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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Isaiah 58:2 For day after day they seek Me and delight to know My ways, like a nation that does what is right and does not forsake the justice of their God. They ask Me for righteous judgments; they delight in the nearness of God."</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/isaiah/58-2.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/17/23_Isa_58_02.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Isaiah 58:2 - True Fasts and Sabbaths" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="For day after day they seek Me and delight to know My ways, like a nation that does what is right and does not forsake the justice of their God. 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They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them. <a href="/nlt/isaiah/58.htm">New Living Translation</a> Yet they act so pious! They come to the Temple every day and seem delighted to learn all about me. They act like a righteous nation that would never abandon the laws of its God. They ask me to take action on their behalf, pretending they want to be near me. <a href="/esv/isaiah/58.htm">English Standard Version</a> Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness and did not forsake the judgment of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments; they delight to draw near to God. <a href="/bsb/isaiah/58.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a> For day after day they seek Me and delight to know My ways, like a nation that does what is right and does not forsake the justice of their God. They ask Me for righteous judgments; they delight in the nearness of God.” <a href="/kjv/isaiah/58.htm">King James Bible</a> Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God. <a href="/nkjv/isaiah/58.htm">New King James Version</a> Yet they seek Me daily, And delight to know My ways, As a nation that did righteousness, And did not forsake the ordinance of their God. They ask of Me the ordinances of justice; They take delight in approaching God. <a href="/nasb_/isaiah/58.htm">New American Standard Bible</a> “Yet they seek Me day by day and delight to know My ways, As a nation that has done righteousness And has not forsaken the ordinance of their God. They ask Me for just decisions, They delight in the nearness of God. <a href="/nasb/isaiah/58.htm">NASB 1995</a> &#8220Yet they seek Me day by day and delight to know My ways, As a nation that has done righteousness And has not forsaken the ordinance of their God. They ask Me for just decisions, They delight in the nearness of God. <a href="/nasb77/isaiah/58.htm">NASB 1977 </a> “Yet they seek Me day by day, and delight to know My ways, As a nation that has done righteousness, And has not forsaken the ordinance of their God. They ask Me for just decisions, They delight in the nearness of God. <a href="/lsb/isaiah/58.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a> Yet they seek Me day by day and find pleasure in knowing My ways, As a nation that has done righteousness And has not forsaken the judgment of their God. They ask Me for righteous judgments; They find pleasure in the nearness of God. <a href="/amp/isaiah/58.htm">Amplified Bible</a> “Yet they seek Me day by day and delight [superficially] to know My ways, As [if they were in reality] a nation that has done righteousness And has not abandoned (turned away from) the ordinance of their God. They ask of Me righteous judgments, They delight in the nearness of God. <a href="/csb/isaiah/58.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a> They seek me day after day and delight to know my ways, like a nation that does what is right and does not abandon the justice of their God. They ask me for righteous judgments; they delight in the nearness of God.” <a href="/hcsb/isaiah/58.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a> They seek Me day after day and delight to know My ways, like a nation that does what is right and does not abandon the justice of their God. They ask Me for righteous judgments; they delight in the nearness of God."&#8221 <a href="/asv/isaiah/58.htm">American Standard Version</a> Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways: as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God, they ask of me righteous judgments; they delight to draw near unto God. <a href="/cev/isaiah/58.htm">Contemporary English Version</a> Day after day, you worship him and seem eager to learn his teachings. You act like a nation that wants to do right by obeying his laws. You ask him about justice, and say you enjoy worshiping the LORD. <a href="/erv/isaiah/58.htm">English Revised Version</a> Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways: as a nation that did righteousness and forsook not the ordinance of their God, they ask of me righteous ordinances, they delight to draw near unto God. <a href="/gwt/isaiah/58.