Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 66:21
And I will also take of them for priests [and] for Levites, saith the LORD.
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.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
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.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Isa 66:21
And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites
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.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 21. And for Levites] For laleviyim, fifty-nine MSS., (eight ancient,) have velaleviyim, adding the conjunction 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.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
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 priests 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.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
21. of themthe Gentiles.
priests . . . Levitesforspiritual worship: enjoying the direct access to God which wasformerly enjoyed by the ministers of the temple alone (1Pe 2:9;Rev 1:6).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
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, 1Pe 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.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The latter, having been incorporated into the priestly congregation of Jehovah (Isa 61:6), are not even excluded from the priestly and Levitical service of the sanctuary. “And I will also add some of them to the priests, to the Levites, saith Jehovah.” Hitzig and Knobel suppose m ehem to refer to the Israelites thus brought home. But in this case something would be promised, which needed no promise at all, since the right of the native cohen and Levites to take part in the priesthood and temple service was by no means neutralized by their sojourn in a foreign land. And even if the meaning were that Jehovah would take those who were brought home for priests and Levites, without regard to their Aaronic or priestly descent, or (as Jewish commentators explain it) without regard to the apostasy, of which through weakness they had made themselves guilty among the heathen; this ought to be expressly stated. But as there is nothing said about any such disregard of priestly descent or apostasy, and what is here promised must be something extraordinary, and not self-evident, meehem must refer to the converted heathen, by whom the Israelites had been brought home. Many Jewish commentators even are unable to throw off the impression thus made by the expression m ehem (of them); but they attempt to get rid of the apparent discrepancy between this statement and the Mosaic law, by understanding by the Gentiles those who had been originally Israelites of Levitical and Aaronic descent, and whom Jehovah would single out again. David Friedlnder and David Ottensosser interpret it quite correctly thus: “ Mehem , i.e., of those heathen who bring them home, will He take for priests and Levites, for all will be saints of Jehovah; and therefore He has just compared them to a clean vessel, and the Israelites offered by their hand to a m inchah .” The majority of commentators do not even ask the question, in what sense the prophet uses lakkohanm lal e vayyim (to the priests, to the Levites) with the article. Joseph Kimchi, however, explains it thus: “ , to the service of the priests, the Levites, so that they (the converted heathen) take the place of the Gibeonites (cf., Zec 14:21), and therefore of the former Cananaean n e thnm ” (see Khler, Nach-exil. Proph. iii. p. 39). But so interpreted, the substance of the promise falls behind the expectation aroused by . Hofmann has adopted a more correct explanation, viz.: “God rewards them for this offering, by taking priests to Himself out of the number of the offering priests, who are added as such to the Levitical priests.” Apart, however, from the fact that cannot well signify “for Levitical priests” according to the Deuteronomic , since this would require (inasmuch as such permutative and more precisely defining expressions as Gen 19:9; Jos 8:24 cannot be brought into comparison); the idea “in addition to the priests, to the Levites,” is really implied in the expression (cf., Isa 56:8), as they would say and not , and would only use in the sense of adding to those already there. The article presupposes the existence of priests, Levites ( asyndeton , as in Isa 38:14; Isa 41:29; Isa 66:5), to whom Jehovah adds some taken from the heathen. When the heathen shall be converted, and Israel brought back, the temple service will demand a more numerous priesthood and Levitehood than ever before; and Jehovah will then increase the number of those already existing, not only from the , but from the also. The very same spirit, which broke through all the restraints of the law in Isa 56:1-12, is to be seen at work here as well. Those who suppose mehem to refer to the Israelites are wrong in saying that there is no other way, in which the connection with Isa 66:22 can be made intelligible. Friedlnder had a certain feeling of what was right, when he took Isa 66:21 to be a parenthesis and connected Isa 66:22 with Isa 66:20. There is no necessity for any parenthesis, however. The reason which follows, relates to the whole of the previous promise, including Isa 66:21; the election of Israel, as Hofmann observes, being equally confirmed by the fact that the heathen exert themselves to bring back the diaspora of Israel to their sacred home, and also by the fact that the highest reward granted to them is, that some of them are permitted to take part in the priestly and Levitical service of the sanctuary.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
21. And I will even take some of them for priests and Levites. The Prophet heightens the description of that which he had already declared about the extraordinary grace of God. He had made known that the Church of God should be collected out of all nations, so that, in spite of every difficulty and obstruction, even distant nations should draw near to them. But now he proceeds further, and instructs them that the Gentiles shall not only be adopted by God, but shall also be elevated by him to the highest honor. Already it was a great honor, that unclean and polluted nations were reckoned to be a holy people; but now here is something far more wonderful, that they are elevated to the highest pinnacle of rank.
Hence we see that the priesthood under Christ is very different from what it was under the Law; for under the Law one tribe exclusively was admitted to the priesthood, and the Gentiles, as unclean, were so far from having it in their power to discharge that priesthood, that they were even forbidden to enter into the temple; but now all are admitted without distinction. Some expound this passage in a general manner, that the Gentiles shall be priests; that is, shall offer themselves to God, as Scripture frequently denominates all believers “a royal priesthood.” (1Pe 2:9; Rev 1:6.) But he appears to describe in an especial manner ministers and teachers whom the Lord also chose from among the Gentiles, and appointed to execute this distinguished office; that is, to preach the Gospel; such as Luke, Timothy, and others of the same class, who offered spiritual sacrifices to God by the Gospel.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(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 prophets 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.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
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.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
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.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
them. i.e. Israel.
priests and for Levites. Reference to Pentateuch (Deu 17:9). See notes on Eze 43:19; Eze 44:10, Eze 44:13, Eze 44:15. App-92.
priests. Thus completing the fulfilment of Exo 19:6.
and. Some codices, with Aramaean, Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate, read this “and” in the text.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Isa 61:6, Exo 19:6, Jer 13:18-22, 1Pe 2:5, 1Pe 2:9, Rev 1:6, Rev 5:10, Rev 20:6
Reciprocal: Deu 26:19 – high above 1Ch 15:2 – to minister Isa 60:10 – the sons Jer 33:22 – the Levites Heb 7:12 – a change
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
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 Gods 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.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
66:21 And I will also take of them for {h} priests [and] for Levites, saith the LORD.
(h) That is, of the Gentiles, as he did Luke, Timothy and Titus first, and others after to preach his word.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Evidently the Lord will "take" some of these converted Gentiles and make them leaders in His worship (cf. Isa 56:5-6). He would accept Gentile believers as freely as Israelite believers, and would bless them with equal privilege in His service.
". . . all the nations will in fact be blessed through Israel (cf. Gen 12:3)." [Note: J. Martin, p. 1121.]