The Meaning of Isaiah 56:11 Explained

Isaiah 56:11

KJV: Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.

YLT: And the dogs are strong of desire, They have not known sufficiency, And they are shepherds! They have not known understanding, All of them to their own way they did turn, Each to his dishonest gain from his quarter:

Darby: and the dogs are greedy, they know not to be satisfied, and these are shepherds that know not how to discern: they all turn to their own way, every one for his gain, even to the last of them:

ASV: Yea, the dogs are greedy, they can never have enough; and these are shepherds that cannot understand: they have all turned to their own way, each one to his gain, from every quarter.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Yea, [they are] greedy  dogs  [which] can  never have  enough,  and they [are] shepherds  [that] cannot understand:  they all look  to their own way,  every one  for his gain,  from his quarter. 

What does Isaiah 56:11 Mean?

Verse Meaning

These prophets and leaders of the people were greedy to satisfy their own desires and so were never satisfied. They had no understanding and so pursued their own personal agendas (cf. Isaiah 28:7-8; Isaiah 29:9-11).

Context Summary

Isaiah 56:1-12 - The Blessedness Of Sabbath-Keeping
The bright array of Messianic promises, which occupied the preceding chapters, is now followed by a portion of less interest, seeing that our attention is not now fastened on Christ, but on Israel. Birk calls this sermon "The Middle Ages of Delay," and says: "This new section of advice and warning belongs to this whole period from Isaiah to Christ. The like message applies now to the Church of Christ and its prospect of the Second Advent."
Special emphasis is laid on Sabbath-keeping because it was the special sign of God's connection with Israel. See Exodus 31:13-17; Ezekiel 20:12. It was also a type and pledge of the redemption rest, soon to be brought in and perfected by Christ's finished work, Hebrews 4:9-10.
What an ideal is presented here for character and conduct! To keep God's rest in our heart-the rest of faith; to cease from ourselves; to be joined to the Lord by one Spirit; to minister to Him; to love His name; to be His servants! What more could we imagine as characteristic of the Christian soul! Let us ask God to bring us to His "holy mountain" and to make us "joyful" in His "house of prayer." [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 56

1  The prophet exhorts to sanctification
3  He promises it shall be general, without respect of persons
9  He protests against blind watchmen

What do the individual words in Isaiah 56:11 mean?

And Yes [they are] dogs fierce greedy [Which] never have enough and they [are] shepherds not cannot who understand they all to their own way look every one for his own gain from his [own] territory
וְהַכְּלָבִ֣ים עַזֵּי־ נֶ֗פֶשׁ לֹ֤א יָֽדְעוּ֙ שָׂבְעָ֔ה וְהֵ֣מָּה רֹעִ֔ים לֹ֥א יָדְע֖וּ הָבִ֑ין כֻּלָּם֙ לְדַרְכָּ֣ם פָּנ֔וּ אִ֥ישׁ לְבִצְע֖וֹ מִקָּצֵֽהוּ

וְהַכְּלָבִ֣ים  And  Yes  [they  are]  dogs 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: כֶּלֶב  
Sense: dog.
עַזֵּי־  fierce 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural construct
Root: עַז 
Sense: strong, mighty, fierce.
נֶ֗פֶשׁ  greedy 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: נֶפֶשׁ  
Sense: soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion.
לֹ֤א  [Which]  never 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
שָׂבְעָ֔ה  enough 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: שָׂבַע  
Sense: to be satisfied, be sated, be fulfilled, be surfeited.
וְהֵ֣מָּה  and  they  [are] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, third person masculine plural
Root: הֵם 
Sense: they, these, the same, who.
רֹעִ֔ים  shepherds 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: רָעָה 
Sense: to pasture, tend, graze, feed.
יָדְע֖וּ  cannot 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: דָּעָה 
Sense: to know.
הָבִ֑ין  who  understand 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: בִּין  
Sense: to discern, understand, consider.
כֻּלָּם֙  they  all 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
לְדַרְכָּ֣ם  to  their  own  way 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, common singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: דֶּרֶךְ  
Sense: way, road, distance, journey, manner.
פָּנ֔וּ  look 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: פֹּונֶה 
Sense: to turn.
אִ֥ישׁ  every  one 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
לְבִצְע֖וֹ  for  his  own  gain 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: בֶּצַע  
Sense: profit, unjust gain, gain (profit) acquired by violence.
מִקָּצֵֽהוּ  from  his  [own]  territory 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: קָצֶה 
Sense: end, extremity.