Bible Commentaries
Isaiah 58

Introduction

Isaiah 58:0

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

READING CYCLE THREE (see Guide to Good Bible Reading)

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects (reading cycle #3). Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

1. First paragraph

2. Second paragraph

3. Third paragraph

4. Etc.

BACKGROUND

A. This chapter is a condemnation of religious ritual without personal faith (cf. Isaiah 29:13; Jeremiah 7:0).

B. This is the spiritual problem that caused the Exile.

Verses 1-12

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Isaiah 58:1-12 1”Cry loudly, do not hold back; Raise your voice like a trumpet, And declare to My people their transgression And to the house of Jacob their sins. 2Yet they seek Me day by day and delight to know My ways, As a nation that has done righteousness And has not forsaken the ordinance of their God. They ask Me for just decisions, They delight in the nearness of God. 3'Why have we fasted and You do not see? Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice?' Behold, on the day of your fast you find your desire, And drive hard all your workers. 4Behold, you fast for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked fist. You do not fast like you do today to make your voice heard on high. 5Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself? Is it for bowing one's head like a reed And for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the LORD? 6Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free And break every yoke? 7Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh? 8Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring forth; And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. 9Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; You will cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.' If you remove the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness, 10And if you give yourself to the hungry And satisfy the desire of the afflicted, Then your light will rise in darkness And your gloom will become like midday. 11And the LORD will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. 12Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; You will raise up the age-old foundations; And you will be called the repairer of the breach, The restorer of the streets in which to dwell.

Isaiah 58:1 This chapter, like many chapters in Isaiah (i.e., a typical literary marker for a new poem), starts with a series of IMPERATIVES. The questions of interpretation are:

1. who is the speaker?

2. who is the recipient?

Here is the list of what is commanded (note the parallelism):

1. cry loudly - Qal IMPERATIVE, BDB 894, KB 1128

2. do not hold back - Qal IMPERFECT, BDB 362, KB 359, used in a JUSSIVE sense

3. raise your voice - Hiphil IMPERATIVE, BDB 926. KB 1202

4. declare - Hiphil IMPERATIVE, BDB 616, KB 665

The speaker is YHWH by the mouth of His prophet and the recipients are:

1. pre-exilic Israel

2. exilic Israel

3. returning Israel

4. eschatological people of God

▣ “trumpet” This is BDB 1051. See Special Topic below.

SPECIAL TOPIC: HORNS USED BY ISRAEL

▣ “their transgression. . .their sins” Formal ritual had replaced personal righteousness. They were religious but far from YHWH (cf. 2 Timothy 3:5). Religion can be a barrier to true personal faith!

Isaiah 58:2 Notice how the false faith is characterized.

1. They seek Me day by day.

2. They delight to know My ways.

3. A nation. . .has not forsaken the ordinance of their God.

4. They ask Me for just decisions.

5. They delight in the nearness of God.

All of this sounds great but it was a show, a farce, a religious game; words, not deeds (cf. Isaiah 29:13).

▣ “As a nation that has done righteousness” This is sarcasm.

▣ “ask Me for just decisions” This refers to

1. the Urim and Thummin (i.e., the High Priest, cf. Exodus 28:30; Numbers 27:23; Deuteronomy 33:8; Nehemiah 7:65

2. the prophets

3. local Levites

Isaiah 58:3 “fasted. . .humbled ourselves” The word “fasted” (Qal PERFECT, BDB 847, KB 1012) parallels “humbled” (Piel PERFECT, BDB 776, KB 853, cf. Leviticus 16:29, Leviticus 16:31). They thought God must bless their religious acts. The OT has only one fast a year (Leviticus 16:0), the Day of Atonement (cf. Isaiah 58:6a). During the Exile the Jews had multiplied this to four fast days to commemorate tragic events in their national life (i.e., the fall of Jerusalem, the destruction of the Temple, etc., cf. Zechariah 7:3, Zechariah 7:5; Zechariah 8:19).

▣ “on the day of your fast you find your desire

And drive hard all your workers” They fasted for “religious” reasons and would not allow their laborers off to participate! The effects of the Fall continue!

Isaiah 58:4 The fast days produced irritation not faith.

NASB“to strike with a wicked fist” AB“strike the poor with the fist” LXX“strike a humble person with your fists”

The MT has “to hit the wicked with fist,” but notice how the LXX takes a clue from Isaiah 58:3c-d.

▣ “to make your voice heard on high” One purpose of fasting was to help with prayers, but it caused the opposite reaction (cf. Isaiah 1:15; Isaiah 59:2).

Isaiah 58:5 This is a list of outward signs of mourning, like sackcloth and ashes, but in reality these were only for show (cf. Matthew 6:5, Matthew 6:16-18). See Special Topic: Grieving Rites.

Isaiah 58:6-7 “Is this not the fast which I chose” God lists what He really wants from His people (i.e., daily social justice, cf. Exodus 21:2; Leviticus 25:39-41; Deuteronomy 15:12; and Jeremiah 34:8-11, which refers to the year of Jubilee; Titus 1:16).

