Isaiah
Isaiah 58:4–6
4You fast with contention and strife
to strike viciously with your fist.
You cannot fast as you do today
and have your voice be heard on high.
5Is this the fast I have chosen:
a day for a man to deny himself,
to bow his head like a reed,
and to spread out sackcloth and ashes?
Will you call this a fast
and a day acceptable to the LORD?
6Isn’t this the fast that I have chosen:
to break the chains of wickedness,
to untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and tear off every yoke?
Word by word
Each English word or phrase beside the Hebrew it translates, in the order of the English. Choose a number to open that word’s study.
Isaiah 58:4
| English | Hebrew | Sounds like | Grammar | Word study |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| You fast | תָּצ֔וּמוּ | tā·ṣū·mū | Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural | H6684 abstain from food, fast |
| with contention | לְרִ֤יב | lə·rîḇ | Preposition-l; Noun - masculine singular | H7379 strife, dispute |
| and strife | וּמַצָּה֙ | ū·maṣ·ṣāh | Conjunctive waw; Noun - feminine singular | H4683 strife, contention |
| to strike | וּלְהַכּ֖וֹת | ū·lə·hak·kō·wṯ | Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l; Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct | H5221 smite |
| viciously | רֶ֑שַׁע | re·ša‘ | Noun - masculine singular | H7562 wickedness |
| with your fist | בְּאֶגְרֹ֣ף | bə·’eḡ·rōp̄ | Preposition-b; Noun - masculine singular construct | H106 fist |
| You cannot | לֹא־ | lō- | Adverb - Negative particle | H3808 not |
| fast | תָצ֣וּמוּ | ṯā·ṣū·mū | Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural | H6684 abstain from food, fast |
| as you do today | כַיּ֔וֹם | ḵay·yō·wm | Preposition-k, Article; Noun - masculine singular | H3117 day |
| and have your voice | קוֹלְכֶֽם׃ | qō·wl·ḵem | Noun - masculine singular construct; second person masculine plural | H6963 sound, voice |
| be heard | לְהַשְׁמִ֥יעַ | lə·haš·mî·a‘ | Preposition-l; Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct | H8085 hear |
| on high | בַּמָּר֖וֹם | bam·mā·rō·wm | Preposition-b, Article; Noun - masculine singular | H4791 height |
Isaiah 58:5
| English | Hebrew | Sounds like | Grammar | Word study |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Is | יִֽהְיֶה֙ | yih·yeh | Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular | H1961 fall out, come to pass, become, be |
| this | הֲכָזֶ֗ה | hă·ḵā·zeh | Pg, Preposition-k; Pronoun - masculine singular | H2088 this, that |
| the fast | צ֣וֹם | ṣō·wm | Noun - masculine singular | H6685 fasting, fast |
| I have chosen | אֶבְחָרֵ֔הוּ | ’eḇ·ḥā·rê·hū | Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular; third person masculine singular | H977 choose |
| a day | י֛וֹם | yō·wm | Noun - masculine singular | H3117 day |
| for a man | אָדָ֖ם | ’ā·ḏām | Noun - masculine singular | H120 man, mankind |
| to deny | עַנּ֥וֹת | ‘an·nō·wṯ | Verb - Piel - Infinitive construct | H6031 be occupied, busied with |
| himself | נַפְשׁ֑וֹ | nap̄·šōw | Noun - feminine singular construct; third person masculine singular | H5315 soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, appetite, emotion, and passion |
| to bow | הֲלָכֹ֨ף | hă·lā·ḵōp̄ | Preposition; Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | H3721 bend, bend down, be bent, bowed |
| his head | רֹאשׁ֗וֹ | rō·šōw | Noun - masculine singular construct; third person masculine singular | H7218 head |
