Of them I will also select priests and Levites,” says Yahweh.
Parallel Translations
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Of them I will also select priests and Levites,” says Yahweh.
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And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith the LORD.
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And of them also will I take for the priests and for the Levites, saith the LORD.
Cross-references (8)
Passages linked to Isaiah 66:21 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
- Exodus 19:6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”
- Isaiah 61:6 But you will be called Yahweh’s priests. Men will call you the servants of our God. You will eat the wealth of the nations. You will boast in their glory.
- 1 Peter 2:5 You also, as living stones, are built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
- Revelation 1:6 and he made us to be a Kingdom, priests to his God and Father—to him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
- Revelation 5:10 and made us kings and priests to our God, and we will reign on the earth.”
- Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over these, the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with him one thousand years.
- Jeremiah 13:18-22 Say to the king and to the queen mother, “Humble yourselves. Sit down, for your crowns have come down, even the crown of your glory. The cities of the South are shut up, and there is no one to open them. Judah is carried away captive: all of them. They are wholly carried away captive. Lift up your eyes, and see those who come from the north. Where is the flock that was given to you, your beautiful flock? What will you say, when he sets over you as head those whom you have yourself taught to be friends to you? Won’t sorrows take hold of you, as of a woman in travail? If you say in your heart, “Why have these things come on me?” Your skirts are uncovered because of the greatness of your iniquity, and your heels suffer violence.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (16 sources)
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain To wit, of the Gentiles, as he did Luke,…
To wit, of the Gentiles, as he did Luke, Timothy, and Titus first, and others after to preach his word.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Isa 66:21 And I will also take of them…
Isa 66:21 And I will also take of them for priests [and] for Levites, saith the LORD.
Ver. 21. And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites.] For evangelical pastors and teachers, who have a distinct function and employment in the Church of the New Testament, as the priests and Levites had in that of the Old, to teach, instruct, and edify God’s people.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Lest the Jews, being assured that the tribe of…
Lest the Jews, being assured that the tribe of Levi, which God anciently chose to minister before him, was among them, should say, Alas, if the Gentiles should be brought in, where would they have priests or Levites? God here by his prophet tells them he would provide priests, he would take
of them, of these converted heathens. for priests and Levites, that is, for gospel ministers, to teach and to instruct people, which was the priest’s work of old, Deu 33:10; 2Ch 17:7,9; Mal 2:6; for they are mightily mistaken that think the priests among the Jews had nothing to do but to sacrifice and burn incense, which work is ceased. Saith the prophet, God will find amongst the converted Gentiles those who, though they be not of the tribe of Levi, or house of Aaron, yet they shall do the true work of priests and Levites.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And I will also take of them for priests,....…
And I will also take of them for priests,.... That is, of the Gentiles, the brethren brought as an offering to the Lord; and therefore must respect Gospel times, when the Aaronic priesthood would be changed and cease, which admitted not of Gentiles, nor any of any other tribe in Israel, but the tribe of Levi; nor is this to be understood of the spiritual priesthood common to all believers, Pe1 2:5 since of those converted Gentiles brought, not all, but only some of them, would be taken for priests; and therefore can only be interpreted of the ministers of the word, who, in Old Testament language, are called priests, though never in the New Testament; but elders, bishops, overseers, pastors, and teachers. The first preachers of the Gospel were Jews, as the twelve apostles, the seventy disciples, Paul and Barnabas, and others; but when the Gospel was preached, and churches planted in the Gentile world, then priests, or pastors, or elders, were taken out from among them, and ordained over the churches everywhere; and which have continued, more or less, ever since; and will be more abundant in the latter day; whose work and office is not to offer up slain beasts, as the priests of old; but to point to the sacrifice of Christ, to the Lamb of God, that takes away the sins of men; and to teach the knowledge of crucified Christ, and the several doctrines and duties of the Christian religion, as the priests formerly taught the knowledge of the law, Mal 2:7,
and for Levites, saith the Lord; this still more clearly shows that the prophecy belongs to the Gospel dispensation, and is to be understood figuratively and spiritually; for none but those of the tribe of Levi could be taken for Levites in a literal sense; but here Gentiles are said to be taken for such, and design men in Gospel churches. The Levites, as their name signifies, were such as were "joined" to others; they ministered to the priests, and assisted them, and had the charge of the temple, and the vessels of it, to whom deacons now answer; who are helps and assistants to the ministers of the word: their business is to serve tables, and to take care of the secular affairs of the church; so that this is a prophecy of the churches in the latter day being truly organized, and filled with proper officers, as well as with numerous members.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain For priests - God will find among the converted…
For priests - God will find among the converted Gentiles those who though they are not of the tribe of Levi, yet shall do the true work of priests and Levites.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 21. And for Levites] For ללוים laleviyim, fifty-nine…
Verse 21. And for Levites] For ללוים laleviyim, fifty-nine MSS., (eight ancient,) have וללוים velaleviyim, adding the conjunction ו vau, which the sense seems necessarily to require: and so read all the ancient versions. See Jos 3:3, and the various readings on that place in Kennicott's Bible.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Isa 66:21. I will also take of them for…
Isa 66:21. I will also take of them for priests and for Levites — God will find among the converted Gentiles those who, though they are not of the tribe of Levi, yet shall do the true work of the priests and Levites. They shall minister in holy things, preside in the religious assemblies, teach the people, and bless in the name of the Lord. They shall be stewards of the mysteries of God, as the priests and Levites were under the law; angels or messengers of the churches, pastors overseeing and feeding their several flocks, elders, presbyters, or bishops, giving themselves to the word of God and prayer, (Act 6:2-4,) and wholly occupied in these holy duties. The apostles were all Jews, and so were the seventy disciples; the great apostle of the Gentiles was himself a Hebrew of the Hebrews. But when churches were planted among the Gentiles, they had ministers appointed them who were, of themselves, elders in every church, Act 14:23; Tit 1:5; which made the ministry to spread the more easily, and to be the more familiar, and, if not the more venerable, yet the more acceptable. God saith, I will take, not all them, though they are all, in a spiritual sense, made to our God kings and priests, but of them, that is, some of them. It is God’s work to choose ministers, by qualifying them for, and inclining them to, the service, as well as to make ministers, by giving them their commission. I will take them — That is, I will admit them, though Gentiles, and will accept of them and their ministrations. This is a great honour and advantage to the Gentile Church, as it was to the Jewish Church, that God raised up of their sons for prophets, and their young men for Nazarites, Amo 2:11.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain And I will also take of them for priests…
And I will also take of them for priests - I will give to them an honorable place in my public service; that is, I will make them ministers of religion as if they were priests and Levites. This cannot be taken literally - because the priests and Levites among the Jews were determined by law, and by regular genealogical descent, and there was no provision for substituting any in their place. But it must mean that under the condition of things described here, those who should be brought from the distant pagan world would perform the same offices in the service of God which had been performed formerly by the priests and Levites that is, they would be ministers of religion. The services of God would no longer be performed by the descendants of Aaron, or be limited to them, but would be performed by others who should be called to this office from the pagan world.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Of them, Gentiles; (ver. 19.) some of whom alone…
Of them, Gentiles; (ver. 19.) some of whom alone will be properly priests, though all enjoy the title in a figurative sense, 1 Peter ii. 9. The Jews strive in vain to elude this text. (Calmet) --- Under the law, one family alone enjoyed this honour: but Christ chooses the most deserving pastors. (Worthington)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain of them--the Gentiles.
of them--the Gentiles.
priests . . . Levites--for spiritual worship: enjoying the direct access to God which was formerly enjoyed by the ministers of the temple alone (Pe1 2:9; Rev 1:6).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 21, 22. And I will… take of them —…
21, 22. And I will… take of them — These words connect closely with the heathen converts of the preceding verse. “Of them,” together with the “and,” show this clearly enough.
For priests… for Levites — These are preachers of the atonement and reconciliation through the Messiah and Redeemer. Into the new Zion they are admitted, not by a Mosaic installation, but in virtue of their being made “kings and priests unto God” with all the believers in Jesus Christ — himself the great High Priest, Prophet, and King, in the new order of things — the new heavens and… new earth. So shall your seed and your name remain — This new order and constitution of the thoroughly established Messianic age has an unchangeable priesthood in Christ, and a perpetual seed and name in the body — the Church of Christ, of which he is head — with no distinction of Jew or Gentile. This view is fully substantiated by the unity of sense in the terms of this text or verse and the immediate context.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 21. And of them also will I take &c.…
21. And of them also will I take &c. (R.V.). Commentators differ in opinion as to whether the ministers of the sanctuary are to be taken from the restored exiles or from the Gentiles who bring them back; the language is consistent with either supposition. The latter is thought by some to be excluded by Isa_56:6 f. (shewing the utmost limit of concession to foreigners), and Isa_61:6 (where a priestly standing is assigned to the Jews). These considerations, however, are not decisive; and the emphasis of the statement is perhaps better explained by the bolder conception. In any case the prophet seems to contemplate a suspension of the provisions of the Law, for the words “I will take” suggest something more than that those who are priests and Levites by birth shall be permitted to exercise their hereditary functions.
for priests and for Levites] Strictly, “for the priests, for the Levites,” implying that they were to be given for the service of the priests and Levites. But the article should probably be omitted, and the rendering of E.V. retained. The conjunction “and” is supplied by all the Versions and some MSS. The duplication of the preposition distinguishes the expression from a characteristic phrase of Deuteronomy (see Driver on Deu_18:1), so that we cannot (without a change of text) render “for Levitical priests.” Nothing would be gained by such an alteration, for the adj. “Levitical” in this connexion would be a meaningless addition.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (21) I will also take of them for priests…
(21) I will also take of them for priests . . .—We are left to determine whether the promise is that even Gentile converts should be enrolled among the priests and Levites of the new Jerusalem, or that Israelites of the non-priestly tribes should be so enrolled. Was the prophet breaking down in thought the middle wall of partition, or clinging to its maintenance? Isa_61:6 seems in favour of the latter view, and we are probably right in looking on this thought, that of all Israel being eligible for the priesthood, as that which was in the prophet’s mind. Like other such thoughts, however, it was capable of expansion, so as to include the whole Israel of God, who were by faith the children of Abraham. (Comp. 1Pe_2:5; 1Pe_2:9, with Exo_19:6.)
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain And I will also take of them for priests…
And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites; literally, and I will also take of them unto the priests and unto the Levites; i.e. I will add to the existing body of priests and Levites, who are prosumably Jews, fresh members from the newly converted Gentiles. The existence of a sacerdotal order, with distinctions of ranks, in the Church of the redeemed, is implied, and the gracious declaration is made that the privilege of furnishing members to both ranks of the order shall be conferred upon the Gentile proselytes.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain And I will also take of them for priests…
Isa_66:21
And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites
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Taken for priests and for Levites
Those taken to be priests and Levites might be the Gentiles who bring back the dispersed of Israel, or the restored Israelites themselves.
The latter is the more probable meaning. (A. B.Davidson, D. D.)
From them refers to the converted heathen, by whom the Israelites were brought back to their home. (F. Delitzsch,. D.D.)
Incorporated in Jehovahs priestly Church (Isa_61:6), the heathen are not now excluded even from priestly and Levitical service in the temple. (F. Delitzsch,. D.D.)
A new order of priests and Levites
Under the Gospel dispensation God will select both out of Jews and Gentiles a chosen people, who shall stand before Him spiritually as the priests and the Levites stood before him typically. The connection leads us to see that not only a great promise but likewise a great privilege is herein implied. It is that we shall be priests and Levites. Now, the priests or Levites were persons set apart to be Gods peculiar property. Being thus set apart they lived only for Divine service. Further, they enjoyed the privilege of drawing near to God--nearer than the rest of people in that typical dispensation. In like manner there is a people to be found on earth at this day whom God has chosen to draw near unto Him. But priests and Levites had two works to do. They were engaged to do something towards God for men, and so they offered the sacrifices that were brought to the door of the tabernacle, whether according to the general ordinances, or to any special vows. Spiritually minded, they much engaged in intercession for the rest of Israel. So there is a people to be found this day who offer unto God acceptable prayer and praise, and in answer to their prayer, unnumbered blessings come down upon the sons of men. Another ,part of their office consisted in speaking for God to the people: For the priests lips should keep knowledge. As for the Levites, they were as ushers in the schools and tutors in the families of Israel. Amongst the Levites were found those scribes who became the instructors of the people, the copyists of the law, and the expounders of its statutes and ordinances; ministers who opened up to the people, as Ezra did, the knotty points of the old covenant, and expounded the Word. So, not all of us in the same degree, but all of us in a measure, are to be teachers of Gods revealed truth, even as He has taught us. The great point is this. It seems to be mentioned here as a matter of surprise that God should take any of the persons here mentioned--of the sinful, backsliding, transgressing Jews, or of the blinded, dark, benighted, heathen Gentiles--and make them to be priests and Levites before Him. That is parallel to the fact that God does take some of the most unlikely persons, who seem to be the most unsuitable of all, and make these to be His faithful and honoured servants among the sons of men.
I. THE FACT. According to the text, men have nothing to do with the selection; for it is said, I will also take of them--not, their parents shall bring them up to it; not, those who shall be looked out as the most fit and proper men on account of some natural bent and bias, or gift and talent, but, I will take. Gods priesthood in the world is a priesthood of His own choosing, of His own setting apart, of His own anointing. He hath made us kings and priests unto God. In their case, it appears that whatever was unfit in their character has been overcome by Divine grace. If God takes them for Levites, He makes them Levites; if He chooses them for priests, He makes them priests.
II. THE REASON OF THE FACT. Does not He do this to display His infinite mercy? And His power? And His sovereignty? Does He not thereby secure to Himself the most loving service? Another reason why the Lord takes the vilest of men to make them the saintliest is, that He might openly triumph over Satan. And do not you think this is done very much for the encouragement of the Church of God?
III. WHAT IS THE LESSON FROM THIS? Remember what state you were in before Gods grace took you in hand. Then consider what you are called to be; you are made priests and Levites. Then ask yourself what you would soon become if His grace were to depart from you. And what humility this vocation of God should produce! However high we may be raised, we must remember whence the honour cometh. And since He hath taken us for priests and for Levites, let us do every office heartily as unto the Lord. Let us serve Him with great thankfulness and joy. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 66:21 That some of the Gentiles would serve as…
66:21 That some of the Gentiles would serve as priests and Levites signifies the removal of God’s distinction between Hebrews and Gentiles (see 56:7; see also Gal 6:15; Eph 4:11-13).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.