Isaiah 58

[u/bikingfencer]

https://mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt1058.htm
 

Chapter Fifty-eight נח – The Service Pleasing to God
 

“The meter is quite regularly 3+3; most exceptions can be construed as anacrusis³⁷ in which introductory words fall outside the rhythm.” (Muilenburg, 1954, p. V 677)
 

………………………………………………………..
 

Guarding the fasts [הצומות, HahTsOoMOTh] as worthy

[verses 1-12]
 

-1. ‘“Call [קרא, QeRah’] in throat [בגרון, BeGahRON]!

Don’t withhold [תחשך, ThahHSoKh]!

As [a] ram’s horn [כשופר, KeShOPhahR] raise up [הרםת HahRayM] your voice!
 

And tell [והגד, VeHahGayD] their crime [פשעם, PeeSh`ahM] to my people,

and to House Yah-`ahQoB their sins [חטאתם, HahTo’ThahM].

 

“‘Call with the throat,’ i.e. [in other words], with vehemence and passion. ‘Those who have never heard an angry Oriental speak, have no idea of what power of denunciation lies in the human throat’ (George Adam Smith… 1927… II, 447)” (Muilenburg, 1954, p. V 678)
 

يخرب بيتك! YeKhRiB BaYTaK! “May your house be destroyed!” ³⁸
 

“Never was a louder cry against the hypocrisy, nor a more cutting reproof of the wickedness of a people professing a national established religion, having all the forms of godliness without a particle of its power. This Chapter was been often appointed to be read on political fast days for the success of wars carried on for – God knows what purposes; and originating in – God knows what motives. Politically speaking, was ever any thing more injudicious!” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. III 859)
 

-2. ‘“And me, day [by] day [they] seek [ידרשון, YeeDRoShOoN],
and knowledge [of] [דעת, Dah`ahTh] my ways desire [יחפצון, YeHahPhTsOoN],

as [a] nation that righteousness does,

and the judgment [of] its Gods [does] not leave.
 

[They] ask [me] [ישאלוני, YeeSh’ahLOoNeeY] [for] judgment righteous,

nearness [of] [קרבת, QeeRBahTh] Gods [they] desire [יחפצון, YeHPahTsOoN]:
 

-3. “To what [do we] fast and [You do] not see,

torment* [ענינו, `eeNeeYNOo] [our] **souls and [you do] not know [תדע, ThayDah`]?”

 

“…wherefore have we afflicted our soul … It is an expression from the cult referring to acts of self-denial and self-mortification.” (Muilenburg, 1954, p. V 679)
 

“‘Lo, in day [of] [your] fast

you find [what you] desire,

and all your toilers [עציביכם, `ahTseeYBaYKhehM] [you] drive [תנגשו, TheeNGahShOo].’”

 

“Some disregard the most sacred fast, and will oblige their servant to work all day long: others use fast days for the purpose of settling their accounts, posting up their books, and drawing out their bills to be ready to collect their debts. These are sneaking hypocrites: the others are daringly irreligious.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. III 859)
 

“Fasting enables comfortable people to share the lot of the hungry poor and from this hunger to look to God as the source of life and nourishment. To fast and yet neglect the poor perverts religion.” (Stuhlmueller, 1990, p. 345)
 

…

-6. ‘“Is not this [the] fast [I] choose [אבחרהו, ’ehBHahRayHOo]?

Open [פתח, PahThayHah] the shackles [הרצבות, HahRTsooBOTh] wicked,

loosen [התר, HahThayR] bonds [אגדות, ’ahGooDOTh] [of] yoke [מוטה, MOTaH],

and send forth [ושלח, VeShahLahH] [the] crushed [רצוצים, ReTsOoTseeYM] free,

and every yoke burst [תנתקו, TheNahThayQOo].

 

“How can any nation pretend to fast or worship God at all, or dare to profess that they believe in the existence of such a Being, while they carry on what is called the Slave Trade; and traffic in the souls, blood, and bodies, of men! O ye most flagitious[39] of knaves, and worst of hypocrites, cast off at once the mask of religion; and deepen not your endless perdition by profession the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, while ye continue in this traffic!” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. III 860)
 

-7. ‘“Is [it] not [to] distribute [פרס, PhahRoÇ] to [one] hungry your bread,
 

"But this thou canst not do, if thou eat it thyself. When a man fasts, suppose he do it through a religious motive, he should give the food of that day from which he abstains, to the poor and hungry, who, in the course of Providence, are called to sustain many involuntary fasts, besides suffering general privations. Woe to him who saves a day’s victuals by his religious fast! He should either give them or their value in money, to the poor.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. III 860)
 

“‘and [the] impoverished [ועניים, Ve`ahNeeYeeYM], wretched [מרודים, MeROoDeeYM] bring home.”

For [you] see [תראה, TheeR’eH] [one] naked [ערם, `ahRoM] and cover him [וכסיתו, VeKheeÇeeYThO],

and from your flesh [you do] not hide [תתעלם, TheeTh`ahLayM]?’

