Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse emphasizes that true worship isn't just about abstaining from personal indulgence, but actively sharing your resources—your very "bread"—with those who lack basic necessities. It extends compassion beyond immediate family or even fellow countrymen to encompass all people as "your own flesh," calling for radical empathy in meeting their needs.
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
English Standard Version (ESV)
God is responding to the people's complaint that their fasting and religious observance isn't leading to the results they expect. He explains that their outward acts of devotion are meaningless without genuine compassion and justice for others. The text then lays out what true obedience looks like: actively sharing resources with the hungry, offering shelter to the homeless, and clothing the needy, emphasizing the responsibility to care for all people, even those closest to us.
Is fasting just about not doing things, like eating certain foods? Isaiah 58 says 'no!' God's kind of fasting involves actively doing good.
The prophet Isaiah is calling out a disconnect. The people were fasting and seemingly seeking God, but their hearts and actions were far from Him.
The 'What' and 'Why' of God's Fast
When we skip a meal for a fast, what can we do with that saved resource? Give it to someone hungry? When we see someone in need, are we looking away, or stepping in?
The verse calls us not to hide from 'your own flesh.' What does this profound phrase mean for how we view others, even strangers?
The phrase 'your own flesh' is a powerful reminder of our shared humanity. While it can certainly include our close family and relatives, its scope is much broader.
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Recognizing the 'One Blood'
The prophet Isaiah delivers this message during a time of intense geopolitical turmoil and military threat, particularly the Assyrian invasions. The call to radical compassion and justice isn't just abstract theology; it's a direct challenge to a community facing real hardship and the potential for further devastation. It highlights that genuine worship and national well-being are inextricably linked to how they treat the most vulnerable among them.
c. 740 BC
Assyrian military campaigns in Judah
Under kings like Tiglath-Pileser III and Sargon II, Assyria exerted increasing pressure on Israel and Judah, leading to significant political instability, deportations, and the eventual fall of the Northern Kingdom. This context of foreign oppression and internal distress would have heightened the need for social justice and mutual support.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Assyrian Exile
The Northern Kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrians, leading to the exile of a significant portion of its population. This event created refugees and deepened the sense of vulnerability among the remaining Israelites in Judah.
c. 701 BC— this verse
Sennacherib's Invasion of Judah
The Assyrian king Sennacherib invaded Judah, devastating many cities and besieging Jerusalem. While Jerusalem was miraculously spared, the invasion caused widespread suffering, displacement, and economic hardship.
c. 605-586 BC
Babylonian Exiles
The Babylonian Empire rose to power, leading to multiple deportations of Judeans to Babylon, culminating in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 586 BC. This period saw immense suffering, loss, and a profound questioning of faith and national identity.
This passage directly parallels Isaiah's call to action, highlighting the Lord's identification with the hungry, naked, and stranger, making our care for them an act of worship towards Him.
Luke 10:30-37Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan powerfully illustrates the heart of Isaiah's message, showing that true compassion transcends ethnic and religious boundaries, urging us to be moved with pity and actively help those in need, just as the Samaritan helped the wounded traveler.
James 2:15-16James echoes Isaiah's concern for the vulnerable, emphasizing that genuine faith isn't just a feeling but is demonstrated through practical acts of love, like clothing and feeding those who lack necessities.
Ezekiel 18:7-8This passage from Ezekiel outlines righteous living by detailing acts of generosity and justice towards the poor and needy, mirroring the specific actions Isaiah calls for in chapter 58 as indicators of a right relationship with God.
Deuteronomy 15:7-8This command in Deuteronomy provides the foundational principle for Isaiah's exhortation, urging the Israelites to open their hand wide and lend generously to those in need, not hardening their hearts but fulfilling their obligations with grace.
wesleyIsaiah 58:7: "Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?"
58:7 Cast out - And thereby become wanderers, having no abiding place. To thy house - That thou be hospitable, and make thy house a shelter to them that have none of their own left. Hide not - That seek no occasion to excuse thyself. Thy own flesh - Some confine this to our own…
pooleIsaiah 58:7: "Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?"
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…
The verse emphasizes that true worship isn't just about abstaining from personal indulgence, but actively sharing your resources—your very "bread"—with those who lack basic necessities. It extends compassion beyond immediate family or even fellow countrymen to encompass all people as "your own flesh," calling for radical empathy in meeting their needs.
God is responding to the people's complaint that their fasting and religious observance isn't leading to the results they expect. He explains that their outward acts of devotion are meaningless without genuine compassion and justice for others. The text then lays out what true obedience looks like: actively sharing resources with the hungry, offering shelter to the homeless, and clothing the needy, emphasizing the responsibility to care for all people, even those closest to us.
God is responding to the people's complaint that their fasting and religious observance isn't leading to the results they expect. He explains that their outward acts of devotion are meaningless without genuine compassion and justice for others. The text then lays out what true obedience looks like: actively sharing resources with the hungry, offering shelter to the homeless, and clothing the needy, emphasizing the responsibility to care for all people, even those closest to us.
"Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?" — The verse emphasizes that true worship isn't just about abstaining from personal indulgence, but actively sharing your resources—your very "bread"—with those who lack basic necessities. It extends co…
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Last reviewed October 2026