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a> They look for me every day and want to know my ways. They act as if they were a nation that has done what is right and as if they haven't disregarded God's judgment [on them]. They ask me for just decrees. They want God to be near them. <a href="/gnt/isaiah/58.htm">Good News Translation</a> They worship me every day, claiming that they are eager to know my ways and obey my laws. They say they want me to give them just laws and that they take pleasure in worshiping me." <a href="/isv/isaiah/58.htm">International Standard Version</a> They seek me day after day, and are eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that practices righteousness and has not forsaken the justice of their God. "They ask me to reveal just decisions; they are eager to draw near to God. <a href="/msb/isaiah/58.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a> For day after day they seek Me and delight to know My ways, like a nation that does what is right and does not forsake the justice of their God. They ask Me for righteous judgments; they delight in the nearness of God.? <a href="/net/isaiah/58.htm">NET Bible</a> They seek me day after day; they want to know my requirements, like a nation that does what is right and does not reject the law of their God. They ask me for just decrees; they want to be near God. <a href="/nheb/isaiah/58.htm">New Heart English Bible</a> Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways: as a nation that did righteousness, and did not forsake the ordinance of their God, they ask of me righteous judgments; they delight to draw near to God. <a href="/wbt/isaiah/58.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a> Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God. <a href="/web/isaiah/58.htm">World English Bible</a> Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways. As a nation that did righteousness, and didn’t forsake the ordinance of their God, they ask of me righteous judgments. They delight to draw near to God. <div class="vheading2">Literal Translations</div><a href="/lsv/isaiah/58.htm">Literal Standard Version</a> They seek Me day by day, "" And they desire the knowledge of My ways, "" As a nation that has done righteousness, "" And has not forsaken the judgment of its God, "" They ask of Me judgments of righteousness, "" They desire the drawing near of God: <a href="/ylt/isaiah/58.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a> Seeing -- Me day by day they seek, And the knowledge of My ways they desire, As a nation that righteousness hath done, And the judgment of its God hath not forsaken, They ask of me judgments of righteousness, The drawing near of God they desire: <a href="/slt/isaiah/58.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a> And day, day, they will seek me, and delight to know my way as a nation who did justice and forsook not the judgment of his God: they will ask me the judgments of justice, they will delight to draw near to Gad.<div class="vheading2">Catholic Translations</div><a href="/drb/isaiah/58.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a> For they seek me from day to day, sad desire to know my ways, as a nation that hath done justice, and hath not forsaken the judgment of their God: they ask of me the judgments of justice: they are willing to approach to God. <a href="/cpdv/isaiah/58.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a> For they also seek me, from day to day, and they are willing to know my ways, like a nation which has done justice and has not abandoned the judgment of their God. They petition me for judgments of justice. They are willing to draw near to God. <a href="/nabre/isaiah/58.htm">New American Bible</a> They seek me day after day, and desire to know my ways, Like a nation that has done what is just and not abandoned the judgment of their God; They ask of me just judgments, they desire to draw near to God. <a href="/nrsvce/isaiah/58.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a> Yet day after day they seek me and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments, they delight to draw near to God.<div class="vheading2">Translations from Aramaic</div><a href="/lamsa/isaiah/58.htm">Lamsa Bible</a> Yet they seek me daily and wish to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God; they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in drawing near to God. <a href="/hpbt/isaiah/58.