Isaiah 55:8

New Living Translation

"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the Lord . "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
The Lord says, "My thoughts are not like yours. Your ways are not like mine.

Update Bible Version
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says Yahweh.

New Century Version
The Lord says, "My thoughts are not like your thoughts. Your ways are not like my ways.

New English Translation
"Indeed, my plans are not like your plans, and my deeds are not like your deeds,

Webster's Bible Translation
For my thoughts [are] not your thoughts, neither [are] your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

World English Bible
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says Yahweh.

Amplified Bible
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD.

English Standard Version
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord .

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For why my thouytis ben not youre thouytis, and my weies ben not youre weies, seith the Lord.

English Revised Version
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

Berean Standard Bible
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways," declares the LORD.

Contemporary English Version
The Lord says: "My thoughts and my ways are not like yours.

American Standard Version
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith Jehovah.

Bible in Basic English
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, or your ways my ways, says the Lord.

Complete Jewish Bible
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways," says Adonai .

Darby Translation
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith Jehovah.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the LORD.

King James Version (1611)
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your wayes my wayes, saith the Lord.

New Life Bible
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, and My ways are not your ways," says the Lord.

New Revised Standard
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord .

Geneva Bible (1587)
For my thoughtes are not your thoughts, neither are your wayes my wayes, sayth the Lord.

George Lamsa Translation
For my thoughts are not like your thoughts, neither are my ways like your ways, says the LORD.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For, my thoughts, are not, your thoughts, Nor, your ways, my ways, - Declareth Yahweh.

Douay-Rheims Bible
For my thoughts are not your thoughts: nor your ways my ways, saith the Lord.

Revised Standard Version
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
For thus saith ye Lord: My thoughtes are not your thoughtes, & your wayes are not my wayes.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
For my counsels are not as your counsels, nor are my ways as your ways, saith the Lord.

Good News Translation
"My thoughts," says the Lord , "are not like yours, and my ways are different from yours.

Christian Standard Bible®
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,and your ways are not my ways.”

Hebrew Names Version
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD.

King James Version
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord .

Lexham English Bible
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways," declares Yahweh.

Literal Translation
For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says Jehovah.

Young's Literal Translation
For not My thoughts [are] your thoughts, Nor your ways My ways, -- an affirmation of Jehovah,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
For thus saieth the LORDE: My thoughtes are not youre thoughtes, & youre wayes are not my wayes:

THE MESSAGE
"I don't think the way you think. The way you work isn't the way I work." God 's Decree. "For as the sky soars high above earth, so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think. Just as rain and snow descend from the skies and don't go back until they've watered the earth, Doing their work of making things grow and blossom, producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry, So will the words that come out of my mouth not come back empty-handed. They'll do the work I sent them to do, they'll complete the assignment I gave them.

New American Standard Bible
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD.

New King James Version
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD.

Legacy Standard Bible
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts,Nor are your ways My ways," declares Yahweh.

Contextual Overview

⁶ Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. ⁷ Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously. ⁸ "My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the Lord . "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. ⁹ 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. ¹⁰ "The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. ¹¹ It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. ¹² You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands! ¹³ Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow. Where nettles grew, myrtles will sprout up. These events will bring great honor to the Lord 's name; they will be an everlasting sign of his power and love."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

2 Samuel 7:19, Psalms 25:10, Psalms 40:5, Psalms 92:5, Proverbs 21:8, Proverbs 25:3, Jeremiah 3:1, Ezekiel 18:29, Daniel 4:37, Hosea 14:9

Reciprocal: Genesis 18:30 - General 1 Samuel 16:7 - seeth not 2 Kings 5:11 - Behold 1 Chronicles 17:4 - tell Psalms 33:11 - thoughts Psalms 139:17 - precious Proverbs 8:12 - I wisdom Proverbs 15:29 - he heareth Proverbs 17:15 - that justifieth Proverbs 21:18 - wicked Ecclesiastes 7:24 - General Isaiah 30:18 - therefore Isaiah 40:28 - no searching Jeremiah 29:11 - I know Hosea 11:9 - for Micah 4:12 - they know Matthew 7:11 - how Luke 4:25 - many Luke 19:25 - Lord John 11:6 - he abode Romans 5:15 - But not

