Isaiah 55

Isaiah 55 is the fifty-fifth Chapters and [verses of the Bible|chapter] of the Book of Isaiah in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. This book contains the prophecies attributed to the prophet Isaiah, and is one of the Books of the Prophets. Chapters 40-55 are known as "Deutero-Isaiah" and date from the time of the Israelites' exile in Babylon.

Text

The original text was written in Hebrew language. [Chapters and verses of the Bible|This chapter is divided into] 13 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis, the Petersburg Codex of the Prophets, Aleppo Codex, Codex Leningradensis.
Fragments containing parts of this chapter were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls :

1QIsa^a: complete
1QIsa^b: extant: verses 2‑13
4QIsa^c : extant: verses 1‑6

There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus, Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Alexandrinus and Codex Marchalianus.

Parashot

The parashah sections listed here are based on the Aleppo Codex. Isaiah 55 is a part of the Consolations . : open parashah; : closed parashah.

The Lord's invitation (Verses 1 and 3)

Verse 1

In the Septuagint, the invitation reads:

Verse 3

This passage is cited by the Apostle Paul in a synagogue in Antioch, Pisidia, as recorded in Acts 13:34.

Verse 6

That the may "still" be found is highlighted in several translations, such as the Jerusalem Bible and the Contemporary [English Version]. Albert Barnes writes of the implications here, that:

God may now be found
the time will come when it will be impossible to obtain God's favor.

As a messianic text, This verse is commonly seen as relating to prayer and is used for Rogate Sunday in the Lutheran tradition.

God's words are powerful (verses 8–11)

Verse 9

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

Verses 10–11

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

God's people will celebrate (verses 12–13)

"Paradise regained" is a recurring theme in the Book 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 in praise of God.