King James Version

Isaiah 55

Isaiah 55 is God's open invitation to come and receive, without money, what truly satisfies. It calls people to seek the LORD while he may be found, says his thoughts and ways are higher than ours, and promises that his word will not return to him void but will accomplish what he sends it to do.

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Isaiah 55 (KJV)

Come to the waters, without money v. 1-2

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.

An everlasting covenant, the sure mercies of David v. 3-5

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.

Seek the LORD while he may be found v. 6-7

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.

My thoughts are not your thoughts v. 8-9

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.

My word shall not return void v. 10-11

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.

Go out with joy v. 12-13

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.

What Isaiah 55 means

Isaiah 55 opens like a market call: "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters." The surprise is that the buyer has no money. Wine and milk are offered without price. God then asks why people spend money on what is not bread and labor for what does not satisfy, and invites them to listen to him and eat what is good.

Verse 3 says that listening brings life, and that God will make an everlasting covenant with his people, "even the sure mercies of David." God had promised David a lasting house and kingdom, and this chapter extends that promise to all who come. Nations that did not know Israel will run to it because of the LORD.

Verses 6-7 add urgency. Seek the LORD while he may be found and call on him while he is near. The wicked are told to leave their way and their thoughts and return to the LORD, who will have mercy and will abundantly pardon.

Verses 8-9 explain why such pardon is possible. God's thoughts are not our thoughts, and his ways are not our ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so his ways and thoughts are higher than ours. In context this is about his readiness to forgive, which goes far beyond what people would expect.

Verses 10-11 compare God's word to rain and snow, which do not go back up to the sky without watering the earth and making seed and bread. In the same way his word "shall not return unto me void" but will accomplish what he pleases. The chapter ends with a picture of a joyful homecoming: mountains singing, trees of the field clapping their hands, and the fir and myrtle growing where thorns and briers used to be.

Background and context

The book is named for Isaiah the son of Amoz (Isaiah 1:1). Chapter 55 belongs to the part of Isaiah that speaks comfort to God's people and looks ahead to their return from exile in Babylon. It follows directly after chapters 53 and 54, on the suffering servant and the restored people.

Traditional readers hold that Isaiah wrote the whole book; many modern scholars assign chapters 40-66 to a later setting. The invitation in this chapter is echoed by Jesus and at the very end of the Bible.

Key verses

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.
Isaiah 55:1 · KJV

Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
Isaiah 55:6 · KJV

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:8-9 · KJV

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.
Isaiah 55:11 · KJV

Cross references

John 7:37 Jesus cries, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
John 4:14 Jesus offers the woman at the well water that leaves a person never thirsting.But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
Revelation 22:17 The Bible's last invitation: whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
Acts 13:34 Paul quotes verse 3, the sure mercies of David, about Christ's resurrection.And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.
Romans 11:33 Paul marvels that God's judgments are unsearchable and his ways past finding out.O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
Hebrews 4:12 Like verse 11, it describes God's word as living and effective.For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

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Common questions

What is the main message of Isaiah 55?

God freely invites everyone who is thirsty to come to him, calls the wicked to return while he is near, promises abundant pardon, and assures that his word will accomplish its purpose.

What does my thoughts are not your thoughts mean?

In context, verses 7-9 are about God's mercy. His willingness to abundantly pardon is far higher than human ways of thinking, just as the heavens are higher than the earth.

What does it mean that God's word shall not return void?

Like rain that waters the earth before it returns to the sky, God's word always does what he sends it to do (Isaiah 55:10-11).

Who is invited in Isaiah 55?

Every one that thirsteth, including those with no money. Verse 5 adds that nations that did not know Israel will also come.