| like a reed | כְּאַגְמֹ֜ן | kə·’aḡ·mōn | Preposition-k; Noun - masculine singular | H100 rush, bulrush |
| and to spread out | יַצִּ֔יעַ | yaṣ·ṣî·a‘ | Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular | H3331 lay, spread |
| sackcloth | וְשַׂ֤ק | wə·śaq | Conjunctive waw; Noun - masculine singular | H8242 sack, sackcloth |
| and ashes | וָאֵ֙פֶר֙ | wā·’ê·p̄er | Conjunctive waw; Noun - masculine singular | H665 ashes |
| Will you call | תִּקְרָא־ | tiq·rā- | Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular | H7121 call, proclaim, read |
| this | הֲלָזֶה֙ | hă·lā·zeh | Pg, Preposition-l; Pronoun - masculine singular | H2088 this, that |
| a fast | צ֔וֹם | ṣō·wm | Noun - masculine singular | H6685 fasting, fast |
| and a day | וְי֥וֹם | wə·yō·wm | Conjunctive waw; Noun - masculine singular construct | H3117 day |
| acceptable | רָצ֖וֹן | rā·ṣō·wn | Noun - masculine singular | H7522 goodwill, favour, acceptance, will |
| to the LORD | לַיהוָֽה׃ | Yah·weh | Preposition-l; Noun - proper - masculine singular | H3068 Yahweh |
Isaiah 58:6
| English | Hebrew | Sounds like | Grammar | Word study |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isn’t | הֲל֣וֹא | hă·lō·w | Adverb - Negative particle | H3808 not |
| this | זֶה֮ | zeh | Pronoun - masculine singular | H2088 this, that |
| the fast | צ֣וֹם | ṣō·wm | Noun - masculine singular | H6685 fasting, fast |
| that I have chosen | אֶבְחָרֵהוּ֒ | ’eḇ·ḥā·rê·hū | Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular; third person masculine singular | H977 choose |
| to break | פַּתֵּ֙חַ֙ | pat·tê·aḥ | Verb - Piel - Infinitive absolute | H6605 open |
| the chains | חַרְצֻבּ֣וֹת | ḥar·ṣub·bō·wṯ | Noun - feminine plural construct | H2784 bond, fetter, pang |
| of wickedness | רֶ֔שַׁע | re·ša‘ | Noun - masculine singular | H7562 wickedness |
| to untie | הַתֵּ֖ר | hat·têr | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive absolute | H5425 spring or start up |
| the cords | אֲגֻדּ֣וֹת | ’ă·ḡud·dō·wṯ | Noun - feminine plural construct | H92 band |
| of the yoke | מוֹטָ֑ה | mō·w·ṭāh | Noun - feminine singular | H4133 pole, bar (of yoke) |
| to set | וְשַׁלַּ֤ח | wə·šal·laḥ | Conjunctive waw; Verb - Piel - Infinitive absolute | H7971 send |
| the oppressed | רְצוּצִים֙ | rə·ṣū·ṣîm | Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine plural | H7533 crush |
| free | חָפְשִׁ֔ים | ḥā·p̄ə·šîm | Adjective - masculine plural | H2670 free |
| and tear off | תְּנַתֵּֽקוּ׃ | tə·nat·tê·qū | Verb - Piel - Imperfect - second person masculine plural | H5423 pull, draw, tear away, apart, off |
| every | וְכָל־ | wə·ḵāl | Conjunctive waw; Noun - masculine singular construct | H3605 the whole, all |
| yoke | מוֹטָ֖ה | mō·w·ṭāh | Noun - feminine singular | H4133 pole, bar (of yoke) |
Cross-references
Other passages that speak to the same thing. Point at one to read it.
Isaiah 58:4 1 Kings 21:9–13 · Matthew 6:16–18 · Proverbs 21:27 · Isaiah 59:2
Isaiah 58:5 Daniel 9:3–19 · Zechariah 7:5 · Isaiah 49:8 · Esther 4:16 · Romans 12:2 · Isaiah 61:2 · Psalm 69:13 · 2 Chronicles 20:3 · Luke 4:19 · Leviticus 16:29 · Ezra 10:6 · Job 2:8
Isaiah 58:6 Nehemiah 5:10–12 · Isaiah 58:9 · 1 Timothy 6:1 · Jeremiah 34:8–11 · Micah 3:2–4
Cross-references from OpenBible.info, used under CC BY 4.0. The best-supported references for each verse are shown.
Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible.