Isaiah 55:4 (WEB)

Passage

Behold, I have given him for a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander to the peoples.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 55:2 Why do you spend money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which doesn’t satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in richness.

Isaiah 55:3 Turn your ear, and come to me. Hear, and your soul will live: and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

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

Isaiah 55:5 Behold, you shall call a nation that you don’t know; and a nation that didn’t know you shall run to you, because of Yahweh your God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he has glorified you.”

Isaiah 55:6 Seek Yahweh while he may be found. Call on him while he is near.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "behold", "given", "witness", "peoples", "leader", 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 "Turn your ear and come to me..." into verse 5's "Behold you shall call a nation that...", 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.