Isaiah58
World English Bible · Public Domain
1“Cry aloud! Don’t spare! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Declare to my people their disobedience, and to the house of Jacob their sins.
2Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways. As a nation that did righteousness, and didn’t forsake the ordinance of their God, they ask of me righteous judgments. They delight to draw near to God.
3‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and you don’t see? Why have we afflicted our soul, and you don’t notice?’ “Behold, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, and oppress all your laborers.
4Behold, you fast for strife and contention, and to strike with the fist of wickedness. You don’t fast today so as to make your voice to be heard on high.
5Is this the fast that I have chosen? A day for a man to humble his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under himself? Will you call this a fast, and an acceptable day to Yahweh?
6“Isn’t this the fast that I have chosen: to release the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke?
7Isn’t it to distribute your bread to the hungry, and that you bring the poor who are cast out to your house? When you see the naked, that you cover him; and that you not hide yourself from your own flesh?
8Then your light will break out as the morning, and your healing will appear quickly; then your righteousness shall go before you, and Yahweh’s glory will be your rear guard.
9Then you will call, and Yahweh will answer. You will cry for help, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ “If you take away from among you the yoke, finger pointing, and speaking wickedly;
10and if you pour out your soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light will rise in darkness, and your obscurity will be as the noonday;
11and Yahweh will guide you continually, satisfy your soul in dry places, and make your bones strong. You will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters don’t fail.
12Those who will be of you will build the old waste places. You will raise up the foundations of many generations. You will be called Repairer of the Breach, Restorer of Paths with Dwellings.
13“If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, and the holy of Yahweh honorable, and honor it, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words,
14then you will delight yourself in Yahweh, and I will make you to ride on the high places of the earth, and I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father;” for Yahweh’s mouth has spoken it.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Isaiah 58.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: Hypocrisy reproved. (1,2) . A counterfeit and a true fast, with promises to real godliness, and, (3-12).
vv1-2
The Holy Spirit had hypocrites of every age in view. Self-love and timid Christians may say, Spare thyself; dislike to the cross and other motives will say, "Spare the rich and powerful;" but God says, "Spare not:" and we must obey God, not men. We all need earnestly to pray for God's assistance in examining ourselves. Men may go far toward heaven, yet come short; and they may go to hell with a good reputation.
vv3-12
A fast is a day to afflict the soul; if it does not express true sorrow for sin, and does not promote the putting away of sin, it is not a fast. These professors had shown sorrow on stated or occasioned fasts. But they indulged pride, covetousness, and malignant passions. To be liberal and merciful is more acceptable to God than mere fasting, which, without them, is vain and hypocritical. Many who seem humble in God's house, are hard at home, and harass their families. But no man's faith justifies, which does not work by love. Yet persons, families, neighbourhoods, churches, or nations, show repentance and sorrow for sin, by keeping a fast sincerely, and, from right motives, repenting, and doing good works. The heavy yoke of sin and oppression must be removed. As sin and sorrow dry the bones and weaken the strongest human constitution; so the duties of kindness and charity strengthen and refresh both body and mind. Those who do justly and love mercy, shall have the comfort, even in this world. Good works will bring the blessing of God, provided they are done from love to God and man, and wrought in the soul by the Holy Spirit. 13,14 The sabbath is a sign between God and his professing people; his appointing it is a sign of his favour to them; and their observing it is a sign of their obedience to him. We must turn from travelling on that day; from doing our pleasure on that holy day, without the control and restraint of conscience; or from indulging in the pleasures of sense. On sabbath days we must not follow our callings, or our pleasures. In all we say and do, we must put a difference between this day and other days. Even in Old Testament times the sabbath was called the Lord's day, and is fitly called so still; and for a further reason, it is the Lord Christ's day, Rev. 1:10. If we thus remember the sabbath day to keep it holy, we shall have the comfort and profit of it, and have reason to say, It is good to draw near to God.
Key Words
קָרָא: to call out to (i.e. properly, address by name, but used in a wide variety of applications)
גָּרוֹן: the throat (as roughened by swallowing)
אַל: not (the qualified negation, used as a deprecative); once (Job 24:25) as a noun, nothing
חָשַׂךְ: to restrain or (reflex.) refrain; by implication, to refuse, spare, preserve; to observe
רוּם: to be high actively, to rise or raise (in various applications, literally or figuratively)
קוֹל: a voice or sound
שׁוֹפָר: a cornet (as giving a clear sound) or curved horn
נָגַד: properly, to front, i.e. stand boldly out opposite; by implication (causatively), to manifest; figuratively, to announce (always by word of mouth to one present); specifically, to expose, predict, explain, praise
עַם: a people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a tribe (as those of Israel); hence (collectively) troops or attendants; figuratively, a flock
פֶּשַׁע: a revolt (national, moral or religious)
Cross References
Isaiah 58Uses the identical technical Torah phrase 'afflict your soul' to define the Day of Atonement fast.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Historical example of Israel refusing to let Hebrew slaves go free and break every yoke.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Nehemiah forces the nobles to restore properties and exact no interest, loofing bands of wickedness.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Christ's judgment criteria of feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, and covering the naked.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Direct verbal parallel regarding God's glory going before and serving as a rearward ('rereward').
Supported by JFB
Parallels the hypocritical pleasure of hearing God's words without putting them into practice.
Supported by JFB
Zechariah similarly questions whether the people's self-imposed fasts were truly for God or themselves.
Supported by JFB
The historical prototype of God's glory acting as Israel's rear defense ('rereward') from Egypt.
Supported by JFB
A poetic parallel of life's light rising and breaking forth brighter than the noonday.
Supported by JFB
Jezebel's infamous fast, used as a cloak for murder, illustrating 'fasting for strife'.
Supported by JFB
Parallel promise of immediate divine answer: 'before they call, I will answer'.
Supported by JFB
Prophetic parallel of rebuilding the ancient ruins and raising up former devastations.
New Testament transition from the Sabbath of delight to the 'Lord's day'.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Jeremiah's extended warning against carrying burdens and doing business on the Sabbath day.
Echoes the promise of riding on the high places of the earth as covenant heritage.
Supported by JFB