King James Version:
(The Lord speaking is red text)
¶ 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.
Complete Jewish Bible:
[asking,] 'Why should we fast, if you don't see? Why mortify ourselves, if you don't notice?' "Here is my answer: when you fast, you go about doing whatever you like, while keeping your laborers hard at work.
Berean Standard Bible:
“Why have we fasted, and You have not seen? Why have we humbled ourselves, and You have not noticed?” “Behold, on the day of your fast, you do as you please, and you oppress all your workers.
American Standard Version:
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 your own pleasure, and exact all your labors.
KJV with Strong’s Numbers:
Wherefore have we fasted{H6684}, say they, and thou seest{H7200} not? wherefore have we afflicted{H6031} our soul{H5315}, and thou takest no knowledge{H3045}? Behold, in the day{H3117} of your fast{H6685} ye find{H4672} pleasure{H2656}, and exact{H5065} all your labours{H6092}.
Cross-References (KJV):
Luke 18:9
- ¶ And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
Luke 18:12
- I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
Malachi 3:14
- Ye have said, It [is] vain to serve God: and what profit [is it] that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the LORD of hosts?
Leviticus 16:29
- ¶ And [this] shall be a statute for ever unto you: [that] in the seventh month, on the tenth [day] of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, [whether it be] one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you:
Proverbs 28:9
- ¶ He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer [shall be] abomination.
Matthew 20:11
- And when they had received [it], they murmured against the goodman of the house,
Matthew 20:12
- Saying, These last have wrought [but] one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.
Explore This Verse Across Other Resources:
Commentary for Isaiah 58:3
Isaiah 58:3 is a verse from the Old Testament that addresses the spiritual and ethical concerns of ancient Israel during the prophetic ministry of Isaiah, which took place around the 8th century BCE. This verse is part of a larger passage in which the prophet Isaiah is delivering a message from God to the people of Israel, calling them to account for their religious practices, particularly their fasting.
In this verse, the people are depicted as complaining to God, questioning why their religious observances, specifically their fasts and acts of self-denial, seem to go unnoticed by Him. They wonder why their piety has not elicited the divine attention and favor they expected. The text suggests that despite their outward expressions of contrition and the rigors they impose upon themselves, their fasting has not been accompanied by the inner transformation and moral behavior that God desires.
The historical context of this verse reflects a period when the people of Israel were engaging in religious rituals, possibly as a means to gain favor with God or to manipulate divine providence, especially in the face of political and social instability. However, their actions were devoid of genuine repentance and social justice. God, through the prophet, rebukes this hollow piety, emphasizing that true devotion should lead to just and compassionate actions, such as feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, and freeing the oppressed, as outlined in the surrounding verses.
In essence, Isaiah 58:3 confronts the discrepancy between the people's religious performances and their lack of ethical conduct. It challenges the Israelites to recognize that genuine worship of God is inseparable from living justly and caring for the vulnerable, and that God's favor is not earned through ritual alone but through a heart that seeks to do His will in every aspect of life.
*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model
Strong's Numbers and Definitions:
Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)
- Strong's Number: H6684
There are 17 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: צוּם
Transliteration: tsûwm
Pronunciation: tsoom
Description: a primitive root; to cover over (the mouth), i.e. to fast; [idiom] at all, fast. - Strong's Number: H7200
There are 1212 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: רָאָה
Transliteration: râʼâh
Pronunciation: raw-aw'
Description: a primitive root; to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative); advise self, appear, approve, behold, [idiom] certainly, consider, discern, (make to) enjoy, have experience, gaze, take heed, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] joyfully, lo, look (on, one another, one on another, one upon another, out, up, upon), mark, meet, [idiom] be near, perceive, present, provide, regard, (have) respect, (fore-, cause to, let) see(-r, -m, one another), shew (self), [idiom] sight of others, (e-) spy, stare, [idiom] surely, [idiom] think, view, visions. - Strong's Number: H6031
