Isaiah 58:9

9 Then thou shalt call to help, and the Lord shall hear; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Lo! I am present, for I am merciful, thy Lord God (Then thou shalt call for help, and the Lord shall answer thee; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Lo! I am here, for I am merciful, the Lord thy God). If thou takest away the chain from the midst of thee, and ceasest to hold forth the finger, and to speak that that profiteth not;

Isaiah 58:9 Meaning and 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 his people; they shall have his presence with them, to comfort and refresh them, to support and supply them, to protect and defend them: if thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke;
of human inventions, doctrines, rites and ceremonies, as in ( Isaiah 58:6 ) : "the putting forth of the finger"; pointing at those that could not comply with them, by way of scorn and derision, as puritans, schismatics and persecuting them for it; and so is the same with smiting with the fist of wickedness, ( Isaiah 58:4 ) ; when this deriding and persecuting spirit is done away, then, and not till then, will the prayers of a people be heard, though under a profession of religion, and under the Protestant name: and speaking vanity; which also must be taken away, or desisted from; even speaking false doctrines, as the Syriac version; or which profits not, as the Vulgate Latin version; profane and vain babblings, ( 2 Timothy 2:14 2 Timothy 2:15 ) , and threatening words, to such who will not receive them.

Isaiah 58:9 In-Context

7 Break thy bread to the hungry man, and bring into thine house needy men and harbourless; when thou seest a naked man, cover thou him, and despise not thy flesh, that is, brother or sister. (Yea, break thy bread with the hungry, and bring into thy house the needy and the harbourless, that is, the homeless; when thou seest a naked person, cover thou him, and despise not thy flesh, that is, thy own brother, or thy own sister.)

8 Then thy light shall break out as the morrowtide, and thine health shall rise full soon; and thy rightfulness shall go before thy face, and the glory of the Lord shall gather thee to rest. (Then thy light shall break out like the dawn, and thy healing shall come quickly; and thy righteousness shall go before thee, and the glory of the Lord shall protect thee.)

9 Then thou shalt call to help, and the Lord shall hear; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Lo! I am present, for I am merciful, thy Lord God (Then thou shalt call for help, and the Lord shall answer thee; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Lo! I am here, for I am merciful, the Lord thy God). If thou takest away the chain from the midst of thee, and ceasest to hold forth the finger, and to speak that that profiteth not;

10 when thou sheddest out thy soul, either thy will, to an hungry man, and [ful]fillest a soul that is tormented, thy light shall rise in darknesses, and thy darknesses shall be as midday. (if thou pourest out thy plenty to the hungry, and fulfillest a soul who is tormented, thy light shall rise in the darkness, and thy darkness shall be like midday.)

11 And the Lord thy God shall give ever rest to thee, and shall [ful]fill thy soul with shinings, and shall deliver thy bones; and thou shalt be as a watered garden, and as a well of waters, whose waters shall not fail. (And the Lord thy God shall guide thee forever, and shall fulfill, or shall satisfy, thy soul in the shimmering heat, and shall strengthen thy bones; and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a well of water, whose waters shall not fail.)