1. to loosen the bonds of wickedness - Piel INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE, BDB 834, KB 986

2. to undo the bonds of the yoke - Hiphil INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE, BDB 684, KB 736

3. to let the oppressed go free - Piel INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE, BDB 1018, KB 1511

4. to break every yoke - Piel PASSIVE PARTICIPLE, BDB 954, KB 1285

5. to divide your bread with the hungry - Qal INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE, BDB 828, KB 969

6. to bring the homeless poor into the house - Hiphil IMPERFECT, BDB 97, KB 112, cf. Matthew 25:35; Romans 12:13; 1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:8; Hebrews 13:2; 1 Peter 4:9

7. to cover the naked - Piel PERFECT, BDB 491, KB 487, cf. James 2:14-18

8. not to hide yourself from your own flesh - Hithpael PERFECT, BDB 761, KB 834, cf. 1 Timothy 5:8

This is the origin of the glorified Messiah's criteria for dividing the sheep (faithful believers) from the goats (unbelievers who act selfishly) in Matthew 25:31-46. This is not a works-righteousness, but lifestyle evidence that the results of the Fall (i.e., self) have been reversed (i.e., others).

Isaiah 58:8-9b This is the promised restoration if they will repent and exhibit lifestyle faith. Notice what true faithfulness brings.

1. your light will break out like the dawn

2. your recovery will speedily spring forth

3. your righteousness will go before you

4. the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard

5. you will call and the LORD will answer

6. you will cry, and He will say “Here I am” (cf. Isaiah 65:1)

This is what God wanted to do for His people, but their sin and rebellion caused judgment and separation!

▣ “the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard” This refers to the Shekinah cloud of glory being their protection as it was during the Exodus period (cf. Exodus 14:19 and Isaiah 52:12).

Isaiah 58:9-10 “If” This (cf. Isaiah 58:9 and 10) shows the conditional element of God's reciprocal covenantal relationship with His people. Note the conditions.

1. remove the yoke

2. stop the pointing of the finger, cf. Proverbs 6:13

3. stop speaking wickedness

4. give yourself to the hungry (Hiphil JUSSIVE, BDB 807, KB 920)

5. satisfy the desire of the afflicted

Isaiah 58:9 “The pointing of the finger” This refers to evil gestures and words (cf. Proverbs 6:13).

Isaiah 58:10-12 The “then” (blessing) part of the conditional covenant (cf. Leviticus 26:0; Deuteronomy 28-29) is spelled out.

1. your light will rise in darkness

2. your gloom will become like midday

3. the Lord will continually guide you

4. the Lord will satisfy your desire

5. the Lord will give strength to your bones

6. you will be like a watered garden

7. you will be like a spring of water whose waters do not fail

8. you will rebuild the ancient ruins

9. you will raise up the age old foundations

10. you will be called the repairer of the breach

11. you will be called the restorer of the streets

The prophet uses several sources of imagery to describe YHWH's presence and blessing.

1. light vs. darkness

2. shepherd imagery

3. agricultural blessing

4. rebuilding imagery

Isaiah 58:11 There are two textual issues in this verse.

Isaiah 58:1. Isaiah 58:11b

NASB“satisfy your desire” NKJV“satisfy your soul in drought TEV“satisfy you with good things” NJB“will satisfy your needs in the scorched land” JPSOA“He will slake your thirst in parched places” PESHITTA“satisfy your soul with rich food” LXX“you shall be satisfied exactly as your soul desires”

The word “desire” is nephesh (BDB 659) which has many connotations.

The “scorched places” is found only here (BDB 850, KB 1019) and the meaning is uncertain.

2. Isaiah 58:11e

NASB, NKJV “whose waters do not fail”

The MT's VERB (BDB 469, KB 467, Piel IMPERFECT) means “to lie” or “to deceive.” The sense seems to be “the waters God provides never 'lie' or 'deceive'“ (i.e., always flows [NJB])

Isaiah 58:12

NASB“the restorer of the streets in which to dwell” JPSOA“restorer of lanes for habitation” LXX“you shall cause the paths between them to rest” PESHITTA“the restorer of paths to dwell in” REB“the restorer of houses in ruins”

The MT has “paths” (BDB 677), probably to be understood as “streets” because of the VERB “to dwell” (Qal INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT, BDB 442, KB 444).

Verses 13-14

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Isaiah 58:13-14 13”If because of the sabbath, you turn your foot From doing your own pleasure on My holy day, And call the sabbath a delight, the holy day of the LORD honorable, And honor it, desisting from your own ways, From seeking your own pleasure And speaking your own word, 14Then you will take delight in the LORD , And I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; And I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

Isaiah 58:13-14 This strophe uses obedience to the Sabbath requirements as a way to know a person's attitude and faithfulness.

1. turn your foot from doing your own pleasure, to YHWH's sabbath (cf. Isaiah 58:13)

2. delight in the sabbath by calling it “honorable” (the VERB כבד, BDB 457, KB 455, is used twice in Isaiah 58:13)

Notice again the conditional covenant (“if. . .then”). The benefits are listed in Isaiah 58:14b,c.

Isaiah 58:13 “the sabbath” See Exodus 20:8-11 and Isaiah 56:0. See Special Topic below.

SPECIAL TOPIC: SABBATH

Isaiah 58:14 “For the mouth of the Lord has spoken” This expresses the trustworthiness and power of God's promises (cf. Isaiah 55:11)!

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. What is the difference between biblical faith and religiosity?

2. How is ethics related to theology?

3. What is the purpose of fasting?

4. What is the purpose of the Sabbath? Is it valid in our day?