The big picture
Isaiah 58 opens in verse 1 with “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 7 with “Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast…”, and closes in verse 14 with “Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD ; and I will cause thee to ride upon the…” Repeated or prominent terms include LORD, fast, soul, delight, call. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Isaiah · King James Version · 14Isaiah 58:1-7
1–7: Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my…
Isaiah 58:1–7 opens with “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression…” and reaches “Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Isaiah 58 develops its own movement around LORD, fast, soul, delight, call, with particular weight carried by fast, chosen, delight.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 4 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob…” Naming Cry and Jacob keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance…” Naming Yet keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no…” The question slows the passage down. Notice who is being pressed to answer, what the question assumes, and whether the next lines provide a response.
Isaiah 58:1-7
King James Version1Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.
2Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.
3Wherefore 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.
4Behold, 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.
5Is 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 ?
6Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
7Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
Isaiah 58:8-14
8–14: Shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall…
Isaiah 58:8–14 opens with “Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily…” and reaches “Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD ; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Isaiah 58 develops its own movement around LORD, fast, soul, delight, call, with particular weight carried by LORD, soul, call.
Context that brings the passage to life
“Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
Isaiah 58:8-14
King James Version8Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.
9Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;
10And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:
11And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
12And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.
13If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD , honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:
14Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD ; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Isaiah 58:1 begins with “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.”
Where the chapter turns
Isaiah 58:7 forms a natural hinge: “Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and…”
The final note
Isaiah 58:14 leaves the reader with “Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD ; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy…”
A word trail through the chapter
The words LORD, fast, soul, delight, call, pleasure help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
KJV words made clear
- behold
- look, or pay close attention
- thee
- you
- thou
- you
- thy
- your
- hath
- has
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.