Isaiah 56:6 Meaning and Explanation
“Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant;”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Foreigners who commit themselves to the Lord's service are grafted into His family.
The Context of Isaiah 56:6
The verse specifies the requirement: these strangers 'join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD.' This is not passive ethnicity but active choice—to shift allegiance, to labor in His service, to cherish His character. The covenant is open to anyone willing to make this turn.
What Does Isaiah 56:6 Mean?
Picture the stranger standing at the threshold. He has not been born into Israel, does not share the ancestral story, cannot appeal to the Abrahamic covenant as birthright. But he has chosen to serve the God of Israel, to love His name, to keep His sabbaths. He is offering not reluctant compliance but his whole labor and his love. The gate is open, and he walks through not despite being a stranger but because he has made this deliberate choice.
This is the vision that the gospel makes concrete. In Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free (Galatians 3:28). The stranger becomes family not through ethnic correction but through faith and service. When we turn from whatever gods we served before and commit ourselves to know and love the God revealed in Jesus, we step into this verse. We are grafted in not as inferiors but as full members, our service and our love counted as valid as any ancestral claim.
How to Apply Isaiah 56:6 Today
If you are new to faith in Jesus, or if you come from a background where believers wonder if you truly belong: your choice to serve and love Him makes you fully part of God's family. Your service counts. Your love matters.
Frequently Asked Questions About Isaiah 56:6
What does Isaiah 56:6 mean?
Foreigners who commit themselves to the Lord's service are grafted into His family.
What is the context of Isaiah 56:6?
The verse specifies the requirement: these strangers 'join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD.' This is not passive ethnicity but active choice—to shift allegiance, to labor in His service, to cherish His character. The covenant is open to anyone willing to make this turn.
How can I apply Isaiah 56:6 today?
If you are new to faith in Jesus, or if you come from a background where believers wonder if you truly belong: your choice to serve and love Him makes you fully part of God's family. Your service counts. Your love matters.