Isaiah 55 6

Isaiah 55:6 kjv

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

Isaiah 55:6 nkjv

Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.

Isaiah 55:6 niv

Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.

Isaiah 55:6 esv

"Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;

Isaiah 55:6 nlt

Seek the LORD while you can find him.
Call on him now while he is near.

Isaiah 55 verses

Isaiah 55 6 meaning

This verse issues an urgent, gracious invitation from God for people to seek Him and call upon Him. It emphasizes that there is an opportune time, a season of divine favor and accessibility, during which the LORD can be found and is near to those who reach out. This call highlights both God's willingness to be approached and the human responsibility to respond actively and decisively within this window of opportunity.

Isaiah 55 6 Context

Isaiah 55 is part of the "Book of Comfort" (Isaiah 40-55), delivered during or shortly after the Babylonian exile. It serves as an invitation from God to His people, promising restoration and a new covenant. Chapters 40-54 highlight God's sovereignty, His power to deliver Israel, and the role of the Suffering Servant. Chapter 55 specifically opens with a gracious call to all, even those without money, to come and receive "living water," wine, and milk, metaphors for spiritual sustenance and abundant blessings freely given by God (v.1-3). This is set against the backdrop of their struggles in exile, where many were spiritually thirsty and had sought fulfillment in empty ways. Verse 6 directly follows promises of an everlasting covenant and the raising of the Davidic covenant heir (v.3-5), inviting the audience to respond to this great promise by seeking the LORD and calling upon Him while the opportunity for salvation and repentance is readily available, before a point where it might not be. This passage speaks to those who were disillusioned, perhaps questioning God's presence or willingness to engage. The verse functions as a critical bridge between God's gracious invitation and the subsequent call for the wicked to abandon their ways and return to God (v.7).

Isaiah 55 6 Word analysis

• Seek (דרשׁ - darash): This Hebrew term denotes an active, diligent, and intentional pursuit, to "tread," "frequent," "resort to," "consult," "inquire." It is not a passive waiting but an earnest turning towards God, often with prayer and repentance, a purposeful effort to find His presence, will, and help. It contrasts with merely waiting or passively hoping.

• LORD (יהוה - Yahweh): This is God's covenantal and personal name, emphasizing His eternal, self-existent nature and His intimate relationship with Israel. The command is not to seek a generic deity but the one true God who has revealed Himself in covenant.

• while He may be found (בּהמצאו - behimatzo): The word "found" (מָצָא - matsa) means "to find, attain, meet." The specific grammatical form, the Hithpael participle, carries a sense of readiness to be found or allowing oneself to be found. The crucial part is "while he may be found," which implies a limited season or condition of accessibility. This is not because God hides, but because there are times or circumstances where human obstinacy, the natural consequences of sin, or a closing window of divine patience might make Him seem or be practically unreachable for repentance or reconciliation in the same way. It emphasizes a present moment of divine favor.

• Call upon Him (קראו - qare'u): This word (קרא - qara') means "to call out, proclaim, summon, invoke." It signifies crying out to God in prayer, appeal, and dependence. It implies a personal relationship where one addresses God directly, expecting a response. This call is one of earnest invocation, not mere utterance.

• while He is near (בהיותו קרוב - bihyoto qarov): The word "near" (קרוב - qarov) indicates physical or relational proximity and accessibility. It signifies that God is presently close at hand, ready to listen and respond. Like "while He may be found," it suggests an opportune moment or season of grace when God has made Himself particularly accessible for reconciliation, mercy, and deliverance, emphasizing His immediate availability for encounter and help.

• Words-group analysis:

  • "Seek the LORD while He may be found": This phrase urges active, deliberate seeking of God. The "while He may be found" introduces a critical element of time, indicating a specific period when God's receptiveness to seekers is most prominent or easily accessible. It challenges any notion of infinite procrastination, suggesting there is a season of heightened divine readiness and human opportunity for a life-altering encounter with the Holy One.
  • "Call upon Him while He is near": This reiterates the urgent invitation. "Call upon Him" emphasizes prayer, appeal, and invocation, reinforcing the relational aspect of faith. The "while He is near" clause further underscores the time-sensitive nature, highlighting that God's closeness—His attentive presence and willingness to act—is something to be leveraged promptly. It's a dual call to both internal pursuit and vocal expression of dependence during a unique time of divine accessibility.

Isaiah 55 6 Bonus section

The concept of God's "nearness" and "findability" is deeply spiritual and relational rather than purely spatial. God is omnipresent, but His "nearness" in this context refers to His availability for intimate fellowship, a receptive posture for hearing prayer, and an open hand for offering salvation and mercy. When one hardens their heart or continuously rebels, God, though omnipresent, ceases to be experientially "near" in a redemptive capacity to that individual until they turn. The verse suggests a critical juncture in human experience or national history where God is making an earnest, immediate appeal. It functions as a warning against spiritual procrastination and as an encouragement to embrace the present opportunity for a restored relationship with the Creator, emphasizing that salvation, repentance, and communion with God are time-sensitive blessings to be seized immediately.

Isaiah 55 6 Commentary

Isaiah 55:6 serves as a climactic invitation within the grand scope of God's covenant promises, urging a timely and fervent response. It is a clarion call to humanity to engage with God actively—through "seeking" (a persistent, heartfelt pursuit of His presence and will) and "calling upon" Him (a vocal expression of dependence and appeal). The double emphasis on "while He may be found" and "while He is near" highlights a profound truth: while God is omnipresent, His active, salvific accessibility and manifest nearness for repentance and reconciliation can have specific seasons. This is not to imply God is capricious or temporarily absent, but rather that there are periods of unique divine grace and human responsiveness that should not be squandered. These windows are often marked by specific prophetic word, divine visitation, or historical junctures where the path to Him is made especially clear and wide. Delay can lead to a hardening of heart or to a time when God's call gives way to judgment, making Him, from a human perspective, no longer "near" in the same gracious, redemptive sense (cf. Heb 3:7-8). This verse underscores both divine grace—God desires to be found and is willing to be near—and human responsibility—we must actively respond to this offer with urgency. It anticipates the New Testament concept of "the day of salvation" (2 Cor 6:2), urging immediate repentance and faith. Practically, this means every day presents an opportunity to turn to God, but delaying a decisive turn of heart risks missing a uniquely potent time of divine appeal.