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Kretzmann's Popular Commentary

Isaiah 55:9

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, separated by an infinitely great distance, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. At the same time it is true that, although the weight of man's sins, the foolishness of wicked ways, is so great as to make them seem unpardonable, yet God does not cease to let His Word be proclaimed in richest measure.

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See also Isaiah 55:9 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse Isaiah 55:9. _FOR_ AS _THE HEAVENS ARE HIGHER_] I am persuaded that כ _caph_, the particle of comparison, is lost in this place, from the likeness of the particle כי _ki_, immediately preceding...

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    FOR AS THE HEAVENS ... - This verse is designed merely to illustrate the idea in the former. There is as great a difference between the plans of God and those of people, as between the heavens and the...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    CHAPTER 55 SALVATION'S OFFER AND PROVISION 1. _The invitation to everyone and the promise (Isaiah 55:1) _ 2. _The sure mercies of David (Isaiah 55:3) _ 3. _The exhortation to seek and to forsake (Isai...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    SEEK YAHWEH, FOR THE GREAT DELIVERANCE IS AT HAND. Let the exiles seek Yahweh, for the time is at hand. His plans for His people reach beyond their own as far as the heavens are exalted above the eart...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    Jehovah's thoughts transcend those of man as much as the heaven is higher than the earth. The point of the contrast is not the moral quality of the Divine thoughts as opposed to those of the "wicked";...

  • Charles Simeon's Horae Homileticae

    DISCOURSE: 985 GOD’S WAYS ABOVE OURS Isaiah 55:8. _My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord: for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways highe...

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    FOR MY THOUGHTS ARE NOT YOUR THOUGHTS— This whole period consists of two comparative sentences; the one of which sets forth the height and sublimity of the thoughts and ways of God, above the thoughts...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    2. EXTENT TEXT: Isaiah 55:6-13 6 Seek ye Jehovah while he may be found; call ye upon him while he is near: 7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him retu...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. FOR (AS) THE HEAVENS ARE HIGHER THAN THE EARTH, SO ARE MY WAYS HIGHER THAN YO...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    1. WATERS.. WINE.. MILK] These stand figuratively, as the whole context shows, for spiritual blessings....

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    ISAIAH: GOD CONTROLS THE NATIONS GOD’S SPECIAL SERVANT ISAIAH CHAPTER S 49 TO 57 _NORMAN HILLYER_ CHAPTER 55 THE *LORD’S INVITATION V1 ‘Come, all you who are desperate to drink. Here is water!...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    God uses ‘sky’ and ‘earth’ as picture words to show how different are God’s actions from human actions. • The sky is far above the earth. And God’s plans are much more wonderful than any human plan....

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    כִּֽי ־גָבְה֥וּ שָׁמַ֖יִם מֵ אָ֑רֶץ כֵּ֣ן גָּ

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    Isaiah 55:1, Isaiah 56:1 CHAPTER XXII ON THE EVE OF RETURN Isaiah 54:1, Isaiah 55:1,...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    THE FREE OFFER OF PARDONING GRACE Isaiah 55:1-13 _The Prince of Life_, Isaiah 55:4, r.v. Four times in the New Testament this title is applied to our Lord, and always in connection with His Resurrect...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    Immediately following the song we have the prophet's great appeal. It is made in the consciousness of the victory won by the Servant of the Lord and the consequent possibility of restoration offered t...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    Among a thousand testimonies in proof of this doctrine, as if to draw an everlasting line of distinction between the perfections of Jehovah and the character of all his creatures, this of grace and me...

  • John Calvin's Bible Commentary

    9._For as the heavens are higher than the earth. _This agrees well with that passage in which David, describing the mercy of God, says, (Psalms 103:11) that it is as much more excellent “as the heaven...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY COVERS CHAPTER S 55, 56, AND 57. Chapter s 55, 56, 57 are exhortations given in view of these things. Chapter 55 is full free grace, which consequently embraces the Gentiles....

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    FOR AS THE HEAVENS, ARE HIGHER THAN THE EARTH,.... Than which there cannot be conceived a greater distance: SO ARE MY WAYS HIGHER THAN YOUR WAYS, AND MY THOUGHTS THAN YOUR THOUGHTS; which may denote...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    For [as] the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Ver. 9. _For as the heavens are higher than the earth._] And that is no small...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    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 co...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    HIGHER THAN THE EARTH; inexpressibly and infinitely; for the distance between the earth and the highest heavens is unmeasurable by any man upon earth....

