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.
Deep dive
The movement opens with “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their…” By verse 4, the text has turned to “Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall…” It lands on “Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to…” The distance between those lines matters as much as any isolated phrase. The passage has a voice and pulse of its own, including 4 questions, 1 stated contrast, 2 verses naming the LORD or God. Those features reveal where the narrative slows down, speaks directly, or changes direction.
Accusation, warning, invitation to return, judgment, and hope each do different work. The prophet’s first audience anchors later questions about fulfillment. Words such as fast, chosen, delight, house, seest, soul tie the complete block together. The central idea, “Isaiah 58 develops its own movement around LORD, fast, soul, delight, call,” should remain answerable to the text. Some conclusions are explicit, some gather support across several verses, and others remain strong inferences or interpretations.
Names or load-bearing terms in this scene include God, Cry, Jacob, Wherefore, Yet. The nearest hinge to the center comes in verse 3: “Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge…” That detail helps separate the opening situation from what the passage changes next.
Words to trace: fast, chosen, delight, house, seest, soul
Verse-by-verse path
- Isaiah 58:1
“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.
- Isaiah 58:2
“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.
- Isaiah 58:3
“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 58:4
“Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
- Isaiah 58:5
“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…” 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 58:6
“Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the…” 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 58:7
“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…” 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.
Deep dive
The movement opens with “Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth…” By verse 11, the text has turned to “And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy…” It lands on “Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD ; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high…” The distance between those lines matters as much as any isolated phrase. The passage has a voice and pulse of its own, including 1 verse with a speech marker, 5 verses naming the LORD or God. Those features reveal where the narrative slows down, speaks directly, or changes direction.
Accusation, warning, invitation to return, judgment, and hope each do different work. The prophet’s first audience anchors later questions about fulfillment. Words such as LORD, soul, call, delight, doing, holy tie the complete block together. The central idea, “Isaiah 58 develops its own movement around LORD, fast, soul, delight, call,” should remain answerable to the text. Some conclusions are explicit, some gather support across several verses, and others remain strong inferences or interpretations.
Names or load-bearing terms in this scene include Here, Jacob. The nearest hinge to the center comes in verse 9: “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 midst of…” That detail helps separate the opening situation from what the passage changes next.
Words to trace: LORD, soul, call, delight, doing, holy
Verse-by-verse path
- Isaiah 58:8
“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.
- Isaiah 58:9
“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.
- Isaiah 58:10
“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.
- Isaiah 58:11
“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 58:12
“And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
- Isaiah 58:13
“If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight…” The line’s distinctive content terms include doing, holy, pleasure. Its relationship to verses 12 and 14 shows what work it does in this passage.
- Isaiah 58:14
“Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD ; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and…” Naming Jacob keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
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.
Questions to keep in mind while reading
- Identify the historical crisis, covenant failure, warning, and promised hope.
- Distinguish the prophet’s immediate audience from later biblical connections.
- Do not turn present-day headlines into confident fulfillment claims without textual evidence.
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.
Questions beneath the surface
- What account of God, human freedom, responsibility, and the good life emerges from Isaiah 58?
- Which tension does the chapter refuse to resolve quickly?
- What changes when the chapter is read as part of the whole canon rather than as an isolated moral story?
- Where might a sincere reader confuse a familiar tradition with something the text states directly?
Questions for serious personal contemplation
These open-ended questions make room for tension, honest response, prayer, and conclusions that remain accountable to the chapter.
Observe without rushing
What part of Isaiah 58 makes you stop, feel unsettled, or feel surprised, and why?
Which detail in the passage would be easiest to overlook? How does that detail change your understanding?
Where do you see tension between what happens and this focus: Isaiah 58 develops its own movement around LORD, fast, soul, delight, call?
What important question does the passage leave open instead of resolving quickly?
Examine your inner life honestly
Which person, response, fear, or desire in the passage feels most like your own life right now?
What assumption about God, other people, or yourself does this text challenge?
Which part would you rather soften, avoid, or explain away too quickly? What might that reaction reveal?
If this Scripture could ask you one direct question, what do you think it would ask?
Respond with wisdom and courage
What do you need to remember, confess, grieve, thank God for, or trust after reading this passage?
How might another faithful person read this situation differently without ignoring the text?
What obedient response would be costly, uncomfortable, or slow, yet still faithful to Scripture?
What question will you carry into prayer this week, and which verses will you keep in front of you?