Easter Season · A Sixth Reading Easter Vigil · Year C
Isaiah 55:1-11
Invitation to the Thirsty
April 16, 2028
Overview & Insights
“Seek the Lord while he may be found, call on him while he is near.” (Isaiah 55:6)
An Invitation to Sing: Once again a return to a focus on Ms Jerusalem follows the servant passage, as happened after 49:1–6 and 50:4–11. There were hints there that Ms Jerusalem’s restoration was the correlate of Ms Babylon’s humiliation in chapter 47. Chapter 54 is the systematic exposition of that theme. The prophet takes up five images of Ms Jerusalem which once again resume the themes of the people’s prayers (we are like a childless and abandoned woman, the victim of angry abuse—literally, we are a battered and insecure city) before coming to a striking conclusion.
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Commentary
Isaiah 55 Commentaries (multiple authors) BibleHub
Gathers several classic commentaries verse by verse on the chapter in one place.
Isaiah 55 Commentary: An Invitation to Receive the Glory Enduring Word · David Guzik
A clear modern verse-by-verse walkthrough of the invitation and covenant promise.
Barnes' Notes on Isaiah 55 StudyLight
Older exegetical commentary with careful attention to the Hebrew idiom of thirst and abundance.
Commentary on Isaiah 55:1-11 (Vigil of Easter) Working Preacher
Written specifically for preachers using this text at the Easter Vigil.
Isaiah 55:1-9 Commentary Center for Excellence in Preaching
A preaching-focused reading of the invitation to the everlasting covenant.
Background & Word Study
Isaiah 55 (Hebrew/English) Sefaria
Gives the Masoretic Hebrew text of the chapter alongside an English translation.
Isaiah 55 Interlinear Bible BibleHub
Lines up the Hebrew of each verse with English glosses and Strong's numbers.
Isaiah 40-66 Overview BibleProject
Video overview of the second half of Isaiah that frames where chapter 55 sits in the book's argument.
The Church Fathers
Questions preachers ask
What does Isaiah 55 invite?
The chapter calls the thirsty to come to the Lord for free grace, and here urges seeking him while he is near, for his thoughts and ways are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8–9). Mercy is held out to all who turn.
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