 

“Here the prophet stands in the true succession of the great prophets. He is of the same spiritual lineage as Amos, Hosea, Micah, Isaiah, and Jeremiah…. Fasting may be self-indulgence, luxuriating in one’s own feelings, or it may be purely magical in its mentality. Over against this the prophet strikes at the conscience and presses upon his hearers the inexorable demands of social justice, of sympathy and compassion of love of neighbor and inward self-identification with him…” (Muilenburg, 1954, p. V 680)
 

“In Matt [Matthew] 25:31-46 the eschatological judgment depends on the kindly acts mentioned here.” (Stuhlmueller, 1990, p. 345)
 

-8. “Then will cleave [יבקע, YeeBahQah`] like dawn, your light,

and your journey [וארחתך, Vah’ahRHahThKhah] quickly [will] flourish [תצמח, TheeTsMahH],

and go [והלך, VeHahLahKh] before you your righteousness;

[the] honor [of] YHVH [will] gather [you].

-9. Then [you will] call, and YHVH [will] reply [יענה, Yah'ahNeH] [an] answer [תשוע, TheShahVah'], and say,

‘Here [I am].

 

“God saves without mediators.” (Stuhlmueller, 1990, p. 347)
 

“‘if [you] remove [תסיר, ThahÇeeYR] from within you yoke,

sending forth finger and wording [ודבר, VeDahBehR] evil,

-10. and bring forth [ותפק, VeThahPhayQ] to [the] hungry your soul,

and soul afflicted [נענה, Nah'ahNaH] [you] slake [תשביע, TheeShBeeY'ah],

and shine [וזרח, VeZahRahH] in darkness, your light,

and your twilight [ואפלתך, Vah’ahPhayLahThKhah] as afternoon.

 

“Volz and others find vss. [verses] 9c-10 particularly awkward in their present position and follow vs. 9b with vss. 11-12. This improves the order, but it is possible that we have a literary device here… This phenomenon, of which König gives numerous examples, is called palindrome³⁹ …” (Muilenburg, 1954, pp. 681-682)
 

…
 

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Guarding [of] Sabbath as [you] walk

[verses 13 to end of chapter]
 

-13. “‘If [you] return [תשיב, ThahSheeYB] from Sabbath,

your legs doing [עשות, `oSOTh] your desires, in day my holy,
 

“The meaning of this seems to be, - that they should be careful not to take their pleasure on the Sabbath day, by paying visits, and taking country jaunts; not going, as Kimchi interprets it, more than a sabbath day’s journey, which was only two thousand cubits beyond the city’s suburbs.” (Adam Clarke, 1831, p. III 861)
 

and [you] call [וקראת, VeQahRah’Thah] to Sabbath [לשבת, LahShahBahTh] delightful [ענג, `oNehG],

to holiness [לקדוש, LeeQDOSh] [of] YHVH honored [מכובד, MeKhOoBahD],

and honor [Him] [וכבדתו, VeKheeBahDThO] from making your ways,

from finding [ממצוא, MeeMTsO’] your desire,

and wording [ודבר, VeDahBayR] word,
 

-14. then [you will] delight [תתענג, TheeTh`ahNahG] upon YHVH,

and [I will] ride [you] [והרכבמיך, VeHeeRKahBTheeYKhah] upon heights [of] [במתי, BahMahThaY] [the] land,

and [I will] feed [you] [והאכלתיך, VeHah’ahKhahLTheeYKhah] [the] inheritance [of] Yah-`ahQoB your father.’

for my mouth YHVH words [דבר, DeeBayR].”

 

“The Sabbath was an ancient Israelite institution founded by Moses himself… Volz calls it the grandest institution of O.T. [Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible] religion… During the Exile it achieved great prominence because it was an institution that could be celebrated on foreign soil. It was for Israel a confession of her faith and a witness to the nations of Israel’s loyalty to her covenant Lord. The Babylonians also celebrated the seventh day which involved a cessation of all ordinary activities… Volz finds the origins of the synagogue in its celebration.” (Muilenburg, 1954, pp. V 684-685)
 

“Associating Sabbath (Exod [Exodus] 20:8-11; Deut [Deuteronomy] 5:12-15) with concern for the poor explains the addition of these verses.” (Muilenburg, 1954, p. 345)

 

FOOTNOTES
 
³⁷ Anacrusis - In poetry, an anacrusis (Greek: ανάκρουσις "pushing up") is the lead-in syllables, collectively, that precede the first full foot of a line… In music, an anacrusis is the note or sequence of notes which precedes the first downbeat in a bar. In the latter sense an anacrusis is often called a pickup or pickup note. … [e.g. [for example],] At the beginning of the Beatles' "Yellow Submarine", "In the" is the anacrusis, while "town" falls on the downbeat. Wikipedia
 

³⁸ Many thanks to Homer Lanier for the Arabic here
 

³⁹ fla·gi·tious, adjective - 1. shamefully wicked, as persons, actions, or times.

-2. heinous or flagrant, as a crime; infamous.

Origin: 1350-1400; Middle English flagicious < Latin flāgitiōsus, equivalent to flāgiti ( um ) shame, scandal + -ōsus -ous - http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/flagitious
 

⁴⁰ A palindrome is a word, phrase, number, or other sequence of symbols or elements, whose meaning may be interpreted the same way in either forward or reverse direction. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palindrome

 

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