Isaiah 55 · Verse 6

Isaiah 55:6

Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
Isaiah 55:6, King James Version

Isaiah 55:6 in other translations

BSBSeek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He is near.
WEBSeek the LORD while he may be found. Call on him while he is near.
ASVSeek ye Jehovah while he may be found; call ye upon him while he is near:
YLTSeek ye Jehovah, while He is found, Call ye Him, while He is near,
DARBYSeek ye Jehovah while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.
BBEMake search for the Lord while he is there, make prayer to him while he is near:
WebsterSeek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

What does Isaiah 55:6 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
6. 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).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 6 Seek 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."

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Isaiah 55:6-13
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 things. It is not enough to break off from evil practices, we must strive against evil thoughts. To repent is to return to our Lord, against whom we have rebelled. If we do so, God will multiply to pardon, as we have multiplied to offend. But let none trifle with this plenteous mercy, or use it as an occasion to sin. Men's thoughts concerning sin, Christ, and holiness, concerning this world and the other, vastly differ from God's; but in nothing more than in the matter of pardon. We forgive, and cannot forget; but when God forgives sin, he remembers it no more. The power of his word in the kingdoms of providence and grace, is as certain as in that of nature. Sacred truth produces a spiritual change in the mind of men, which neither rain nor snow can make on the earth. It shall not return to the Lord without producing important effects. If we take a special view of the church, we shall find what great things God has done, and will do for it. The Jews shall come to their own land; this shall represent the blessings promised. Gospel grace will make a great change in men. Delivered from the wrath to come, the converted sinner finds peace in his conscience; and love constrains him to devote himself to the service of his Redeemer. Instead of being profane, contentious, selfish, or sensual, behold him patient, humble, kind, and peaceable. The hope of helping in such a work should urge us to spread the gospel of salvation. And do thou help us, O Spirit of all truth, to have such views of the fulness, freeness, and greatness of the rich mercy in Christ, as may remove from us all narrow views of sovereign grace.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

Isaiah 55:6 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

דִּרְשׁ֥וּdir.ShuseekH1875
יְהוָ֖הYah.wehYahwehH3068
בְּהִמָּצְא֑וֹbe.hi.ma.tze.'Owhen he lets be found himselfH4672
קְרָאֻ֖הוּke.ra.'U.hucall on himH7121
בִּֽהְיוֹת֥וֹbih.yo.Towhen is heH1961
קָרֽוֹב\׃ka.RovnearH7138

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Isaiah 55:6

  • Jeremiah 29:12-14

    Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the Lord: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the Lord; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.

  • Psalms 145:18

    The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.

  • Isaiah 45:19

    I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the Lord speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.

  • Psalms 32:6

    For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.

  • Psalms 14:2

    The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.

  • Isaiah 65:24

    And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.

  • Matthew 7:7-8

    Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

  • 2 Corinthians 6:1-2

    We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

  • Amos 5:6

    Seek the Lord, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Beth–el.

  • Psalms 27:8

    When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.

  • 1 Chronicles 28:9

    And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.

  • John 12:35-36

    Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Seek.
45:19; 1Ch 28:9; 2Ch 19:3; Job 8:5; Ps 14:2; 27:8; 32:6; 95:7
Jer 29:12-14; Am 5:6; Mt 5:25; 7:7,8; 25:11,12; Lu 13:25
Joh 7:33,34; 8:21; 12:35,36; 2Co 6:1,2; Heb 2:3; 3:13
while he is near.
12:6; 46:13; De 4:7; Ps 75:1; 145:18; 148:14; Eze 8:6; Eph 3:13

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Isaiah 55:5

    Behold, 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.

  • Isaiah 55:6

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

  • Isaiah 55:7

    Let 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.

Read all of Isaiah 55

Isaiah 55:6 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Buscad á Jehová mientras puede ser hallado, llamadle en tanto que está cercano.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Cherchez l’ Éternel tandis qu’on le trouve; invoquez-le pendant qu’il est proche.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Suchet Jehova, während er sich finden läßt; rufet ihn an, während er nahe ist.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Quærite Dominum dum inveniri potest; invocate eum dum prope est.