Isaiah 58:1-4

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Isaiah 58:1-2

When our Lord Jesus promised to send the Comforter he added, When he shall come he shall convince (John 16:7, 8); for conviction must prepare for comfort, and must also separate between the precious and the vile, and mark out those to whom comfort does not belong. God had appointed this prophet to comfort his people (Isa. 40:1); here he appoints him to convince them, and show them their sins. I. He must tell them how very bad they really were, Isa. 58:1. 1. He must deal faithfully and plainly... read more

Matthew Henry

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 58:1

Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet ,.... These words are directed to the prophet; and so the Targum expresses it, "O prophet, cry with thy throat;' and so it is in the original, "cry with the throat" F4 קרא בגרון "clama in gutture", Pagninus, Montanus; "exclama gutture", Junius & Tremellius; "exclama pleno gutture", Piscator; "clama pleno gut ture", Cocceius. , which is an instrument of speech; and it denotes a loud, strong, vehement cry, when a man... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 58:2

Yet they seek me daily ,.... Which may be considered as an acknowledgment of their external piety; or as a caution to the prophet not to be imposed upon by outward appearances; or as a reason why they should be rebuked sharply: they sought the Lord, either by prayer, or in the ministry of the word; they sought doctrine, as the Targum; they sought him, and that every day, or, however, every Lord's day; and yet they did not seek him with that diligence and intenseness of spirit, with their... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 58:3

Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not ?.... Our fasting; takest no notice of it; expresses no approbation of it, and pleasure in it: this is put for all religious services, being what was frequently performed under the Old Testament, not only at certain times appointed by the Lord, but on other occasions, and of their own fixing; in which they put their confidence, and often boasted of, Luke 18:12 , "wherefore have we afflicted our soul", by fasting, "and thou takest no... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 58:4

Behold, ye fast for strife and debate ,.... Brawling with their servants for not doing work enough; or quarrelling with their debtors for not paying their debts; or the main of their religion lay in contentions and strifes about words, vain hot disputations about rites and ceremonies in worship, as is well known to have been the case of the reformed churches: and to smite with the fist of wickedness ; their servants or their debtors; or rather it may design the persecution of such whose... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 58:1

Cry aloud, spare not - Never was a louder cry against the hypocrisy, nor a more cutting reproof of the wickedness, of a people professing a national established religion, having all the forms of godliness without a particle of its power. This chapter has been often appointed to be read on political fast days for the success of wars carried on for - God knows what purposes, and originating in - God knows what motives. Politically speaking, was ever any thing more injudicious? read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 58:3

Have we adopted our soul "Have we afflicted our souls" - Twenty-seven MSS. (six ancient) of Dr. Kennicott's, thirty-six of De Rossi's, and two of my own, and the old edition of 1488 have the noun in the plural number, נפשינו naphsheynu , our souls; and so the Septuagint, Chaldee, and Vulgate. This reading is undoubtedly genuine. In the day of your fast ye find pleasure - Fast days are generally called holidays, and holidays are days of idleness and pleasure. In numberless cases the... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 58:4

Ye fast for strife and debate - How often is this the case! A whole nation are called to fast to implore God's blessing on wars carried on for the purposes of wrath and ambition. To smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day "To smite with the fist the poor. Wherefore fast ye unto me in this manner" - I follow the version of the Septuagint, which gives a much better sense than the present reading of the Hebrew. Instead of לא רשע resha lo , they seem to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 58:1

Cry aloud ; literally, cry from the throat; "a plein gosier," as Calvin says. The command is addressed to the prophet by Jehovah, who will have him warn the people in such sort as to compel their attention. Lift up thy voice like a trumpet (comp. Hosea 8:1 ; Joel 2:1 ). The trumpet gives a note of alarm. Show my people their transgression ; i.e. "show them how they are especially offending me at this time" (see Micah 3:8 ). read more

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