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,.... In some things there may be a likeness between the thoughts of God and the thoughts of men, as to the nature of them: thoughts are natural and essential to them both; they are within them, are internal acts, and unknown to others, till made known; but then the thoughts of men are finite and limited, whereas the thoughts of the Lord are infinite and boundless; men's thoughts have a beginning, but the Lord's have none; though not so much the nature as the quality of them is here intended: the thoughts of men are evil, even the imagination of their thoughts, yea, every imagination is, and that always and only so; but the thoughts of God are holy, as appears from his purposes and covenant, and all his acts of grace, in redemption, calling, and preparing his people for glory: the thoughts of men, as to the object of them, are vain, and nothing worth; their thoughts and sentiments of things are very different from the Lord's, as about sin, concerning Christ, the truths of the Gospel, the people of God, religion, holiness, and a future state, and in reference to the business of salvation; they think they can save themselves; that their own works of righteousness are sufficient to justify them; their privileges and profession such, that they shall be saved; their wisdom, riches, and honour, a security to them from damnation: however, that their sincere obedience, with repentance for what is amiss, will entitle them to happiness: but the thoughts of God are the reverse of all this; particularly with respect to pardoning mercy their thoughts are different; carnal men think of mercy, but not of justice, and of having pardoning mercy in an absolute way, and not through Christ, and without conversion and repentance; and so this is a reason why men's thoughts are to be forsaken, because so very unlike to the Lord's. Or else these words are to be considered as an argument, proving that God does abundantly pardon all returning sinners; since he is not like men, backward to forgive, especially great and aggravated crimes, but is ready, free, and willing to forgive, even those of the most aggravated circumstances.

Neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord; the ways which God prescribes and directs men to walk in are different from theirs; his are holy, theirs unholy; his are plain, theirs crooked; his are ways of light, theirs ways of darkness; his are pleasant, theirs not so, at least in the issue; his lead to life, theirs to death; and therefore there is good reason why they should leave their evil ways, and walk in his. Moreover, the ways which he takes in the salvation of men are different from those which they, naturally pursue, and especially in the pardon of sin; he pardons freely, fully, without any reserve, or private grudge, forgetting as well as forgiving.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For my thoughts are not your thoughts - Interpreters have differed in regard to the connection of this verse with the preceding. It is evident, I think, that it is properly connected with the subject of pardon; and the sense must be, that the plans and purposes of God in regard to forgiveness are as far above those of people as the heavens are higher than the earth, Isaiah 55:9. But in what respects his plan of pardon differs from those of people, the prophet does not intimate, and can be understood only by the views which are presented in other parts of the Bible. The connection here would seem to demand some such view as the following:

1. People find it difficult to pardon at all. They harbor malice; they seek revenge; they are slow to forgive an injury. Not so with God. He harbors no malice; he has no desire of revenge; he has no reluctance to forgive.

2. It may refer to the number of offences. People, if they forgive once, are slow to forgive a second time, and still more reluctant to forgive a third time, and if the offence is often repeated they refuse to forgive altogether. Not so with God. No matter how often we have violated his law, yet be can multiply forgiveness in proportion to our faults.

3. The number of the offenders. People may pardon one or a few who injure them, but if the number is greatly increased, their compassions are closed, and they feel that the world is arrayed against them. Not so with God. No matter how numerous the offenders - though they embrace the inhabitants of the whole world - yet he can extend forgiveness to them all.

4. In regard to the aggravation of offences. People forgive a slight injury. However, if it is aggravated, they are slow to pardon. But not so with God. No matter bow aggravated the offence, he is ready to forgive. It may be added:

5. That his thoughts in regard to the mode of pardon are far above ours. The plan of forgiveness through a Redeemer - the scheme of pardon so fully illustrated in Isaiah 53:1-12, and on which the reasoning of the prophet here is based - is as far above any of the modes of pardon among people, as the heavens are above the earth. The scheme which contemplated the incarnation of the Son of God; which proffered forgiveness only through his substituted sufferings, and in virtue of his bitter death, was one which man could not have thought of, and which surpasses all the schemes and plans of people. In this respect, God’s ways are not, our ways, and his thoughts are not our thoughts.

But at the same time that this passage, refers primarily to the subject of pardon, and should be interpreted as having a main reference to that, it is also true of the ways of God in general. His ways are not our ways, and his thoughts are not ours in regard to his plans in the creation and government of the world. He has plans for accomplishing his purposes which are different from ours, and he secures our own welfare by schemes that cross our own. He disappoints our hopes; foils our expectations; crosses our designs; removes our property, or our friends; and thwarts our purposes in life. He leads us in a path which we bad not intended: and secures our ultimate happiness in modes which are contrary to all our designs and desires. It follows from this:

1. That we should form our plans with submission to the higher purposes of God.

2. We should resign ourselves to him when he chooses to thwart our plans, and to take away our comforts.