---
title: "Clarke"
description: "Verse Isaiah 58:1. Cry aloud, spare not — Never was a louder cry against the hypocrisy, nor a more cutting reproof of the wickedness, of a people professi"
image: "/images/missing.jpg"
url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/isaiah/58"
---

Verse [Isaiah 58:1](../../../kjv/isaiah/58/1). ***Cry aloud, spare not*** — Never was a louder cry against the hypocrisy, nor a more cutting reproof of the wickedness, of a people professing a national established religion, having all the forms of godliness without a particle of its power. This chapter has been often appointed to be read on political fast days for the success of wars carried on for - God *knows* what purposes, and originating in - God *knows* what motives. Politically speaking, was ever any thing more injudicious?

Verse [Isaiah 58:3](../../../kjv/isaiah/58/3). ***Have we adopted our soul*** - "Have we afflicted our souls"] *Twenty-seven* MSS. (*six* ancient) of Dr. *Kennicott's, thirty-six* of *De Rossi's*, and *two* of my own, and the old edition of 1488 have the noun in the plural number, נפשינו *naphsheynu, our souls*; and so the *Septuagint, Chaldee*, and *Vulgate*. This reading is undoubtedly genuine.
***In the day of your fast ye find pleasure*** — Fast days are generally called *holidays*, and holidays are days of idleness and pleasure. In numberless cases the *fast* is turned into a *feast*.
***And exact all your labours.*** — Some disregard the most sacred fast, and will oblige their servant to *work* all day long; others use fast days for the purpose of settling their accounts, posting up their books, and drawing out their bills to be ready to collect their debts. These are sneaking hypocrites; the others are daringly irreligious.

Verse [Isaiah 58:4](../../../kjv/isaiah/58/4). ***Ye fast for strife and debate*** — How often is this the case! A whole nation are called to fast to implore God's blessing on wars carried on for the purposes of wrath and ambition.
***To smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as*****ye do this*****day*****- "To smite with the fist the poor. Wherefore fast ye unto me in this manner"] I follow the version of the *Septuagint*, which gives a much better sense than the present reading of the Hebrew. Instead of רשע לא *resha lo*, they seem to have read in their copy רש על מה לי *rash al mah lli*. The four first letters are the same, but otherwise divided in regard to the words; the four last are lost, and א *aleph* added in their place, in order to make some sort of sense with רשע ל. The version of the *Septuagint* is, και τυπτετε τυγμαις ταπεινον· ἱνα τι μοι νηστευετε - as above.

Verse [Isaiah 58:6](../../../kjv/isaiah/58/6). ***Let the oppressed go free*** — How can any nation pretend to fast or worship God at all, or dare to profess that they believe in the existence of such a Being, while they carry on the *slave trade*, and traffic in the souls, blood, and bodies, of men! O ye most flagitious of knaves, and worst of hypocrites, cast off at once the mask of religion; and deepen not your endless perdition by professing the *faith* of our *Lord Jesus Christ*, while ye continue in this traffic!

Verse [Isaiah 58:7](../../../kjv/isaiah/58/7). ***Deal thy bread to the hungry*** — But this thou canst not do, if thou eat it *thyself*. When a man fasts, suppose he do it through a religious motive, he should give the food of that day, from which he abstains, to the poor and hungry, who, in the course of providence, are called to sustain many involuntary fasts, besides suffering general privations. Wo to him who saves a day's victuals by his religious fast! He should either give them or their value in money to the poor. See [Isaiah 58:6](../../../kjv/isaiah/58/6).
***That thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house*** - "To bring the wandering poor into thy house"] πτωχους αστεγους, *Septuagint*; *egenos* vagosque, *Vulgate*; and מטלטלין *metaltelin, Chaldee*. They read, instead of מרודים *merudim*, הנודים hanudim. מר mer is upon a rasure in the Bodleian MS. The same MS. reads ביתה *bayethah*, in *domum*, "into the house." - L.

Verse [Isaiah 58:8](../../../kjv/isaiah/58/8). ***And thine health shall spring forth speedily*** - "And thy wounds shall speedily be healed over"] Et cicatrix vulneris tui cito obducetur; "And the scar of thy wounds shall be speedily removed." *Aquila's* Version, as reported by Jerome, with which agrees that of the *Chaldee*.
***The glory*** - "And the glory"] Sixteen MSS. (five ancient) of Dr. *Kennicott's*, and the *Septuagint, Syriac*, and *Vulgate* add the conjunction ו *vau*, וכבוד vechabod.

