Isaiah 55:9

Easy-to-Read Version

Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“For as heaven is higher than earth,so my ways are higher than your ways,and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Hebrew Names Version
For as the heavens are higher than the eretz, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

King James Version
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

English Standard Version
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

New American Standard Bible
"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.

New Century Version
Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

Amplified Bible
"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts higher than your thoughts.

World English Bible
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Geneva Bible (1587)
For as ye heauens are higher then the earth, so are my wayes higher then your wayes, and my thoughtes aboue your thoughts.

Legacy Standard Bible
"For as the heavens are higher than the earth,So are My ways higher than your waysAnd My thoughts than your thoughts.

Berean Standard Bible
"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.

Contemporary English Version
Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, my thoughts and my ways are higher than yours.

Complete Jewish Bible
"As high as the sky is above the earth are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Darby Translation
For [as] the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

George Lamsa Translation
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Good News Translation
As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways and thoughts above yours.

Lexham English Bible
"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Literal Translation
For as the heavens are high from the earth, so My ways are high from your ways, and My thoughts from your thoughts.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But as farre as the heauens are hyer then the earth, so farre do my waies exceade yours, & my thoughtes yours

American Standard Version
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Bible in Basic English
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.

King James Version (1611)
For as the heauens are higher then the earth, so are my wayes higher then your wayes, and my thoughts then your thouhts.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
But as farre as the heauens are hyer then the earth: so farre do my wayes exceede yours, & my thoughtes yours.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
But as the heaven is distant from the earth, so is my way distant from your ways, and your thoughts from my mind.

English Revised Version
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For as heuenys ben reisid fro erthe, so my weies ben reisid fro youre weies, and my thouytis fro youre thouytis.

Update Bible Version
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Webster's Bible Translation
For [as] the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

New English Translation
for just as the sky is higher than the earth, so my deeds are superior to your deeds and my plans superior to your plans.

New King James Version
"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

New Living Translation
For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

New Life Bible
"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.

New Revised Standard
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For, higher, are the heavens than the earth, - So, higher, are My ways than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.

Douay-Rheims Bible
For as the heavens are exalted above the earth, so are my ways exalted above your ways, and my thoughts above your thoughts.

Revised Standard Version
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Young's Literal Translation
For high have the heavens been above the earth, So high have been My ways above your ways, And My thoughts above your thoughts.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.

Contextual Overview

⁶ So you should look for the Lord before it is too late. You should call to him now, while he is near. ⁷ Evil people should stop living evil lives. They should stop thinking bad thoughts. They should come to the Lord again, and he will comfort them. They should come to our God because he will freely forgive them. ⁸ The Lord says, "My thoughts are not like yours. Your ways are not like mine. ⁹ Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts. ¹⁰ "Rain and snow fall from the sky and don't return until they have watered the ground. Then the ground causes the plants to sprout and grow, and they produce seeds for the farmer and food for people to eat. ¹¹ In the same way, my words leave my mouth, and they don't come back without results. My words make the things happen that I want to happen. They succeed in doing what I send them to do. ¹² "So you will go out from there with joy. You will be led out in peace. When you come to the mountains and hills, they will begin singing. All the trees in the fields will clap their hands. ¹³ Large cypress trees will grow where there were thornbushes. Myrtle trees will grow where there were weeds. All this will happen to make the Lord known, to be a permanent reminder of his goodness and power."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Psalms 36:5, Psalms 77:19, Psalms 89:2, Psalms 103:11, Matthew 11:25, Romans 11:31-36

Reciprocal: Genesis 2:1 - Thus Genesis 18:30 - General 1 Samuel 16:7 - seeth not 2 Samuel 7:19 - And is this 2 Kings 5:11 - Behold 1 Chronicles 17:4 - tell Job 11:8 - It is as high as heaven Job 35:5 - Look Psalms 33:11 - thoughts Psalms 40:5 - thoughts Psalms 65:12 - rejoice Psalms 71:19 - Thy righteousness Psalms 92:5 - thoughts Psalms 108:4 - thy mercy Psalms 139:17 - precious Proverbs 8:12 - I wisdom Proverbs 15:29 - he heareth Proverbs 17:15 - that justifieth Proverbs 21:18 - wicked Proverbs 25:3 - heaven Ecclesiastes 5:2 - for Ecclesiastes 7:24 - General Isaiah 40:28 - no searching Ezekiel 1:18 - they were so Hosea 11:9 - for Matthew 7:11 - how Luke 19:25 - Lord John 3:8 - so John 11:6 - he abode Romans 5:15 - But not Ephesians 3:18 - able

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For as the heavens, are higher than the earth,.... Than which there cannot be conceived a greater distance:

so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts; which may denote the heavenliness of the ways and thoughts of God, the eternity and unsearchableness of them, and their excellency and preciousness; as well as the very great distance between his ways and thoughts and men's which this is designed to illustrate.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For as the heavens ... - This verse is designed merely to illustrate the idea in the former. There is as great a difference between the plans of God and those of people, as between the heavens and the earth. A similar comparison occurs in Psalms 103:11 -

For as the heaven is high alcove the earth,

So great is his mercy toward them that fear him.

Compare Psalms 57:10 -

For thy mercy is great unto the heavens,

And thy truth unto the clouds.

Also Psalms 89:2 -

Mercy shall be built up forever,

Thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.

The idea in all these passages is substantially the same - that the mercy and compassion of God are illimitable.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Isaiah 55:9. For as the heavens are higher — I am persuaded that כ caph, the particle of comparison, is lost in this place, from the likeness of the particle כי ki, immediately preceding it. So Houbigant and Secker. And their remark is confirmed by all the ancient Versions, which express it; and by the following passage of Psalms 103:11, which is almost the same: -

הארץ על שמים כגבה כי

haarets al shamayim chigboah ki

יראיו על חסדו גבר

yereaiv al chasdo gabar

"For as the heavens are high above the earth,

So high is his goodness over them that fear him."

Where, by the nature of the sentence, the verb in the second line ought to be the same with that in the first; גבה gabah, not גבר gabar: so Archbishop Secker conjectured; referring however to Psalms 117:2.