Isaiah 58:3
‘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)
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The people are complaining to God that their fasting isn't working, but the real issue isn't the fast itself, it's what they're doing during the fast. While they're abstaining from food, they're still indulging their own desires and oppressing those who work for them, completely missing the point of true repentance.
The people are complaining to God, feeling their fasts and acts of self-denial have gone unnoticed and unrewarded. Isaiah, however, immediately exposes their hypocrisy, revealing that their fasting is merely a religious performance masking a pursuit of personal pleasure and the oppression of those they employ.
You've done the outward acts of devotion, yet God seems distant. Why doesn't He notice your sacrifice?
The people in Isaiah's day felt God was ignoring their fasting and self-denial. They presented their religious observance as a way to earn God's favor, expecting a tangible response. However, God reveals their efforts were hollow because their hearts and actions didn't align with true righteousness. Their external acts of piety were a facade, masking a deep disconnect from genuine devotion. God wasn't looking for a performance; He was looking for a transformed heart that expressed itself in ethical living. Their disappointment stemmed from a misunderstanding of God's heart: He values obedience rooted in love and justice far more than mere ritual.
The day you set aside for spiritual discipline is also the day you intensify the burden on others?
Isaiah shockingly reveals that on the very day the people fasted, they were actively oppressing their workers and pursuing their own pleasures. This stark contrast exposes the hypocrisy. True fasting, as God defines it, isn't about abstaining from food to earn merit; it's about actively loosening the chains of injustice, breaking heavy burdens, and setting the oppressed free. Their 'fast' was a self-serving act, completely divorced from the compassion and justice God demands. They were trying to get closer to God by performing a religious act, while simultaneously crushing the very people God cares about.
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 people's complaints in Isaiah 58 arise during the Second Temple period, after the return from exile. Their fasting practices, established to remember national tragedies, had become a hollow ritual, masking their continued oppression of the poor and their pursuit of personal gain, rather than genuine repentance and righteousness.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Fall of Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquers the Northern Kingdom of Israel, exiling many of its inhabitants. This event serves as a stark warning to the Southern Kingdom of Judah about the consequences of disobedience to God.
c. 605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invades Judah, exiling a portion of the population, including members of the royal family and skilled workers. This marks the beginning of the Babylonian exile.
587/586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
The Babylonians destroy Jerusalem and its Temple, the center of Israelite worship. The remaining population is largely exiled to Babylon, leading to a period of deep national mourning and questioning.
c. 538 BC
Edict of Cyrus and Return from Exile
Cyrus the Great of Persia allows the exiled Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple. This marks the end of the Babylonian exile and the beginning of the Second Temple period.
This passage highlights a similar self-righteous religious practice where the Pharisee boasts about fasting twice a week, showcasing how outward religious acts can mask an inward spiritual emptiness, much like the people in Isaiah 58.
Matthew 6:16-18Jesus directly addresses the hypocrisy of fasting for show rather than for genuine spiritual devotion, mirroring Isaiah's rebuke of people who fast for appearance but not for heart change.
James 2:15-16This passage emphasizes that true faith is demonstrated through action and care for others, directly contrasting with the people's fasting that ignored the needs of their workers, showing that genuine faith requires tangible love.
Malachi 3:14This verse presents a similar complaint from the people, asking 'What profit is it that we have kept His ordinance?' when they have acted wickedly, reflecting the same disappointment and questioning of God's silence that Isaiah's audience expresses.
Isaiah 58:6-7These verses immediately follow Isaiah 58:3 and explicitly define the kind of fast God desires – one that involves acts of justice, compassion, and freeing the oppressed, directly answering the people's questions by showing what their fasting *should* have looked 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 are complaining to God that their fasting isn't working, but the real issue isn't the fast itself, it's what they're doing during the fast. While they're abstaining from food, they're still indulging their own desires and oppressing those who work for them, completely missing the point of true repentance.
The people are complaining to God, feeling their fasts and acts of self-denial have gone unnoticed and unrewarded. Isaiah, however, immediately exposes their hypocrisy, revealing that their fasting is merely a religious performance masking a pursuit of personal pleasure and the oppression of those they employ.
The people are complaining to God, feeling their fasts and acts of self-denial have gone unnoticed and unrewarded. Isaiah, however, immediately exposes their hypocrisy, revealing that their fasting is merely a religious performance masking a pursuit of personal pleasure and the oppression of those they employ.
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c. 516 BC
Completion of the Second Temple
The Second Temple is completed in Jerusalem, a significant milestone for the returning exiles. However, the community faces many challenges and struggles to fully reestablish itself.
c. 445 BC
Rebuilding of Jerusalem's Walls under Nehemiah
Nehemiah leads the effort to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, facing opposition from surrounding peoples. This period highlights ongoing social and economic difficulties, including debt bondage, as mentioned in Nehemiah 5.
Late 5th century BC— this verse
Post-Exilic Period and Fasting Traditions
In the aftermath of the exile, the Jewish community establishes annual fast days to commemorate the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. These fasts become an important, though sometimes externally observed, religious practice.
"‘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 are complaining to God that their fasting isn't working, but the real issue isn't the fast itself, it's what they're doing during the fast. While they're abstaining from food, they're st…
