Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the LORD, speak, saying, The LORD hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree.

ISAIAH 56:3KJV
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Isaiah 56:3 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 56:3 mean?

Isaiah 56:3 tells people who are not native Israelites (“the son of the stranger”) and those who are eunuchs not to believe they are excluded from God’s people or blessings just because of their background or physical condition. The verse reassures them that joining themselves to the LORD means they are not cut off or useless.

Isaiah is speaking to those who might feel like outsiders—foreigners and eunuchs—at a time when belonging to Israel was often tied to ancestry and physical wholeness. The verse directly addresses their fears, using their own imagined words, and counters them with God’s welcome. This sets the stage for the wider passage, which promises that God’s acceptance is broader than many expected.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 56:3

  • “stranger” (נֵכָר, nekar): This word refers to someone who is not an Israelite by birth, often a foreigner. Here, it highlights that God’s invitation is not limited by ethnicity.
  • “joined” (לָוָה, lavah): This word means to attach or bind oneself closely. The verse uses it to describe people who have chosen to commit themselves to the LORD, showing that belonging is about relationship, not just heritage.
  • “eunuch” (סָרִיס, saris): This term refers to a man who has been castrated, often seen as unable to have descendants. Mentioning the eunuch directly addresses those who, by ancient law and custom, might have felt permanently excluded.

Why Isaiah 56:3 matters

  • Isaiah 56:3 makes clear that God’s welcome is not limited by ancestry or physical condition, correcting the idea that only certain people can belong.
  • The verse prepares the reader for the following promises in Isaiah 56, where God describes the blessings He will give to those who were once outsiders.
  • By naming the specific fears of foreigners and eunuchs, Isaiah 56:3 shows God’s awareness of personal struggles and reassures those who feel left out.

Where else these words appear

“dry” Hebrew H3002 · used in 9 verses

  • Numbers 6:3 He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried.
  • Job 13:25 Wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro? and wilt thou pursue the dry stubble?
  • Ezekiel 37:2 And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.

“joined” Hebrew H3867 · used in 22 verses

  • Genesis 29:34 And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have born him three sons: therefore was his name called Levi.
  • Esther 9:27 The Jews ordained, and took upon them, and upon their seed, and upon all such as joined themselves unto them, so as it should not fail, that they would keep these two days according to their writing, and according to their appointed time every year;
  • Ecclesiastes 8:15 Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun.

“stranger” Hebrew H5236 · used in 35 verses

  • Genesis 17:12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.
  • 1 Samuel 7:3 And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.
  • Psalms 144:7 Send thine hand from above; rid me, and deliver me out of great waters, from the hand of strange children;

“utterly” Hebrew H914 · used in 40 verses

  • Genesis 1:4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
  • Numbers 8:14 Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel: and the Levites shall be mine.
  • Ezra 6:21 And the children of Israel, which were come again out of captivity, and all such as had separated themselves unto them from the filthiness of the heathen of the land, to seek the LORD God of Israel, did eat,