Isaiah 55
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TheGreat Isaiah Scroll, the best preserved of the biblical scrolls found atQumran from the second century BC, contains all the verses in this chapter.
Book	Book of Isaiah
Hebrew Bible part	Nevi'im
Order in the Hebrew part	5
Category	Latter Prophets
Christian Bible part	Old Testament
Order in the Christian part	23

Isaiah 55 is the fifty-fifthchapter of theBook of Isaiah in theHebrew Bible or theOld Testament of theChristianBible. This book contains the prophecies attributed to the prophetIsaiah, and is one of theBooks of the Prophets. Chapters40-55 are known as "Deutero-Isaiah" and date from the time of theIsraelites'exile in Babylon.

The original text was written inHebrew language.This chapter is divided into 13 verses.

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter inHebrew are of theMasoretic Text tradition, which includes theCodex Cairensis (895),the Petersburg Codex of the Prophets (916),Aleppo Codex (10th century),Codex Leningradensis (1008).^[1]

Fragments containing parts of this chapter were found among theDead Sea Scrolls (3rd century BC or later):

• 1QIsa^a: complete
• 1QIsa^b: extant: verses 2‑13
• 4QIsa^c (4Q57): extant: verses 1‑6

There is also a translation intoKoine Greek known as theSeptuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of theSeptuagint version includeCodex Vaticanus (B;${\displaystyle \mathfrak{G}}$^B; 4th century),Codex Sinaiticus (S;BHK:${\displaystyle \mathfrak{G}}$^S; 4th century),Codex Alexandrinus (A;${\displaystyle \mathfrak{G}}$^A; 5th century) andCodex Marchalianus (Q;${\displaystyle \mathfrak{G}}$^Q; 6th century).^[2]

Theparashah sections listed here are based on theAleppo Codex.^[3] Isaiah 55 is a part of theConsolations (Isaiah 40–66). {P}: openparashah; {S}: closedparashah.

{S} 55:1–5 {S} 55:6–13 {P}

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.^[4]

In theSeptuagint, the invitation reads:

Go to the water, ...go and buy.^[5]

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.^[6]

This passage is cited by theApostle Paul in asynagogue inAntioch, Pisidia, as recorded inActs 13:34.

Seek the Lord while He may be found,

Call upon Him while He is near.^[7]

That the LORD may "still" be found is highlighted in several translations, such as theJerusalem Bible (1966) and theContemporary English Version (1995).^[8]Albert Barnes writes of the implications here, that:

1. God may now be found
2. [But] the time will come when it will be impossible to obtain God's favor.name=barnes />

As amessianic text,

The leading thought is, that ... the offer of salvation will be made to people fully and freely. But the period will come when it will be withdrawn. If God forsakes human beings; if he wholly withdraws his Spirit; if they have committed the sin which hath never forgiveness; or if they neglect or despise the provisions of mercy and die in their sins, it will be too late, and mercy cannot then be found. How unspeakably important, then, is it to seek for mercy at once - lest, slighted now, the offer should be withdrawn. or lest death should Overtake us.^[9]

This verse is commonly seen as relating to prayer and is used forRogate Sunday in theLutheran tradition.^[10]

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways,

saith the Lord.^[11]

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways,

and my thoughts than your thoughts.^[12]

Anglican bishopRobert Lowth argues that the comparative "higher" is an incorrect translation here, stating this verse instead as:

For as the heavens are high above the earth,

¹⁰For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,

and do not return there but water the earth and make it bring forth and bud

that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

¹¹so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;

it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please,

and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.^[13]

The theme of verses 10 and 11 is closely comparable toIsaiah 40:8, and together these form an 'inclusio', bracketing the section comprising chapters 40–55, as 'the end matching the beginning'.^[14]

"Paradise regained" is a recurring theme in thebook of Isaiah, that after the transformation of animal life in Isaiah 11:6–9, the plant life is here transformed from the 'briers and thorns' as threats to agriculture in Isaiah 5:6 and others, to be cypress and myrtle (cf. Isaiah 41:19) in praise of God.^[14]

• David
• RelatedBible parts:Isaiah 63,Matthew 5,John 7,Acts 13

• Coggins, R (2007). "22. Isaiah". InBarton, John;Muddiman, John (eds.).The Oxford Bible Commentary (first (paperback) ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 433–486.ISBN 978-0199277186. RetrievedFebruary 6, 2019.
• Ulrich, Eugene, ed. (2010).The Biblical Qumran Scrolls: Transcriptions and Textual Variants. Brill.ISBN 9789004181830. RetrievedMay 15, 2017.
• Würthwein, Ernst (1995).The Text of the Old Testament. Translated by Rhodes, Erroll F. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans.ISBN 0-8028-0788-7.

• Isaiah 55 Hebrew with Parallel English

• Isaiah 55 English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate

• Book of Isaiah chapters

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata