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Isaiah 55

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Invitation to Free Salvation 1–5

1
Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. ​
2
Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labor for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. ​
3
Incline your ear, and come unto me; hear, and your soul shall live: and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. ​
4
Behold, I have given him for a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander to the peoples. ​
5
Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not; and a nation that knew not thee shall run unto thee, because of Jehovah thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee. ​

Seek the Lord While He Is Near 6–9

6
Seek ye Jehovah while he may be found; call ye upon him while he is near: ​
7
let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto Jehovah, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. ​
8
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith Jehovah. ​
9
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. ​

The Efficacy of God's Word 10–11

10
For as the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, and giveth seed to the sower and bread to the eater; ​
11
so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. ​

Eternal Joy and New Creation 12–13

12
For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing; and all the trees of the fields shall clap their hands. ​
13
Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir-tree; and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle-tree: and it shall be to Jehovah for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Isaiah 55

Verse 1

every one that thirsteth — Tsame', thirsty, offered water as in 'I will pour water upon him that is thirsty' (Isa 44:3). 'Buy' is shabar, the verb for buying grain (Gen 42:2), here done 'without money and without price'. Christ gives the same call: 'If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink' (John 7:37).

Verse 2

that which is not bread — The money and 'labour' (yegia, toil) go to what 'satisfieth not'. Christ says, 'Labour not for the meat which perisheth' (John 6:27), and 'I am the bread of life' (John 6:35). 'Fatness' (deshen) is the richness of 'the fatness of thy house' (Ps 36:8); 'delight' ('anag) recurs in 'delight thyself in the LORD' (Isa 58:14).

Verse 3

the sure mercies of David — Chesed, covenant love, with ne'eman, faithful. They are the mercies of the covenant with David: 'thy throne shall be established for ever' (2 Sam 7:16; also 2 Chr 6:42). Paul cites the line of the resurrection: 'I will give you the sure mercies of David' (Acts 13:34).

Verse 4

a witness to the people — Ed, one who testifies, the title Rev 1:5 gives to Christ, 'the faithful witness'. 'Leader' is nagid, the word for David's appointment 'to be ruler over my people' (2 Sam 7:8). The one given here is the heir to the 'mercies of David' named in v.3.

Verse 5

a nation that thou knowest not — The nations 'shall run' (ruts) to the one the LORD 'hath glorified' (pa'ar); Isa 60:9 repeats the words, 'because he hath glorified thee', as the isles bring Zion's sons from far. Zech 2:11 gives the same promise: 'many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day'.

Verse 6

while he may be found — Matsa', to be found, the promise of Jer 29:13: 'ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart'. The time of finding is also named in Ps 32:6, 'in a time when thou mayest be found'. 'Near' (qarob) is the nearness of Ps 145:18, 'nigh unto all them that call upon him'.

Verse 7

abundantly pardon — Salach, to forgive, the verb of Solomon's prayer, 'and when thou hearest, forgive' (1 Kgs 8:30). 'Abundantly' is rabah, to multiply, so God multiplies to pardon. The wicked forsake 'his way' and 'his thoughts' (machashavah, the word of vv.8–9); 'forsaketh them shall have mercy' (Prov 28:13).

Verse 8

my thoughts are not your thoughts — Machashavah is the word of 'the unrighteous man his thoughts' in v.7, and the verse begins 'For': the wicked can give up his thoughts because the LORD's are not his, and his ways of pardon exceed theirs. Paul cries over the same depth: 'his ways past finding out' (Rom 11:33).

Verse 9

higher than the earth — Gabah, to be high. The measure is the one David uses of mercy: 'as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him' (Ps 103:11). The height covers both his 'ways' and his 'thoughts', the pardon of v.7 included.

Verse 10

returneth not thither — 'Return' is shub, the verb of 'let him return unto the LORD' (v.7) and 'shall not return unto me void' (v.11). The rain and snow give 'seed to the sower, and bread to the eater', the eating of vv.1–2; compare 'he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food' (2 Cor 9:10).

Verse 11

not return unto me void — Reqam, empty-handed; the word 'goeth forth' (yatsa) from the LORD's mouth, as 'the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return' (Isa 45:23). 'Prosper' is tsalach. Christ speaks with the same certainty: 'my words shall not pass away' (Matt 24:35).

Verse 12

led forth with peace — The return recalls the exodus: 'he brought forth his people with joy' (Ps 105:43), here from Babylon: 'Go ye forth of Babylon' (Isa 48:20). 'Break forth into singing' (patsach) is Isaiah's phrase (Isa 44:23; 49:13; 54:1), and 'clap their hands' (machah) is used of the floods in Ps 98:8.

Verse 13

instead of the thorn — Na'atsutz, thorn, is found only here and Isa 7:19; sirpad, brier, only here. The myrtle and the fir tree are among the trees the LORD plants 'in the wilderness' and 'in the desert' in Isa 41:19. The sign 'shall not be cut off', using karat, the verb for 'make' (literally, cut) 'an everlasting covenant' in v.3.