There are 80 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: עָנָה
Transliteration: ʻânâh
Pronunciation: aw-naw'
Description: a primitive root (possibly rather identical with עָנָה through the idea of looking down or browbeating); to depress literally or figuratively, transitive or intransitive (in various applications, as follows); abase self, afflict(-ion, self), answer (by mistake for עָנָה), chasten self, deal hardly with, defile, exercise, force, gentleness, humble (self), hurt, ravish, sing (by mistake for עָנָה), speak (by mistake for עָנָה), submit self, weaken, [idiom] in any wise. - Strong's Number: H5315
There are 683 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: נֶפֶשׁ
Transliteration: nephesh
Pronunciation: neh'-fesh
Description: from נָפַשׁ; properly, a breathing creature, i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental); any, appetite, beast, body, breath, creature, [idiom] dead(-ly), desire, [idiom] (dis-) contented, [idiom] fish, ghost, [phrase] greedy, he, heart(-y), (hath, [idiom] jeopardy of) life ([idiom] in jeopardy), lust, man, me, mind, mortally, one, own, person, pleasure, (her-, him-, my-, thy-) self, them (your) -selves, [phrase] slay, soul, [phrase] tablet, they, thing, ([idiom] she) will, [idiom] would have it. - Strong's Number: H3045
There are 873 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: יָדַע
Transliteration: yâdaʻ
Pronunciation: yaw-dah'
Description: a primitive root; to know (properly, to ascertain by seeing); used in a great variety of senses, figuratively, literally, euphemistically and inferentially (including observation, care, recognition; and causatively, instruction, designation, punishment, etc.); acknowledge, acquaintance(-ted with), advise, answer, appoint, assuredly, be aware, (un-) awares, can(-not), certainly, comprehend, consider, [idiom] could they, cunning, declare, be diligent, (can, cause to) discern, discover, endued with, familiar friend, famous, feel, can have, be (ig-) norant, instruct, kinsfolk, kinsman, (cause to let, make) know, (come to give, have, take) knowledge, have (knowledge), (be, make, make to be, make self) known, [phrase] be learned, [phrase] lie by man, mark, perceive, privy to, [idiom] prognosticator, regard, have respect, skilful, shew, can (man of) skill, be sure, of a surety, teach, (can) tell, understand, have (understanding), [idiom] will be, wist, wit, wot. - Strong's Number: H3117
There are 1931 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: יוֹם
Transliteration: yôwm
Pronunciation: yome
Description: from an unused root meaning to be hot; a 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); age, [phrase] always, [phrase] chronicals, continually(-ance), daily, ((birth-), each, to) day, (now a, two) days (agone), [phrase] elder, [idiom] end, [phrase] evening, [phrase] (for) ever(-lasting, -more), [idiom] full, life, as (so) long as (... live), (even) now, [phrase] old, [phrase] outlived, [phrase] perpetually, presently, [phrase] remaineth, [idiom] required, season, [idiom] since, space, then, (process of) time, [phrase] as at other times, [phrase] in trouble, weather, (as) when, (a, the, within a) while (that), [idiom] whole ([phrase] age), (full) year(-ly), [phrase] younger. - Strong's Number: H6685
There are 22 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: צוֹם
Transliteration: tsôwm
Pronunciation: tsome
Description: or צֹם; from צוּם; a fast; fast(-ing). - Strong's Number: H4672
There are 425 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: מָצָא
Transliteration: mâtsâʼ
Pronunciation: maw-tsaw'
Description: a primitive root; properly, to come forth to, i.e. appear or exist; transitively, to attain, i.e. find or acquire; figuratively, to occur, meet or be present; [phrase] be able, befall, being, catch, [idiom] certainly, (cause to) come (on, to, to hand), deliver, be enough (cause to) find(-ing, occasion, out), get (hold upon), [idiom] have (here), be here, hit, be left, light (up-) on, meet (with), [idiom] occasion serve, (be) present, ready, speed, suffice, take hold on. - Strong's Number: H2656
There are 38 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: חֵפֶץ
Transliteration: chêphets
Pronunciation: khay'-fets
Description: from חָפֵץ; pleasure; hence (abstractly) desire; concretely, a valuable thing; hence (by extension) a matter (as something in mind); acceptable, delight(-some), desire, things desired, matter, pleasant(-ure), purpose, willingly. - Strong's Number: H5065
There are 23 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: נָגַשׂ
Transliteration: nâgas
Pronunciation: naw-gas'
Description: a primitive root; to drive (an animal, a workman, a debtor, an army); by implication, to tax, harass, tyrannize; distress, driver, exact(-or), oppress(-or), [idiom] raiser of taxes, taskmaster. - Strong's Number: H6092
There are 1 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: עָצֵב
Transliteration: ʻâtsêb
Pronunciation: aw-tsabe'
Description: from עָצַב; a (hired) workman; labour.