Isaiah 58:6-12

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

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Isaiah 58:8-12

Here are precious promises for those to feast freely and cheerfully upon by faith who keep the fast that God has chosen; let them know that God will make it up to them. Here is, I. A further account of the duty to be done in order to our interest in these promises (Isa. 58:9, 10); and here, as before, it is required that we both do justly and love mercy, that we cease to do evil and learn to do well. 1. We must abstain from all acts of violence and fraud. ?Those must be taken away from the... 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

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 58:7

Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry ?.... Or "to break" F6 הלא פרס "nonne ut frangas?" Pagninus; "nonne frangere?" Montanus. it, divide it, and communicate it to them; that which is "bread", food fit to eat, wholesome and nourishing; which is thine, and not another's; which thou hast saved by fasting, and therefore should not be laid up, but given away; and that not to the rich, who need it not, but to the hungry and necessitous: and this may be understood of spiritual bread,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 58:8

Then shall thy light break forth as the morning ,.... Through thick clouds, or the darkness of the night, suddenly, swiftly, irresistibly, and increase more and more, till it is perfect day. This is to be understood best of temporal and spiritual prosperity, especially the latter, which will attend the churches of the Reformation, when a spirit of persecution is laid aside, and a spirit of love commences, which will be in the Philadelphian church state; and it particularly respects the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 58:9

Then shall thou call, and the Lord shall answer ,.... A spirit of grace and supplication will be poured out upon the people of God; they will then pray without a form, and call upon the Lord in sincerity and truth, with faith and fervency; and the Lord will hear and answer them, and plentifully bestow his favours on them, so that they will have no reason to complain, as in Isaiah 58:3 , thou shalt cry, and he shall say, here I am ; he will immediately appear to the help and relief of... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 58:10

And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry ,.... Not only deal out thy bread, but thy soul also, to him; that is, give him food cheerfully, with a good will, expressing a hearty love and affection for him; do it heartily, as to the Lord; let thy soul go along with it; and this is true of affectionate ministers of the Gospel, who not only impart that, but their own souls also, 1 Thessalonians 2:8 , and satisfy the afflicted soul ; distressed for want of food; not only give it food, but... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 58:11

And the Lord shall guide thee continually ,.... With his counsel, by his word, and by his Spirit, and that night and day; as he guided the Israelites through the wilderness with the pillar of cloud by day, and the pillar of fire by night: or, "cause thee to rest" F11 נחך "requiem tibi dabit", V. L. ; from adversity, from persecution; to have spiritual rest in Christ now, and eternal rest hereafter: and satisfy thy soul in drought ; or, "in drynesses" F12 בצחצחות "in... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 58:12

And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places ,.... As the cities in Israel and Judea, which had been long laid waste by the Assyrians and Chaldeans, were rebuilt by those of the Jewish nation, who returned from the captivity of Babylon, to which there is at least an allusion; and as the church of God, the tabernacle of David, which was fallen down, and had lain long in ruins, through corruptions in doctrine and worship, to the times of Christ, when the apostles, who were... 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

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