‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’ Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The people complain that God doesn't see their fasting, but the prophet reveals their hypocrisy: even on their fast days, they are actually pursuing their own pleasures and oppressing their workers. This shows that true devotion isn't just about religious acts, but about how we treat others, especially those we have power over.
‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’ Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The prophet Isaiah is delivering a message from God to the people of Israel. They have been observing religious fasts, likely during a time of distress or seeking God's favor, but feel their efforts are going unnoticed. Isaiah is about to reveal that their outward acts of piety are marred by inner hypocrisy and injustice toward others.
You're going through the motions of fasting, humbling yourself, but God seems silent. What's missing?
The people in Isaiah's day were frustrated because their fasting wasn't bringing the results they expected. They felt God wasn't 'seeing' or 'taking knowledge' of their efforts. But the issue wasn't their observance; it was the intent behind it.
The Problem of Externalism
God's concern is always with the heart. While fasting and affliction of the soul are practices He can use, they are meaningless if they are merely external performances. The people were performing religious duties without the underlying heart attitude of repentance and genuine care for others.
True Humility vs. Performance
Genuine humility before God isn't just about abstaining from food; it's about a deep inner recognition of our need for Him and a willingness to let that recognition transform our actions towards others. When fasting becomes a performance, it's a way to impress God (or ourselves), rather than a genuine expression of dependence on Him.
You're fasting, but then... you indulge your own desires and exploit others? How can that be?
The sharpest critique in Isaiah 58:3 isn't just that the people fasted, but how they fasted. The prophet exposes a deep hypocrisy: while outwardly abstaining from food, inwardly they were seeking their own pleasure and oppressing their workers.
Seeking Personal Gain
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The phrase 'you seek your own pleasure' can refer to indulging in personal desires, but scholars also point out it could mean pursuing profitable business or personal advantage. Even during a day set aside for spiritual reflection, their focus remained on worldly gain and self-satisfaction.
Exploiting the Vulnerable
The most damning part is 'oppress all your workers.' This was a direct violation of the spirit of the fast, which should have led to greater compassion. Instead, they intensified their demands on their laborers, essentially using the day of 'humbling' to further their own interests at the expense of others. This shows a profound disconnect between their religious actions and their ethical behavior.
Understand the original words
tsum · Hebrew Noun/Verb
A spiritual discipline involving voluntary abstinence from food to focus on prayer, repentance, and seeking God’s will.
anah · Hebrew Verb
To lower oneself before God, acknowledging one's unworthiness, sin, or dependence; it is a posture of submission and repentance.
nagash · Hebrew Verb
Coercive or harsh treatment of others, often involving the abuse of power or taking advantage of those in a weaker position.
The prophecy in Isaiah 58 addresses a people who have established fast days, likely in the post-exilic period, to mourn national tragedies. However, their fasts have become mere rituals, devoid of the justice and compassion God truly desires, leading Isaiah to expose their hypocrisy.
c. 700 BC
Prophecy of Isaiah
Isaiah delivers prophetic oracles to the people of Judah during a period of significant political and social upheaval, including threats from foreign empires.
c. 700 BC— this verse
Critique of Hypocritical Worship
Isaiah confronts the people of Judah with their empty religious observances, particularly their fasting, which is not accompanied by genuine justice and compassion.
c. 586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
The Babylonian conquest leads to the fall of Jerusalem, the destruction of the Temple, and the exile of many Judeans, creating a context for subsequent fasting and mourning.
c. 5th Century BC
Post-Exilic Fasts Established
After the return from exile, specific fasts are established to commemorate the tragic events of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, like the fast of Gedaliah.
Jesus confronts a similar hypocrisy where outward religious acts are performed while inward impurity and injustice remain, showing that God cares about what's inside, not just outward appearances.
Luke 18:9-14This parable contrasts the self-righteous boasting of a Pharisee, who fasts and gives tithes, with the humble plea of a tax collector, highlighting that true righteousness is found in humility and dependence on God's mercy, not in religious performance.
James 5:4James directly rebukes those who withhold wages from their workers, echoing Isaiah's condemnation of oppressing laborers even while observing religious fasts, connecting exploitative practices to a lack of true piety.
Galatians 5:22-23Paul lists the fruit of the Spirit, such as love, joy, peace, and justice, which directly contrast with the actions of oppression and self-pleasing described in Isaiah's prophecy, showing what genuine spiritual transformation looks like.
cambridgeIsaiah 58:3: "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."
3 . The first half of the verse expresses the people’s sense of disappointment at the failure of their efforts to win the favour of Jehovah; the second half begins the prophet’s exposure of their hypocrisy. There is an incipient Pharisaism in their evident expectation that by exter…
wesleyIsaiah 58:3: "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."
58:3 Afflicted - Defrauded our appetites with fasting, of which this phrase is used, Levit 16:29. Ye find - Either you indulge yourselves in sensuality, as they did, Isa 22:13. But this does not agree with that afflicting of their souls which they now professed, and which God ackno…
The people complain that God doesn't see their fasting, but the prophet reveals their hypocrisy: even on their fast days, they are actually pursuing their own pleasures and oppressing their workers. This shows that true devotion isn't just about religious acts, but about how we treat others, especially those we have power over.
The prophet Isaiah is delivering a message from God to the people of Israel. They have been observing religious fasts, likely during a time of distress or seeking God's favor, but feel their efforts are going unnoticed. Isaiah is about to reveal that their outward acts of piety are marred by inner hypocrisy and injustice toward others.
The prophet Isaiah is delivering a message from God to the people of Israel. They have been observing religious fasts, likely during a time of distress or seeking God's favor, but feel their efforts are going unnoticed. Isaiah is about to reveal that their outward acts of piety are marred by inner hypocrisy and injustice toward others.
"‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’ Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers." — The people complain that God doesn't see their fasting, but the prophet reveals their hypocrisy: even on their fast days, they are actually pursuing their own pleasures and oppressing their workers.…
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Last reviewed October 2026