Bible/Isaiah/58

Isaiah 58:4

58:3 Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours. labours: or, things wherewith ye grieve others: Heb. griefs
Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high. ye shall: or, ye fast not as this day

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Behold, 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.

Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.

Behold, you fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: you shall not fast as you do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.

58:5 Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD? a day: or, to afflict his soul for a day?

What does Isaiah 58:4 mean?

Isaiah 58:4 is a verse in the book of Isaiah, in the Old Testament. In the original Hebrew, key words include צוּם (tsûwm), רִיב (rîyb), מַצָּה (matstsâh).

Hebrew interlinear

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Behold,
ye
fastצוּםtsûwm/tsoom/H6684to cover over (the mouth), i.e. to fast
for
strifeרִיבrîyb/reeb/H7379a contest (personal or legal)
and
debate,מַצָּהmatstsâh/mats-tsaw'/H4683a quarrel
and
to
smiteנָכָהnâkâh/naw-kaw'/H5221to strike (lightly or severely, literally or figuratively)
with
the
fistאֶגְרֹףʼegrôph/eg-rofe'/H106the clenched hand
of
wickedness:רֶשַׁעreshaʻ/reh'-shah/H7562a wrong (especially moral)
ye
shall
not
fastצוּםtsûwm/tsoom/H6684to cover over (the mouth), i.e. to fast
as
ye
do
this
day,יוֹםyôwm/yome/H3117a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)
to
make
your
voiceקוֹלqôwl/kole/H6963a voice or sound
to
be
heardשָׁמַעshâmaʻ/shaw-mah'/H8085to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.)
on
high.מָרוֹםmârôwm/maw-rome'/H4791altitude, i.e. concretely (an elevated place), abstractly (elevation, figuratively (elation), or adverbially (aloft)
ye
shall:
or,
ye
fast
not
as
this
day

Commentary on Isaiah 58:4

HENRY_FULL · Isaiah 58:4
y put themselves to a great deal of labour to bring it about; it is digging a pit, it is rolling a stone, hard work, and yet men will not stick at it to gratify their passion and revenge. 2. What preparation they hereby make of mischief to themselves. Their violent dealing will return upon their own heads; they shall themselves fall into the pit they digged, and the stone they rolled will return upon them, Ps. vii. 15, 16 ; ix. 15, 16 . The righteous God will take the wise, not only in their own craftiness, but in their own cruelty. It is the plotter's doom. Haman is hanged on a gallows of his own preparing. —————nec lex est justior ulla Quam necis artifices arte perire sua— Nor is there any law more just than that the contrivers of destruction should perish by their own arts. 28 A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth worketh ruin. There are two sorts of lies equally detestable:—1. A slandering lie, which avowedly hates those it is spoken of: A ly

Topics

FastingHypocrisyHypocritesStrife

Verses like this

Other verses that share key original-language words with Isaiah 58:4.

Exodus 2:11

And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren.

Frequently asked questions

What does Isaiah 58:4 say?

Isaiah 58:4 (King James Version) reads: "Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high. ye shall: or, ye fast not as this day"

Is Isaiah 58:4 in the Old or New Testament?

Isaiah 58:4 is in the Old Testament of the Bible, in the book of Isaiah.

Reflect

As you read Isaiah 58:4, what is one truth here you can carry into today?

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58:3Read all of Isaiah 5858:5