Verse [Isaiah 58:10](../../../kjv/isaiah/58/10). ***And*****if*****thou draw out thy soul to the hungry*** - "If thou bring forth thy bread to the hungry"] "To draw out thy soul to the hungry," as our translators rightly enough express the present Hebrew text, is an obscure phrase, and without example in any other place. But instead of נפשך *naphshecha, thy soul*, eight MSS. (three ancient) of *Kennicott's* and three of *De Rossi's* read לחמך *lachmecha, thy bread*; and so the *Syriac* renders it. The *Septuagint* express both words, τον αρτον εκ της ψυχης σου, "thy bread from thy soul." I cannot help thinking, however, that this reading is a gloss, and should not be adopted. To *draw out the soul* in relieving the poor, is to do it, not of constraint or necessity, but cheerfully, and is both nervous and elegant. His *soul pities* and his *hand gives*.

Verse [Isaiah 58:11](../../../kjv/isaiah/58/11). ***And make fat thy bones*** - "And he shall renew thy strength"] Chaldaeus forte legit יחכיף עצמתך *yachaliph* *otsmathecha; confer cap*. xl. 29, 31, et xli. 1. - SECKER. "The *Chaldee* perhaps read יחליף עצמתך *yachaliph otsmathecha*." The *Chaldee* has וגופך יחיי בחיי עלמא *veguphach vechaiyey bechaiyey* *alma*, "and he will vivify thy body in life eternal." The rest of the ancients seem not to know what to make of יחליץ *yachalits*; and the rendering of the *Vulgate*, which seems to be the only proper one, *ossa tua liberabit*, "he will deliver thy bones," makes no sense. I follow this excellent emendation; to favour which it is still farther to be observed that three MSS., instead of עצמתיך *atsmotheycha*, have עצמתך *otsmathecha*, singular. - L.

Verse [Isaiah 58:12](../../../kjv/isaiah/58/12). ***The restorer of paths to dwell in***- "The restorer of paths to be frequented by inhabitants."] To this purpose it is rendered by the *Syriac, Symmachus*, and *Theodotion*.

Verse [Isaiah 58:13](../../../kjv/isaiah/58/13). ***If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath*** — The meaning of this seems to be, that they should be careful not to take their pleasure on the Sabbath day, by paying visits, and taking country jaunts; not going, as *Kimchi* interprets it, more than a Sabbath day's journey, which was only *two thousand* cubits beyond the city's suburbs. How vilely is this rule transgressed by the inhabitants of this land! They seem to think that the Sabbath was made only for their recreation!
**From*****doing thy pleasure*** — The *Septuagint, Syriac*, and *Chaldee*, for עשות *asoth*, manifestly express מעשות *measoth*. So likewise a MS. has it, but with the omission of the words שבת רגלך *shabbath raglecha*. - L.
***The holy of the Lord*** - "And the holy feast of JEHOVAH"] Twenty-eight MSS. (seven ancient) add the conjunction ו *vau*, ולקדוש velikedosh; and so the *Syriac, Chaldee*, and *Vulgate*. One of my own has the same reading.
***Nor speaking*** thine own *words* - "From speaking vain words."] It is necessary to add some epithet to make out the sense; the *Septuagint* say, *angry* words; the *Chaldee*, words of violence. If any such epithet is lost here, the safest way is to supply it by the prophet's own expression, [Isaiah 58:9](../../../kjv/isaiah/58/9), ודבר און vedabar aven, vain words; that is, profane, impious, injurious, c.
"The additional epithet seems unnecessary the *Vulgate* and *Syriac* have it not; and the sense is good without it; two ways, first by taking ודבר *vedabar* for a noun, and דבר *dabur* for the participle pahul, and rendering, -
'From pursuing thy pleasure, and the thing resolved on.'
Or, secondly, by supposing the force of the preposition מ mem to have been continued from the verb ממצוא *mimmetso* to the verb ודבר *vedabber* immediately following; and rendering, -
'From executing thy pleasure, and from speaking words
concerning it.' But the first seems the easier rendering." - Dr. JUBB.

Verse [Isaiah 58:14](../../../kjv/isaiah/58/14). ***Then shalt thou delight thyself*** — If all *fasts* and religious observances be carried on in the spirit and manner recommended above, God's blessing will attend every ordinance. But in public fasts, prescribed not in the Book of God, but by the rulers of nations in general (very unfit persons) care should be taken that the *cause is good*, and that God's blessing may be *safely* implored in it.
France has lately fasted and prayed that they might be able to subjugate Spain, restore and establish the horrible inquisition, and utterly destroy all the liberties of the people! Is this such a fast as God hath chosen? - A.D. 1823.

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