Isaiah 55 2

Isaiah 55:2 kjv

Wherefore 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.

Isaiah 55:2 nkjv

Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance.

Isaiah 55:2 niv

Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.

Isaiah 55:2 esv

Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.

Isaiah 55:2 nlt

Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength?
Why pay for food that does you no good?
Listen to me, and you will eat what is good.
You will enjoy the finest food.

Isaiah 55 verses

Isaiah 55 2 meaning

Isaiah 55:2 presents a profound challenge and an gracious invitation. It directly confronts humanity's tendency to invest time, energy, and resources into things that ultimately fail to provide true satisfaction or sustain the soul. In stark contrast, it then calls for a focused, diligent hearing of God's word, promising genuine goodness and abundant, spiritual nourishment that truly delights and satisfies. The verse highlights the futility of seeking fulfillment apart from God and offers His abundant provision freely.

Isaiah 55 2 Context

Isaiah 55:2 sits within the concluding chapters of "Second Isaiah" (chapters 40-55), a section focusing on comfort, hope, and restoration for Israel during or after their Babylonian exile. Specifically, chapter 55 serves as a grand invitation, building upon the themes of God's unwavering covenant, His divine ability to bring about salvation (as depicted through the suffering servant in Is 52-53), and His power to create new things. The preceding verse (Is 55:1) calls out to "everyone who thirsts" and "he who has no money" to come and freely receive water, wine, and milk. Thus, verse 2 elaborates on why this free offer is so critical – because human efforts and earthly pursuits, often driven by scarcity or misguided desires from a post-exilic mindset, inevitably lead to disappointment and emptiness, rather than the sustenance and delight God alone can provide. The historical and cultural context underscores a people worn out by hardship, temptation, and a search for security in material things, highlighting the spiritual emptiness of their worldly strivings in contrast to the rich, enduring fulfillment found in God's promises.

Isaiah 55 2 Word analysis

• Why do you spend: The Hebrew "לָמָּה תִּשְׁקְלוּ" (lamah tishqəlu) literally asks "why do you weigh out?". This verb signifies not just spending money, but meticulously weighing it out, implying careful consideration and effort in exchange. It challenges the inherent wisdom of their financial choices.
• your money: "כסף" (kesef), meaning "silver" or "money," represents all economic effort and value, reflecting the ancient practice of using weighed silver as currency. It refers to valuable human resources and effort.
• for that which is not bread: "בְלוֹא לֶחֶם" (bə-lo' leḥem). "לחם" (lechem) means bread, but in this context, it broadly signifies essential sustenance and food that gives life and strength. The phrase implies an absence of true nourishment and vital life-giving substance, regardless of its appearance.
• your labor: "יְגִיעֲכֶם" (yəgi'ǎḵem) refers to the strenuous effort, toil, and outcome of one's hard work. It encapsulates the energy, time, and life invested, not just money.
• for that which does not satisfy: "וְלֹא לְשָׂבְעָה" (wəlo' ləśoḇʿah). "שָׂבְעָה" (śoḇʿah) means fullness, complete satisfaction, being sated. This highlights the inherent inability of their pursuits to bring genuine, lasting fulfillment or an end to hunger.
• Listen diligently: "שִׁמְעוּ שָׁמוֹעַ" (shimʿu shamôaʿ) uses an intensive construction, a verbal infinitive absolute ("shamoa") before the imperative ("shimʿu"). This structure is a powerful idiom in Hebrew, meaning "listen and keep on listening," "listen attentively," or "listen for certain." It emphasizes urgency, complete attention, and decisive obedience to God's instruction, implying a deliberate turning away from distraction.
• and eat what is good: "וְאִכְלוּ־טוֹב" (wə’iḵlu-ṭôḇ). "טוֹב" (ṭôḇ) means good, wholesome, excellent, beneficial, and morally right. It refers to food that is genuinely beneficial, offering deep spiritual health and rightness.
• and delight yourselves: "וְתִתְעַנְּגוּ" (wətitʿannəgû) means to take exquisite pleasure, to revel, to find luxurious enjoyment. It signifies not mere contentment, but profound joy and gratification, highlighting the rich quality of God's provision.
• in rich food: "עַל־דֶּשֶׁן" (ʿal-dešen) literally means "on fat" or "in richness/abundance." "דֶּשֶׁן" (dešen) often refers to the richest, choicest, fattest parts of an animal sacrifice, symbolizing the best, the most satisfying, and abundant provision. It implies a feast, an opulent spread, indicative of divine generosity.

Words-group by words-group analysis

• Why do you spend your money... and your labor...: This rhetorical question is a piercing rebuke, challenging the logic and ultimate wisdom behind human efforts misdirected towards emptiness. It's a divine questioning of human priorities.
• for that which is not bread, and... does not satisfy: This contrasting phrase explicitly points to the utter lack of true value or sustenance in worldly endeavors. "Not bread" denies essential life, and "does not satisfy" denies profound well-being and contentment. The two parallel clauses emphasize the complete futility.
• Listen diligently to me: This direct command, with its emphatic phrasing, shifts the focus from human activity to divine communication. It underlines the prerequisite for receiving true goodness: active, concentrated attention to God's voice and word.
• and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food: These two parallel commands describe the glorious outcome of listening to God. "Eat what is good" speaks of nourishment and benefit, while "delight in rich food" speaks of luxuriant pleasure and complete spiritual gratification. The contrast with the preceding "not bread" and "does not satisfy" is absolute, showcasing God's superior provision as life-giving and joy-producing in the highest measure.

Isaiah 55 2 Bonus section

The concept of "rich food" (דֶּשֶׁן - dešen) extends beyond mere nourishment to an association with the sacrificial system where the fat portions were reserved for God as the finest offering. Thus, receiving "rich food" from God implies participating in His choicest, holiest, and most intimate provisions, akin to a divine banquet. This verse serves as a polemic against the futility of idolatry and self-sufficiency, challenging the wisdom of societies that trust in human effort and created things rather than the Creator. The repeated structure "for that which is not bread" and "for that which does not satisfy" creates a powerful literary parallel construction (chiastic element in the full verse) that underlines the complete inadequacy of worldly provisions, driving home the central point through rhetorical force. The verse's call to "listen diligently" foreshadows the New Testament emphasis on faith coming from hearing the Word of God, establishing the essential pathway to receiving this spiritual feast.

Isaiah 55 2 Commentary

Isaiah 55:2 lays bare the universal human condition of striving for fulfillment in temporary and insufficient sources. It functions as a compassionate lament over misdirected human energy and resources, spent on things that look promising but deliver only spiritual famine and an enduring hunger. The "money" and "labor" represent any form of human effort—intellectual, physical, emotional—expended on endeavors that do not ultimately connect one to the Giver of life. In vivid contrast, the divine invitation urges a decisive pivot: "Listen diligently to me." This isn't a casual hearing but an intense, attentive heeding of God's word, presented as the true, sustaining, and profoundly delightful "food." This "good" and "rich food" is a metaphor for the covenant blessings, wisdom, spiritual nourishment, and presence of God Himself, freely offered. It points to a deep, spiritual satisfaction that worldly pursuits can never rival, providing life, joy, and peace far beyond mere existence.