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Isaiah 55:9 heavens H8064 higher H1361 (H8804) earth H776 ways H1870 higher H1361 (H8804) ways H1870 thoughts...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    THE CERTAIN FULFILMENT OF WHAT YAHWEH HAS PURPOSED THROUGH THE POWER OF HIS WORD (ISAIAH 55:8). Isaiah now concludes this section from Isaiah 40:1 onwards by a final statement of the triumph of God's...

  • Sermon Bible Commentary

    Isaiah 55:8 I. The errors, in opposition to which the doctrine of the text is to be asserted, are those connected with what has been technically termed anthropomorphism. II. The testimony of the text...

  • Spurgeon's Bible Commentary

    Hear these inspired words, dear friends, as though they came fresh from heaven, as though God himself spoke them at this moment out of the excellent glory, for indeed he does so. The Word of God never...

  • Spurgeon's Bible Commentary

    It is the language of infinite mercy, speaking to the abject condition of mankind. We have become naked, and poor and miserable through sin, and God, instead of driving us from his presence, comes loa...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Jehovah's everlasting salvation. CHARACTERS: God, Christ. CONCLUSION: All are invited to partake of God's salvation provided through Christ. All the world's wealth and pleasure cannot sati...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Isaiah 55:12. _The mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing._ Virgil has the like ideas. _Eclogue 5:_62. _IPSI LÆTITIA VOCES AD SIDERA JACTANT INTONSI MONTES; IPSÆ JAM CARMIN...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _For as the heavens are higher than the earth,--_ THE NEAR AND HEAVENLY HORIZONS I. THE HEAVENS ARE SO FAR ABOVE THE EARTH, AND THEREFORE SO PURE. By nature, the trend of our thinkings and activities...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _For My thoughts are not your thoughts_ GOD’S THOUGHTS The thought of God! Who can fathom it? Astronomers tell us of stars in the sky at such infinite distances that their light, shooting through sp...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _Let the wicked forsake his way_ THE WAY OF RETURN TO GOD AND ITS ENCOURAGEMENTS 1_._ Here there are apparently two things expressed--a negative and a positive, two lines of conduct expressed--a for...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _Seek ye the Lord while He may be found_ THE LORD TO BE SOUGHT Notice how it reads: “Seek the Lord. ” It don’t say seek happiness; it don’t say seek peace; it don’t say seek joy. A good many people...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _He, every one that thirsteth_ THE CRIES OF THE WATER-CARRIERS Public messages [Isaiah] would, as a matter of course, deliver publicly in the frequented streets and bazaars, and in khans, and in the...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    ISAIAH—NOTE ON ISAIAH 55:7 LET THE WICKED FORSAKE HIS WAY... LET HIM RETURN. Thorough repentance is required. God’s THOUGHTS ARE NOT YOUR THOUGHTS—that is, they are as high above man’s thoughts as the...

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    GOD’S WAY OF PARDONING ABOVE MEN’S Isaiah 55:8 _For my thoughts are not your thoughts, &c._ Suppose your sovereign taking a personal interest in you. But you have become a rebel. She has every justif...

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    GOD UNKNOWN YET KNOWN Isaiah 55:6. _Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, &c._ There is a paradox in these words. They invite us to seek a God who yet cannot be found, to know a God who yet cannot...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION ISAIAH 55:1 AN EXHORTATION TO SPIRITUALITY AND REPENTANCE. The prophet passes from the ideal to the actual, from the glorious future to the unsatisfactory present. The people are not ripe...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Ho, every one that thirsteth (Isaiah 55:1), Going into the glorious Kingdom Age. Now, God detests and hates commercialism. God hates how people take advantage of one another. Profiteering on someone e...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    Matthew 11:25; Psalms 103:11; Psalms 36:5; Psalms 77:19; Psalms 89:2

  • Wells of Living Water Commentary

    THE GREAT INVITATION Isaiah 55:1 INTRODUCTORY WORDS Isaiah 55:1 is a marvelous appendix to the fifty-second and fifty-third Chapter s. In discussing the fifty-third chapter we saw the marvelous stor...

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