The Bible — World English Bible

Isaiah 55

In brief

Isaiah 55 is one of the most beautiful invitations in the Bible. God calls those who thirst to come to him freely, promises them an everlasting covenant and urges them to seek him while he is near. He offers pardon to the one who returns, reminds us that his thoughts are higher than ours, and compares his word to the rain that makes the earth fruitful. The chapter ends in joy: creation itself rejoices at the return of those God has redeemed.

The chapter in 4 parts

  1. v. 1-5Come to the waters: the free invitation and the everlasting covenant
  2. v. 6-9Seek Yahweh: pardon and thoughts higher than ours
  3. v. 10-11God's word, like the rain, accomplishes his purposes
  4. v. 12-13Joy, peace and a renewed creation

1“Hey! Come, everyone who thirsts, to the waters! Come, he who has no money, buy, and eat! Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

2Why do you spend money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which doesn’t satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in richness.

3Turn your ear, and come to me. Hear, and your soul will live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

4Behold, I have given him for a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander to the peoples.

5Behold, you shall call a nation that you don’t know; and a nation that didn’t know you shall run to you, because of Yahweh your God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he has glorified you.”

6Seek Yahweh while he may be found. Call on him while he is near.

7Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return to Yahweh, and he will have mercy on him, to our God, for he will freely pardon.

8“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways,” says Yahweh.

9“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

10For as the rain comes down and the snow from the sky, and doesn’t return there, but waters the earth, and makes it grow and bud, and gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater;

11so is my word that goes out of my mouth: it will not return to me void, but it will accomplish that which I please, and it will prosper in the thing I sent it to do.

12For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace. The mountains and the hills will break out before you into singing; and all the trees of the fields will clap their hands.

13Instead of the thorn the cypress tree will come up; and instead of the brier the myrtle tree will come up. It will make a name for Yahweh, for an everlasting sign that will not be cut off.”

Key verses

Verse 1
“Hey! Come, everyone who thirsts, to the waters! Come, he who has no money, buy, and eat! Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

God invites everyone who thirsts, even those without money. What he offers cannot be bought: it is a gift, and the call is addressed to the one who recognizes their need.

Verse 6-7
Seek Yahweh while he may be found. Call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return to Yahweh, and he will have mercy on him, to our God, for he will freely pardon.

Seek Yahweh while he is near. God calls us to change our path and our thoughts, and promises mercy to the one who returns, because he never tires of forgiving.

Verse 8-9
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways,” says Yahweh. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

God's ways are higher than ours as the heavens are higher than the earth. This verse does not invite us to give up all understanding, but to trust him when his paths surprise us.

Verse 10-11
For as the rain comes down and the snow from the sky, and doesn’t return there, but waters the earth, and makes it grow and bud, and gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so is my word that goes out of my mouth: it will not return to me void, but it will accomplish that which I please, and it will prosper in the thing I sent it to do.

God's word is compared to the rain and the snow that make the earth fruitful: it does not return empty. It accomplishes what he sends it to do, at the time and in the way he chooses.

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What the sermons say

Frequently asked questions about Isaiah 55

What does Isaiah 55:8-9 mean?

God says that his thoughts and ways are not ours, and that they are higher than ours as the heavens are higher than the earth. The context is an invitation to pardon and trust: even when his paths surprise us, they are good. The verse does not say that God is unknowable, but that we can lean on him without understanding everything.

What does Isaiah 55:11 mean: God's word does not return to him empty?

God compares his word to the rain and snow that come down from the sky and make the earth sprout. In the same way, what he declares reaches its goal. The verse affirms that God's word is effective, without promising that it will be fulfilled on our schedule or according to our expectations: it accomplishes his purposes, not ours.

What is the main message of Isaiah 55?

Isaiah 55 is a free invitation addressed to those who thirst: come to God, seek him, return to him and receive his pardon. The chapter also reminds us that his word is reliable and that his ways are higher than ours. It ends with the joy and peace of those who return.

Articles quoting Isaiah 55

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World English Bible translation — public domain.