Bible Strands
Isaiah 55:6
Seek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He is near.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The prophet addresses Israel amid a promise that God will draw unknown nations to Himself. The command is issued as a present imperative urging immediate response to divine availability.
The words — The Hebrew imperative דִּרְשׁוּ (dir.shu) commands active pursuit, while קְרָאֻהוּ (ke.ra.'U./hu) commands urgent invocation. These paired verbs define the required response as both seeking and calling.
The thread — The motif of divine nearness and responsive calling appears in Jeremiah 29:12 and Psalm 145:18, where God promises to listen to those who pray. Isaiah 45:19 reinforces that God does not hide His word, making His presence accessible to seekers.
Why it lands — The text demands immediate action before the opportunity passes, framing access to God as a present reality rather than a distant promise. It requires the reader to stop postponing spiritual pursuit and engage God directly.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 29:12 Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
- Psalms 145:18 The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call out to Him in truth.
- Isaiah 45:19 I have not spoken in secret, from a place in a land of darkness. I did not say to the descendants of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in a wasteland.’ I, the LORD, speak the truth; I say what is right.
- Psalms 32:6 Therefore let all the godly pray to You while You may be found. Surely when great waters rise, they will not come near.
- Psalms 14:2 The LORD looks down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if any understand, if any seek God.
- Isaiah 65:24 Even before they call, I will answer, and while they are still speaking, I will hear.
- Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.
- 2 Corinthians 6:1 As God’s fellow workers, then, we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.
- Amos 5:6 Seek the LORD and live, or He will sweep like fire through the house of Joseph; it will devour everything, with no one at Bethel to extinguish it.
- 1 Chronicles 28:9 As for you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve Him wholeheartedly and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands the intent of every thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.