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Isaiah 55

KJV · Chapter 55/66

1Ho, 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.

2Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

3Incline 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.

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

5Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.

6Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

7Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

8For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.

9For 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 cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:

11So 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.

12For 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 field shall clap their hands.

13Instead 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 the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

A warm, poetic invitation: 'everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters' — God offers salvation freely, without money, and promises that his word, like the rain, always accomplishes its purpose. It closes with the beautiful image of mountains and trees bursting into joyful celebration.

Explanation

The invitation "come ye to the waters... buy... without money" uses the language of an ancient marketplace crier, but reverses the usual commercial logic: here, what matters most (water, bread, wine, milk — symbols of essential sustenance) is offered freely, illustrating that God's salvation and grace cannot be bought, only received. The declaration "my thoughts are not your thoughts... as the heavens are higher than the earth" is one of the most quoted texts about the difference between limited human wisdom and God's infinite wisdom. Comparing God's word to the rain that "watereth the earth... and returneth not void" emphasizes that his promises always come to pass, with a guaranteed effect just like the natural water cycle. The practical application today is to seek genuine satisfaction in God rather than spending energy and resources on things that "satisfy not" truly.

Fun facts

  • The phrase "my thoughts are not your thoughts" (v.8-9) is one of the most popularly used biblical quotations, even outside religious contexts, to express humility before the mystery and complexity of life.
  • The closing image of "the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing... and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands" is one of the most creative and joyful poetic personifications in all of biblical poetry, portraying nature itself celebrating redemption.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Isaiah 55:1The invitation to buy without money is deliberately contradictory: a banquet that looks like commerce but costs nothing. The point is that this offer from God is available even to those with no resources.
  2. Isaiah 55:2The question about spending money on what isn’t bread criticizes seeking satisfaction in things that don’t truly nourish — a direct invitation to trade empty effort for something that actually satisfies.
  3. Isaiah 55:3“The sure mercies of David” refers to the ancient promises made to David’s dynasty, expanded here to include the whole people in “an everlasting covenant,” no longer restricted to a single king.
  4. Isaiah 55:4Calling this David-linked figure “a witness” and “a leader and commander to the people” expands the Davidic royal role to an international reach, pointing beyond the borders of Judah.
  5. Isaiah 55:5“A nation that thou knowest not” running to the people describes recognition coming from outside — foreign nations drawn by this God’s reputation without any prior contact with Israel.
  6. Isaiah 55:6“While he may be found” and “while he is near” suggest urgency: the opportunity to seek God is not described as permanent and always available, but as something that calls for a response at the right time.
  7. Isaiah 55:7The invitation for the wicked to forsake “his way” and the unrighteous man “his thoughts” calls for a change involving both action and mindset, with the promise of generous pardon described right after.
  8. Isaiah 55:8The difference between God’s thoughts and human thoughts is compared to the distance between heaven and earth. It isn’t about God being incomprehensible, but about a different scale of things — especially after an exile that seemed like endless punishment and will end in restoration.
  9. Isaiah 55:9Comparing the distance between heaven and earth to the difference between God’s thoughts and human thoughts isn’t about total incomprehensibility, but about scale: a way of accepting that divine plans operate on a different level.
  10. Isaiah 55:10Rain and snow that come down and don’t return without accomplishing their purpose, watering the earth and producing seed and bread, set up the next verse’s comparison with God’s word, which works just as effectively and concretely.
  11. Isaiah 55:11“It shall not return unto me void” sums up the guarantee that God’s word is effective, always reaching the purpose for which it was sent, without failing along the way as human promises sometimes do.
  12. Isaiah 55:12Mountains and trees clapping for joy are nature personified, celebrating like people. It’s a poetic device common throughout the book for describing the joy of the people’s return home.
  13. Isaiah 55:13The thorn and the brier, common plants in abandoned land, being replaced by the fir tree and the myrtle, nobler trees, repeat the landscape-reversal image used in other chapters as a lasting sign of restoration.

Chapters

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