Isaiah 58:9-14

9 "Then you will ¹call, and the LORD will answer; You will cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.' If you ²remove the yoke from your midst, The ³pointing of the finger and ⁴speaking wickedness,

10 And if you ⁵give yourself to the hungry And satisfy the desire of the afflicted, Then your ⁶light will rise in darkness And your gloom will become like midday.

11 "And the ⁷LORD will continually guide you, And ⁸satisfy your desire in scorched places, And ⁹give strength to your bones; And you will be like a ¹⁰watered garden, And like a ¹¹spring of water whose waters do not fail.

12 "Those from among you will ¹²rebuild the ancient ruins; You will ¹³raise up the age-old foundations; And you will be called the repairer of the ¹⁴breach, The restorer of the streets in which to dwell.

Keeping the Sabbath

13 "If because of the sabbath, you ¹⁵turn your foot From doing your own pleasure on My holy day, And call the sabbath a ¹⁶delight, the holy day of the LORD honorable, And honor it, desisting from your ¹⁷own ways, From seeking your own pleasure And ¹⁸speaking your own word,

14 Then you will take ¹⁹delight in the LORD, And I will make you ride ²⁰on the heights of the earth; And I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, For the ²¹mouth of the LORD has spoken."

Isaiah 58:9-14 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH 58

From the wicked and antichristian party the prophet is bid to turn to the professors of the true religion, and openly, boldly, and sharply, reprove them for their sins, particularly their hypocrisy and formality in worship, Isa 58:1,2, who yet were angry, and complained that the Lord took no notice of their religious services, particularly their fasting, which is put for the whole; the reason of which was, because they did not fast aright; it was attended with much cruelty, strife, and wickedness, and only lay in external appearances, Isa 58:3-5, when they are directed how to keep a fast, and are shown what a true fast is, and what works and services are acceptable to God, Isa 58:6,7 on doing of which, light, health, prosperity, and hearing of their prayers, are promised, provided the yoke of oppression is taken away, and compassion shown to the poor, Isa 58:8-10, yea, a very fruitful and flourishing estate of the soul is promised, and a rebuilding of waste places, delight in the Lord, and great honour and dignity; so be it that the sabbath of the Lord, or public worship, is attended to in a proper manner, Isa 58:11-14.

Cross References

• 1. Psalms 50:15; Isaiah 55:6; Isaiah 65:24
• 2. Isaiah 58:6
• 3. Proverbs 6:13
• 4. Psalms 12:2; Isaiah 59:13
• 5. Deuteronomy 15:7; Isaiah 58:7
• 6. Job 11:17; Psalms 37:6; Isaiah 42:16; Isaiah 58:8
• 7. Isaiah 49:10; Isaiah 57:18
• 8. Psalms 107:9; Isaiah 41:17
• 9. Isaiah 66:14
• 10. Song of Songs 4:15; Isaiah 27:3; Jeremiah 31:12
• 11. John 4:14; John 7:38
• 12. Isaiah 49:8; Isaiah 61:4; Ezekiel 36:10
• 13. Isaiah 44:28
• 14. Isaiah 30:13; Amos 9:11
• 15. Exodus 31:16, 17; Exodus 35:2, 3; Is 56:2, 4, 6; Jeremiah 17:21-27
• 16. Psalms 27:4; Psalms 42:4; Psalms 84:2, 10
• 17. Isaiah 55:8
• 18. Isaiah 59:13
• 19. Job 22:26; Isaiah 61:10
• 20. Deuteronomy 32:13; Deuteronomy 33:29; Isaiah 33:16; Habakkuk 3:19
• 21. Isaiah 1:20; Isaiah 40:5

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "sending out"
• [b]. Lit "furnish"
• [c]. Or "soul"
• [d]. Or "soul"
• [e]. Or "deceive"
• [f]. Lit "paths"