The Meaning of Isaiah 55:7 Explained

Isaiah 55:7

KJV: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

YLT: Forsake doth the wicked his way, And the man of iniquity his thoughts, And he returneth to Jehovah, and He pitieth him, And unto our God for He multiplieth to pardon.

Darby: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto Jehovah, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

ASV: let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto Jehovah, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Let the wicked  forsake  his way,  and the unrighteous  man  his thoughts:  and let him return  unto the LORD,  and he will have mercy  upon him; and to our God,  for he will abundantly  pardon. 

What does Isaiah 55:7 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The way was open for anyone to return to the Lord who may have wandered away from Him or rebelled against Him. The promise of a compassionate reception and abundant pardon applied, even to the wicked in act and the unrighteous in thought-in other words: to any sinner (cf. Matthew 5:21-22; Matthew 5:27-28).
Repentance is not something a person must do before God will accept him or her. It is simply a description of what seeking the Lord looks like. In other words, cleaning up one"s life is not a precondition for acceptance by God. The person who genuinely seeks the Lord and calls on His name has come to grips with his or her sin and is willing to turn it over to the Lord. After all, an unsaved person cannot forsake sin-or even desire to do Song of Solomon -without the Lord"s help.
God can pardon sinners because of the Servant"s work in paying the debt of their sins in their place. Clearly, a way back from Babylonian exile is not what Isaiah was describing here-but a way back to God.

Context Summary

Isaiah 55:1-13 - The Free Offer Of Pardoning Grace
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 Resurrection. See Acts 3:14-15; Acts 5:31; Hebrews 2:9-10; Hebrews 12:2, where the words prince, author, and captain, are various translations of the same Greek word. The meaning of the original word is file leader. He leads out of death into life; out of defeat into victory; out of suffering into perfection; out of the sorrow and pain of discipline into the triumph of the sons of light.
The everlasting covenant, Isaiah 55:3. David's sin could not cancel the sure mercies of God. See 2 Samuel 7:14-16 and 2 Samuel 23:5. God will never go back on that covenant which includes us! See Hebrews 8:1-13. God's mercies in Christ are sure. Listen! Come! Hear! We are not only forever safe, but we are provided against all want.
God's abundant provision is described under several terms: waters, wine, milk, wholesome and satisfying bread, the good, fatness, Isaiah 55:1-2. We are blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ, Ephesians 1:3. And because God's thoughts and ways are not as ours, the result is the transformation of thorns into firs and briars into myrtles. [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 55

1  The prophet, with the promises of Christ, calls to faith
6  And to repentance
8  The happy success of those who believe

What do the individual words in Isaiah 55:7 mean?

Let forsake the wicked his way and the man unrighteous his thoughts and let him return to Yahweh and He will have mercy on him and to our God for He will abundantly pardon
יַעֲזֹ֤ב רָשָׁע֙ דַּרְכּ֔וֹ וְאִ֥ישׁ אָ֖וֶן מַחְשְׁבֹתָ֑יו וְיָשֹׁ֤ב אֶל־ יְהוָה֙ וִֽירַחֲמֵ֔הוּ וְאֶל־ אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ כִּֽי־ יַרְבֶּ֥ה לִסְלֽוֹחַ

יַעֲזֹ֤ב  Let  forsake 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: עָזַב 
Sense: to leave, loose, forsake.
רָשָׁע֙  the  wicked 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: רָשָׁע  
Sense: wicked, criminal.
דַּרְכּ֔וֹ  his  way 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: דֶּרֶךְ  
Sense: way, road, distance, journey, manner.
וְאִ֥ישׁ  and  the  man 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
אָ֖וֶן  unrighteous 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָוֶן 
Sense: trouble, wickedness, sorrow.
מַחְשְׁבֹתָ֑יו  his  thoughts 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: מַחֲשָׁבָה  
Sense: thought, device.
וְיָשֹׁ֤ב  and  let  him  return 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect Jussive, third person masculine singular
Root: שׁוּב  
Sense: to return, turn back.
יְהוָה֙  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: Jehovah—used primarily in the combination ‘Lord Jehovah’.
וִֽירַחֲמֵ֔הוּ  and  He  will  have  mercy  on  him 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Conjunctive imperfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine singular
Root: רָחַם  
Sense: to love, love deeply, have mercy, be compassionate, have tender affection, have compassion.
וְאֶל־  and  to 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ  our  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
יַרְבֶּ֥ה  He  will  abundantly 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: הַרְבָּה 
Sense: be or become great, be or become many, be or become much, be or become numerous.
לִסְלֽוֹחַ  pardon 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: סָלַח  
Sense: to forgive, pardon.