Amplified Bible
Isaiah 55:6
6Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call on Him [for salvation] while He is near.
Isaiah 55:6 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
- New International Version (NIV)Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.
- English Standard Version (ESV)"Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;
- New King James Version (NKJV)Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.
Context of Isaiah 55:6
4Listen carefully, I have appointed him [David, representing the Messiah] to be a witness to the nations [regarding salvation], A leader and commander to the peoples. 5In fact, you [Israel] will call a nation that you do not know, And a nation that does not know you will run to you, Because of the Lord your God, even the Holy One of Israel; For He has glorified you.” Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call on Him [for salvation] while He is near. 7Let the wicked leave (behind) his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the Lord, And He will have compassion (mercy) on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. 8“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.
Read all of Isaiah 55Isaiah 55:6 word by word
דִּרְשׁ֥וּ יְהוָ֖ה בְּהִמָּצְא֑וֹ קְרָאֻ֖הוּ בִּֽהְיוֹת֥וֹ קָרֽוֹב׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Isaiah 55:6
- Isaiah 45:19I have not spoken in secret, In a corner of a land of darkness; I did not say to the descendants of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in vain [with no benefit for yourselves].’ I, the Lord, speak righteousness [the truth—trustworthy, a straightforward correlation between deeds and words], Declaring things that are upright.
- 1 Chronicles 28:9“As for you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father [have personal knowledge of Him, be acquainted with, and understand Him; appreciate, heed, and cherish Him] and serve Him with a blameless heart and a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and minds, and understands every intent and inclination of the thoughts. If you seek Him [inquiring for and of Him and requiring Him as your first and vital necessity] He will let you find Him; but if you abandon (turn away from) Him, He will reject you forever.
- 2 Chronicles 19:3But there are some good things found in you, for you have removed the Asherim (idols) from the land and you have set your heart to seek God [with all your soul’s desire].”
- Job 8:5If you would [diligently] seek God And implore the compassion and favor of the Almighty,
- Psalms 14:2The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the children of men To see if there are any who understand (act wisely), Who [truly] seek after God, [longing for His wisdom and guidance].
- Psalms 27:8When You said, “Seek My face [in prayer, require My presence as your greatest need],” my heart said to You, “Your face, O Lord, I will seek [on the authority of Your word].”
- Psalms 32:6Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You [for forgiveness] in a time when You [are near and] may be found; Surely when the great waters [of trial and distressing times] overflow they will not reach [the spirit in] him.
- Psalms 95:7For He is our God And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. Today, if you will hear His voice,
- Jeremiah 29:12Then you will call on Me and you will come and pray to Me, and I will hear [your voice] and I will listen to you.
- Amos 5:6Seek the Lord [search diligently for Him and long for Him as your most essential need] so that you may live, Or He will rush down like a [devouring] fire, O house of Joseph, And there will be no one to quench the flame for [idolatrous] Bethel,
- Matthew 5:25Come to terms quickly [at the earliest opportunity] with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way [to court], so that your opponent does not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you are thrown into prison.
- Matthew 7:7“ Ask and keep on asking and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking and you will find; knock and keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you.
- Matthew 25:11Later the others also came, and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open [the door] for us.’
- Luke 13:25Once the head of the house gets up and closes the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door [again and again], saying, ‘Lord, open to us!’ then He will answer you, ‘I do not know where you are from [for you are not of My household].’
- John 7:33Therefore Jesus said, “For a little while longer I am [still] with you, and then I go to Him who sent Me.
- John 8:21Then He said again to them, “I am going away, and you will look for Me, and you will die [unforgiven and condemned] in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.”
Commentaries on Isaiah 55:6
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6Seek ye the Lord while he may be found - Rab. David Kimchi gives the true sense of this passage: "Seek ye the Lord, because he may be found: call upon him, because he is near. Repent before ye die, for after death there is no conversion of the soul."Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 6-13Verses 6-13 Here is a gracious offer of pardon, and peace, and of all happiness. It shall not be in vain to seek God, now his word is calling to us, and his Spirit is striving with us. But there is a day coming when he will not be found. There may come such a time in this life; it is certain that at death and judgment the door will be shut. There must be not only a change of the way, but a change of the mind. We must alter our judgments about persons and…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6while He is near: When God kindly offers an invitation to salvation, people must respond (Isaiah 65:1; Jeremiah 29:13–14; Hosea 5:6; 10:12). Those who do not seek him during these times may never have another chance.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 66. The condition and limit in the obtaining of the spiritual benefits (Is 55:1-3): (1) Seek the Lord. (2) Seek Him while He is to be found (Is 65:1; Psa 32:6; Mt 25:1-13; Joh 7:34; 8:21; 2Co 6:2; He 2:3; 3:13, 15). call--casting yourselves wholly on His mercy (Ro 10:13). Stronger than "seek"; so "near" is more positive than "while He may be found" (Ro 10:8, 9). near--propitious (Psa 34:18; 145:18).Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 55:6
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 55
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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