 44:5 ; Isaiah 55:5 , etc.).