Isaiah 58:7

Isaiah 58:7 . Is it not — Namely, the fast that pleases me. Having shown the evil they were to abstain from in order to keep an acceptable fast, namely, every species of cruelty, he here proceeds to speak of the duty that was required, namely, the exercise of every kind of mercy, as a necessary fruit of true repentance, Daniel 4:27 ; Luke 19:8 . For there are two parts of righteousness toward our neighbour; one, to do wrong to no man; the other, to do good to all: which two must always go together, and never be separated from each other, especially in acts and seasons of humiliation. And, as under the evils here mentioned are comprehended all other evils whatsoever, all which men must abstain from if they would give evidence of true humiliation and godly sorrow, so in the duties here spoken of are comprised all the duties, to the practice of which they ought to apply themselves as the effects of true repentance. To deal — The word פרס properly signifies to divide, or to break into parts; thy bread to the hungry — Bread is here put for all things necessary for the support of human life, any or every kind of food.

And that thou bring the poor — Those that are not only needy, as to their present condition, but helpless, and utterly unable to support themselves; that are cast out — Forced from their dwellings, deprived of house and harbour by the injustice of the powerful, or by persecution for conscience’ sake, and who are thereby become wanderers, and have no abiding place; to thy house — That thou be hospitable, and make thy house a shelter to them, or provide lodging for them. When thou seest the naked — Those that either have no clothes, or are so poorly clothed that their clothing is not sufficient to preserve them from perishing by cold; that thou cover him — That thou give them raiment suited to these wants, James 2:15-16 . And that thou hide not thyself — That thou not only seek no occasion to excuse thyself, but that, out of compassion, thou apply thyself heartily and speedily to his relief; that thou be not like the priest and Levite, but like the good Samaritan, Luke 10:31-35 . From thine own flesh — Some restrain this to our own kindred, but this would confine our charity within too narrow a compass, inasmuch as often, nay, perhaps most commonly, the necessities of others are greater than those of our own relations; neither is it congruous, that the other words here should be taken in the greatest latitude, and this alone be confined within such narrow limits. Our Saviour teaches us to consider every man as our neighbour.

Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou shouldest bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou shouldest cover him; and that thou shouldest not hide thyself from {g} thy own flesh? (g) For in him you see yourself as in a mirror.

Is it, viz. the fast that pleaseth me, supplied from the former verse. Having showed the evil they are to abstain from in order to an acceptable fast, viz. cruelty , he here speaks of the duty that is required, viz. mercy , as a manifestation of repentance, Daniel 4:27 Luke 19:8 . For there are two parts of justice, one to do no man wrong, the other to do good to all; which two ought always to accompany each other, and cannot be parted, especially in acts of humiliation: and as by those evils mentioned he understands all other evil whatsoever, that they are to be abstained from as the consequence of a day of humiliation, so under these duties mentioned are comprised all the duties that we are to set upon as the effect of true repentance; and he instanceth rather in those of the second table than those of the first, not that they are to be neglected, but because cheerful performance of external duties to our neighbour is the clearest discovery and indication of our inward piety towards God, 1Jo 4:20 . To deal: the word properly signifies to divide, or break into parts, for the more equal and expeditious doing whereof they were wont of old to bake their loaves with cuts or clefts in them, more or fewer according to the bigness of the loaf, not much unlike that which we ordinarily call buns.

It implies, that as none is obliged to give away all, so none is exempted from giving some, but a distribution to be made according to the abilities of rich and poor; or the meaning is, What thou sparest on thy fasting day from thine own belly, thou give it to refresh the bowels of the hungry; what thou takest from thyself give to another, that thy poor neighbour’s body may be refreshed by that from the abstinence whereof thine own is afflicted. Thy bread: bread is taken for all necessaries for the support of human life, and here for all kind of food; and it is here limited by a term of propriety, thy, which may seem to have some emphasis in it: See Poole "Ecclesiastes 11:1" . Speaking of their grinding and oppressing the poor, he would have them be sure to give of their own, not that which of right is another’s, and thou hast, it may be, unjustly gotten. For to refresh some poor with that which thou hast gotten by the oppressing of others, and thereby possibly made them poor, will turn but to a bad account; it will bring a curse upon thy house, or family, Proverbs 15:27 , or will transfer thy estate over to such strangers that will manage it as thou shouldst have done, Proverbs 28:8 . That thou bring, i.e. voluntarily, without pressing. Invite, encourage, freely accommodate. The poor, viz. that are not only needy and necessitous as to their present condition, but helpless and shiftless as to the means of getting out of it.

7. deal—distribute (Job 31:16-21). cast out—rather, reduced [Horsley]. naked … cover him—(Mt 25:36). hide … thyself—means to be strange towards them, and not to relieve them in their poverty (Mt 15:5). flesh—kindred (Ge 29:14). Also brethren in common descent from Adam, and brethren in Christ (Jas 2:15).

7 . Comp. Ezekiel 18:7 f., 16 f.; Job 31:13 ff. the poor that are cast out ] the vagrant (homeless) poor . The word rendered “vagrant” is peculiar, but is supposed to come from a verb meaning “wander.” It occurs with an abstract sense, and along with the abstract noun corresponding to the word here rendered “poor,” in Lamentations 1:7 ; Lamentations 3:19 . hide not thyself ( Deuteronomy 22:1 ; Deuteronomy 22:3-4 ) from thine own flesh ] from thy fellow Israelites (as in Nehemiah 5:5 ). 8 ff . When these conditions are complied with, the glory of the latter days shall break on the regenerated community. thy light ] (ch. Isaiah 60:1 ; Isaiah 60:3 ), the emblem of salvation; cf. ch. Isaiah 9:2 . break forth as the dawn ] “Break forth” is the verb used in ch. Isaiah 35:6 ; Genesis 7:11 ; Psalm 74:15 , of the bursting of waters through a fissure in the earth’s surface; by a vivid metaphor the dawn was conceived as “splitting” the heavens and flooding the world with light. The same word occurs on the Moabite Stone (50:15) in the phrase “from the splitting of the dawn.” thine health ] thy healing (as R.V.), or thy recovery .

The word (Heb. ’ǎrûkah , Arab, ’arîka ) seems to mean literally the new flesh which is formed when a wound is healing (see Delitzsch’s Commentary on the verse); it is used three times by Jeremiah with the sense of recovered health or prosperity; in Nehemiah 4:7 ( Isaiah 4:1 Heb.) and 2 Chronicles 24:13 the metaphor is applied to the repairing of damages (in the walls or the Temple). Since Isaiah 58:12 shews that the prophet has the restoration of ruins in his mind, the coincidence with Nehemiah 4:7 is certainly suggestive; but the figure here does not go beyond the general idea of recovered prosperity. shall go before thee … shall be thy rereward ] Comp. ch. Isaiah 52:12 . It is difficult to say whether righteousness means in this case “right vindicated “by outward tokens of Jehovah’s favour, or ethical righteousness as described in Isaiah 58:6-7 . 9 a . The immediate answer to prayer, in contrast to the complaint of Isaiah 58:3 , is the evidence of harmony re-established between Jehovah and His worshippers; comp. ch. Isaiah 65:24 , Isaiah 30:19 . 9 b should be joined to Isaiah 58:10 . The conditions of acceptance with God are recapitulated in terms differing slightly from those of Isaiah 58:6-7 . the putting forth of the finger ] a gesture of contempt ( Proverbs 6:13 ) towards the oppressed mentioned in Isaiah 58:6-7 . Compare (with Gesenius) the infamis digitus ( Pers. 11. 33).