Isaiah 58:6 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Isaiah 58:3-7

Here we have, I. The displeasure which these hypocrites conceived against God for not accepting the services which they themselves had a mighty opinion of (Isa. 58:3): Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? Thus they went in the way of Cain, who was angry at God, and resented it as a gross affront that his offering was not accepted. Having gone about to put a cheat upon God by their external services, here they go about to pick a quarrel with God for not being pleased with... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 58:6

Is not this the fast that I have chosen ?.... Which God has appointed, he approves of, and is well pleasing in his sight; these are works and services more agreeable to him, which follow, without which the rest will be rejected: to loose the bands of wickedness ; which some understand of combinations in courts of judicature to oppress and distress the poor; others of bonds and contracts unjustly made, or rigorously demanded and insisted on, when they cannot be answered; rather of those... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 58:6

Let the oppressed go free - How can any nation pretend to fast or worship God at all, or dare to profess that they believe in the existence of such a Being, while they carry on the slave trade, and traffic in the souls, blood, and bodies, of men! O ye most flagitious of knaves, and worst of hypocrites, cast off at once the mask of religion; and deepen not your endless perdition by professing the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, while ye continue in this traffic! read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 58:1-12

SECTION VI . PRACTICAL INSTRUCTIONS AND WARNINGS , FOLLOWED BY A CONFESSION AND A PROMISE ( Isaiah 58:1-14 ; Isaiah 59:1-21 .). FORMALISM REBUKED AND INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN WITH RESPECT TO FASTING . As in the last section, so here, the prophet's eye seems to rest upon his contemporaries rather than upon the exiles; and to note the vices of the time, which have a general resemblance to those rebuked in Isaiah 1:1-31 . The whole Law seems to be in... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 58:1-12

True and spurious fasting. Loudly, with all the strength of throat and as with trumpet-voice, the prophet is to cry and denounce the rebellion and the sins of the people. I. THEIR FORMALITY AND HYPOCRISY , They consult Jehovah daily; they apply to the prophet or the oracle; they offer prayer. They profess to desire to know God's ways, his commands, and his dealings with his people. Just as if they were a holy people, and were not really far in heart from God, they demand of him... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 58:1-12

Religion: its semblance, its substance, its reward. I. THE SEMBLANCE OF RELIGION . It argues nothing whatever against religion that there is a great deal of hypocrisy in the world; indeed, the absence would be a more formidable argument than the presence of it. For men imitate that which is most worthy of esteem, and if nobody-pretended to be religious it would be fair to conclude that religion itself was of very small account. Imitation implies the respect, and indicates the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 58:3-7

Rightful and wrongful fasting need to be carefully distinguished. Among wrong kinds of fasting may be noticed the following. I. PURELY FORMAL FASTING IS WRONG . The fasting that consists in mere abstinence from food, without any accompaniment of prayer or meditation or almsgiving, has in it nothing religious, and is an indifferent act, unless it be viewed as in some sort a pious exercise. Viewed in this light, it is a delusion and a snare—an encouragement to men to make all... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 58:6

Is not this the fast that I have chosen? This passage, as Dr. Kay observes, "stands like a homily for the Day of Atonement." Such homilies are found in the uninspired Jewish writings, and are conceived very much in the same spirit. The Jews call the true fast "the fasting of the heart." To loose the bands of wickedness. To set free those whom wicked persons have wrongfully imprisoned or entangled. To undo the heavy burdens ; literally, to untie the thongs of the yoke. The liberation of a... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 58:6

A religious fast. "Is not this the fast that I have chosen?" Which? The contrast is seen in the inclusive words from the fourth to the ninth verses. God does not delight in outwardness. The mere mannerism of religion, or the head bowed as a bulrush, with sackcloth and ashes beneath, is hateful to the Most High. I. FASTING IS TO BE REALLY RELIGIOUS . It is to "loose the bands of wickedness"—to free one's own soul from the last shackles of lust and selfishness, and to aid in... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 58:6-7

God's idea of fasting. It should be noticed, as giving special point to this reference to fasting, that, besides the regular fasts of the Jewish religion, there were, during the Captivity in Babylon, special fasts appointed as days of repentance and prayer for Israel. God complains that these fasts did not say to him exactly what those who fasted intended them to say, because he looked at the whole conduct of the men to see if it was in harmony with the fasting. The important principle is... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Isaiah 58:3-7

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 58:6

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 58:6

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 58:1-12

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 58:1-12

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 58:1-12

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 58:3-7

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 58:6

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 58:6

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 58:6-7

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