Isaiah 55:4 (DBY)

Passage

Behold, I have given him [for] a witness to the peoples, a prince and commander to the peoples.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 55:2 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 55:3 Incline your ear, and come unto me; hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, the sure mercies of David.

Isaiah 55:4 Behold, I have given him [for] a witness to the peoples, a prince and commander to the peoples.

Isaiah 55:5 Behold, thou shalt call a nation thou knowest not, and a nation [that] knew not thee shall run unto thee, because of Jehovah thy God, and the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee.

Isaiah 55:6 Seek ye Jehovah while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "behold", "given", "witness", "peoples", "prince", and "commander". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "behold" and "given", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "Incline your ear and come unto me..." into verse 5's "Behold thou shalt call a nation thou...", so "behold" and "given" belong inside that flow. In Isaiah context, the local focus is the Holy One of Israel, judgment and restoration, the servant of the LORD, and Zion's hope.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "behold" and "given" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.