Isaiah 66:21 Meaning: God's Surprising Priests from the Nations
Of them I will also select priests and Levites,” says Yahweh.
And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith the Lord.
And of them also will I take for priests and for Levites, saith Jehovah.
And also of them I take for priests, For Levites, said Jehovah.
And I will also take of them for priests [and] for Levites, saith Jehovah.
Meaning in one sentence
Who are 'them' in Isaiah 66:21? God promises to select priests and Levites from among the Gentiles, breaking old boundaries to serve in His presence.
Context
Isaiah 66 closes the book with a sweeping vision of the new heavens and the new earth. The Lord declares He will gather all nations and languages, and they will see His glory. Survivors from Israel will go to far-off lands, and the nations themselves will bring the scattered people of God back to Jerusalem as an offering. Then, in a stunning turn, God says He will take some of those same nations and make them priests and Levites. This is not a minor detail; it is a radical promise that the old boundaries of tribe and genealogy are being redrawn by God's own hand.
Key Words
Two Hebrew words carry the weight here. The verb laqach (I will take) means to take, receive, or select. It is the same word used when God chooses a servant or takes a people for himself. Here it suggests divine selection, not human appointment. But the force of it is personal: God is doing the picking, and He picks from the nations.
The word kohen (priest) originally meant one who serves at the altar, mediator between God and people. In the Old Testament, only descendants of Aaron could be priests, and only the tribe of Levi could serve as Levites. By pairing both terms, God is saying those roles will be filled by people who have no ancestral claim to them. And the little word gam (also) at the start of the verse underlines the surprise: not only will the nations bring Israel home, but God will elevate some of them to the most intimate service in His house. He is making a new thing.
How Christians Read This Verse
Many Protestant commentators, like Albert Barnes and John Gill, see this as a prophecy fulfilled in the New Testament when Gentiles became ministers of the gospel and the whole Church was called a royal priesthood. Matthew Henry writes that God will find among converted Gentiles those who do the true work of priests and Levites. The Cambridge Bible notes that the language could refer to the restored exiles, but the emphasis of the statement is better explained by the bolder conception of Gentiles being taken into priestly service. Catholic and Orthodox traditions read this as a foreshadowing of the universal call to holiness and the inclusion of all peoples in the new covenant worship of God, without erasing the special ministries within the Church.
A common misunderstanding
Some readers think this verse promises a literal restoration of the Old Testament Levitical priesthood in a rebuilt temple. In fact, as Barnes notes, the verse cannot be taken literally because the priests and Levites were determined by law and genealogical descent. Instead, God is announcing a new order where He directly selects servants from the nations to perform the offices of worship, something the old system could not accommodate.
Living This Out
This week, look at someone you think is unlikely to be used by God. Maybe you are that person yourself. God says, “I will take”, He does the choosing, and His choices are not limited by our categories. If you feel like an outsider at church, remember that God picked priests from the nations. And if you’ve been serving a long time, make room for the ones He is bringing in. Let this verse loosen your grip on who belongs and who doesn’t.
Main takeaway: God freely chooses servants from every nation to minister in His presence, breaking the old boundaries of birth and tribe.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
God said He would choose some people from all over the world to be His special helpers. He can choose anyone. He might choose you!
For ages 9, 12
In the Old Testament, only certain families could be priests. But here God promises something new: He Himself will pick people from every nation to serve Him. That means no one is too far away or too different to be used by God. When Jesus came, He made all believers into a holy priesthood.
Questions People Ask
Who are 'them' in Isaiah 66:21?
Most commentators understand 'them' to refer to the Gentile nations. The context in verses 18, 20 describes God gathering all nations and using them to bring the Israelites back to Jerusalem. Then in this verse, God says He will take some of those same Gentiles and appoint them as priests and Levites. It is a shocking promise because the old law reserved the priesthood for Israelites from Levi's tribe.
Why did God promise to take priests from among the Gentiles?
This promise shows that God's salvation is for everyone, not only for Israel by birth. It anticipates the new covenant in Christ, where Gentiles become fellow heirs and serve God directly. For Christians, it points to the truth that the Church is a royal priesthood made up of people from every nation, tribe, and tongue.
Does this verse mean the Levitical priesthood will be restored?
No, the verse does not predict a literal restoration of the Levitical system. As Barnes notes, it 'cannot be taken literally' because the old priesthood depended on genealogical descent. Rather, it uses the familiar language of priests and Levites to describe the honored service that converted Gentiles will perform in God's new creation.
How does this relate to the New Testament teaching of the priesthood of all believers?
The New Testament teaches that all Christians are part of a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices to God through Jesus (1 Peter 2:5,9). Isaiah 66:21 prepares for that by breaking the connection between priesthood and ethnic descent. God Himself selects priests from the nations, fulfilling the earlier promise in Exodus 19:6 that all Israel would be a kingdom of priests.
What does it mean that God will 'select' priests?
The Hebrew word 'laqach' means to take, carry, or choose. It implies a deliberate, personal act of God. He is not simply allowing people to step into these roles; He is actively appointing them. This emphasizes that the new priesthood is entirely God's initiative, not based on human heritage or merit.
For pastors & researchers
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