הֹוי כָּל־צָמֵא לְכוּ לַמַּיִם וַאֲשֶׁר אֵין־לֹו כָּסֶף לְכוּ שִׁבְרוּ וֶאֱכֹלוּ וּלְכוּ שִׁבְרוּ בְּלֹוא־כֶסֶף וּבְלֹוא מְחִיר יַיִן 55:1 וְחָלָב׃
Isai. 55:1 “Ho, all you thirsty, come to the water!
And for whomever there is no money,
come, buy, and eat!
And come, buy, without money
and without cost, wine and milk!”
I presume this is a metaphorical verse. The thirst must be for God and truth, the water, the Torah. There is no cost for drinking and eating of it, and no cost to approach the Lord. Also all the second-person pronouns in this verse are plural, thus, according to me, are addressing individuals.
לָמָּה תִשְׁקְלוּ־כֶסֶף בְּלֹוא־לֶחֶם וִיגִיעֲכֶם בְּלֹוא לְשָׂבְעָה שִׁמְעוּ שָׁמֹועַ אֵלַי וְאִכְלוּ־טֹוב וְתִתְעַנַּג בַּדֶּשֶׁן 55:2 נַפְשְׁכֶם׃
Isai. 55:2 “Why would you spend money on other than food,
and your profit on other than to satisfy?
Listen diligently to Me, and eat the good,
so your soul may delight in fatness.”
I believe the metaphor continues. Why expend your energy on other gods or other writings? Instead, listen to the Lord! Understand what the Torah has to give! Here also all the second-person pronouns are plural.
הַטּוּ אָזְנְכֶם וּלְכוּ אֵלַי שִׁמְעוּ וּתְחִי נַפְשְׁכֶם וְאֶכְרְתָה לָכֶם בְּרִית עֹולָם חַסְדֵי דָוִד הַנֶּאֱמָנִים׃ 55:3
Isai. 55:3 “Incline your ear and come to Me!
Hear, so your soul may live!
And I will make for you a covenant everlasting,
you favored of David, who are faithful!”
I suspect the favored of David are his descendants. All second-person pronouns are plural.
הֵן עֵד לְאוּמִּים נְתַתִּיו נָגִיד וּמְצַוֵּה לְאֻמִּים׃ 55:4
Isai. 55:4 “Behold, I give him as a witness to the peoples,
a prince and commander to the peoples.”
This refers to David, I think. Alternatively, it might refer to Israel.
הֵן גֹּוי לֹא־תֵדַע תִּקְרָא וְגֹוי לֹא־יְדָעוּךָ אֵלֶיךָ יָרוּצוּ לְמַעַן יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ וְלִקְדֹושׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּי פֵאֲרָךְ׃ 55:5
Isai. 55:5 Behold, you will call a nation you will not know,
and a nation that does not know you,
they shall run to you,
because of the Lord, your God,
and to the Holy One of Israel,
for He has glorified you.
You will call a nation ...? I presume this means you will call for a nation to come to you and another nation as well. Nations you don’t know or know you. I assume that means all nations. So this verse seems to be saying that all nations will be drawn to Israel. Why do I say Israel? Because all the second-person pronouns in this verse are masculine singular, not plural.
דִּרְשׁוּ יְהוָה בְּהִמָּצְאֹו קְרָאֻהוּ בִּהְיֹותֹו קָרֹוב׃ 55:6
Isai. 55:6 Worship the Lord in His presence!
Call upon Him in His being near!
The verbs (the two that are imperative) in this verse are masculine plural. So the implied second-person pronouns are masculine plural. Each individual is being told to worship and call upon the Lord.
יַעֲזֹב רָשָׁע דַּרְכֹּו וְאִישׁ אָוֶן מַחְשְׁבֹתָיו וְיָשֹׁב אֶל־יְהוָה וִירַחֲמֵהוּ וְאֶל־אֱלֹהֵינוּ כִּי־יַרְבֶּה לִסְלֹוחַ׃ 55:7
Isai. 55:7 Let the wicked one forsake his way,
and the one of iniquity his thoughts,
so he might return to the Lord
that He might pity him,
and to our God,
that He might continue to pardon.
כִּי לֹא מַחְשְׁבֹותַי מַחְשְׁבֹותֵיכֶם וְלֹא דַרְכֵיכֶם דְּרָכָי נְאֻם יְהוָה׃ 55:8
Isai. 55:8 “Surely My thoughts are not your thoughts,
your ways are not My ways,” says the Lord.
כִּי־גָבְהוּ שָׁמַיִם מֵאָרֶץ כֵּן גָּבְהוּ דְרָכַי מִדַּרְכֵיכֶם וּמַחְשְׁבֹתַי מִמַּחְשְׁבֹתֵיכֶם׃ 55:9
Isai. 55:9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are My ways higher than your ways,
and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
כִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר יֵרֵד הַגֶּשֶׁם וְהַשֶּׁלֶג מִן־הַשָּׁמַיִם וְשָׁמָּה לֹא יָשׁוּב כִּי אִם־הִרְוָה אֶת־הָאָרֶץ וְהֹולִידָהּ 55:10 וְהִצְמִיחָהּ וְנָתַן זֶרַע לַזֹּרֵעַ וְלֶחֶם לָאֹכֵל׃
Isai. 55:10 “Surely as rain falls, and snow,
from the skies and will not return there
before watering the earth,
and begetting and causing it to grow,
then offering seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
כֵּן יִהְיֶה דְבָרִי אֲשֶׁר יֵצֵא מִפִּי לֹא־יָשׁוּב אֵלַי רֵיקָם כִּי אִם־עָשָׂה אֶת־אֲשֶׁר חָפַצְתִּי וְהִצְלִיחַ אֲשֶׁר 55:11 שְׁלַחְתִּיו׃
Isai. 55:11 so shall be My word that goes forth from My mouth.
It shall not return to Me ineffectual,
before accomplishing what I desire,
and making happen what I send it for.”
כִּי־בְשִׂמְחָה תֵצֵאוּ וּבְשָׁלֹום תּוּבָלוּן הֶהָרִים וְהַגְּבָעֹות יִפְצְחוּ לִפְנֵיכֶם רִנָּה וְכָל־עֲצֵי הַשָּׂדֶה 55:12 יִמְחֲאוּ־כָף׃
Isai. 55:12 When you will go out with joy,
and are led forth peacefully,
the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you in song,
and all the trees of the field shall clap hands.
The second-person pronoun in the first line and the implied one in the second line are both masculine plural.
תַּחַת הַנַּעֲצוּץ יַעֲלֶה בְרֹושׁ תַחַת הַסִּרְפַּד יַעֲלֶה הֲדַס וְהָיָה לַיהוָה לְשֵׁם לְאֹות עֹולָם לֹא יִכָּרֵת׃ 55:13
Isai. 55:13 Instead of the thorn, cypress shall come up;
instead of the briar, myrtle shall come up.
And it shall be the Lord's as a memorial,
for an everlasting sign.
It shall not be cut short.
Here again we are reminded that these prophecies are meant to be eternal, timeless.
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