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a> And they seek for me every day, and they seek to know my ways, like a people that did righteousness and did not forsake the judgment of its God. They ask me for judgment and righteousness and they seek to be brought near to God<div class="vheading2">OT Translations</div><a href="/jps/isaiah/58.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a> Yet they seek Me daily, And delight to know My ways; As a nation that did righteousness, And forsook not the ordinance of their God, They ask of Me righteous ordinances, They delight to draw near unto God. <a href="/sep/isaiah/58.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a> They seek me day by day, and desire to know my ways, as a people that had done righteousness, and had not forsaken the judgment of their God: they now ask of me righteous judgment, and desire to draw nigh to God, <a href="/parallel/isaiah/58-2.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv">Audio Bible</div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Xv9bHT-nr9s?start=12816" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="vheadingv">Context</div><a href="/bsb/isaiah/58.htm">True Fasts and Sabbaths</a> 1“Cry aloud, do not hold back! Raise your voice like a ram’s horn. Declare to My people their transgression and to the house of Jacob their sins. 2<a href="/hebrew/853.htm" title="853: wə·’ō·w·ṯî (Conj-w:: DirObjM:: 1cs) -- Apparent contracted from 'owth in the demonstrative sense of entity; properly, self.">For</a> <a href="/hebrew/3117.htm" title="3117: yō·wm (N-ms) -- Day. From an unused root meaning to be hot; a day, whether literal, or figurative.">day</a> <a href="/hebrew/3117.htm" title="3117: yō·wm (N-ms) -- Day. From an unused root meaning to be hot; a day, whether literal, or figurative.">after day</a> <a href="/hebrew/1875.htm" title="1875: yiḏ·rō·šūn (V-Qal-Imperf-3mp:: Pn) -- A primitive root; properly, to tread or frequent; usually to follow; by implication, to seek or ask; specifically to worship.">they seek Me</a> <a href="/hebrew/2654.htm" title="2654: yeḥ·pā·ṣūn (V-Qal-Imperf-3mp:: Pn) -- A primitive root; properly, to incline to; by implication to bend; figuratively, to be pleased with, desire.">and delight</a> <a href="/hebrew/1847.htm" title="1847: wə·ḏa·‘aṯ (Conj-w:: N-fsc) -- Knowledge. From yada'; knowledge.">to know</a> <a href="/hebrew/1870.htm" title="1870: də·rā·ḵay (N-cpc:: 1cs) -- Way, road, distance, journey, manner. From darak; a road; figuratively, a course of life or mode of action, often adverb.">My ways,</a> <a href="/hebrew/1471.htm" title="1471: kə·ḡō·w (Prep-k:: N-ms) -- Rarely goy; apparently from the same root as gevah; a foreign nation; hence, a Gentile; also a troop of animals, or a flight of locusts.">like a nation</a> <a href="/hebrew/834.htm" title="834: ’ă·šer- (Pro-r) -- Who, which, that. A primitive relative pronoun; who, which, what, that; also when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.">that</a> <a href="/hebrew/6213.htm" title="6213: ‘ā·śāh (V-Qal-Perf-3ms) -- To do, make. A primitive root; to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application.">does</a> <a href="/hebrew/6666.htm" title="6666: ṣə·ḏā·qāh (N-fs) -- Righteousness. From tsadaq; rightness, subjectively, objectively, morally or figuratively.">what is right</a> <a href="/hebrew/3808.htm" title="3808: lō (Adv-NegPrt) -- Not. Or lowi; or loh; a primitive particle; not; by implication, no; often used with other particles.">and does not</a> <a href="/hebrew/5800.htm" title="5800: ‘ā·zāḇ (V-Qal-Perf-3ms) -- To loosen, relinquish, permit. A primitive root; to loosen, i.e. Relinquish, permit, etc.">forsake</a> <a href="/hebrew/4941.htm" title="4941: ū·miš·paṭ (Conj-w:: N-msc) -- Judgment. ">the justice</a> <a href="/hebrew/430.htm" title="430: ’ĕ·lō·hāw (N-mpc:: 3ms) -- Plural of 'elowahh; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used of the supreme God">of their God.</a> <a href="/hebrew/7592.htm" title="7592: yiš·’ā·lū·nî (V-Qal-Imperf-3mp:: 1cs) -- To ask, inquire. Or shael; a primitive root; to inquire; by implication, to request; by extension, to demand.">They ask Me</a> <a href="/hebrew/6664.htm" title="6664: ṣe·ḏeq (N-ms) -- Rightness, righteousness. From tsadaq; the right; also equity or prosperity.">for righteous</a> <a href="/hebrew/4941.htm" title="4941: miš·pə·ṭê- (N-mpc) -- Judgment. ">judgments;</a> <a href="/hebrew/2654.htm" title="2654: yeḥ·pā·ṣūn (V-Qal-Imperf-3mp:: Pn) -- A primitive root; properly, to incline to; by implication to bend; figuratively, to be pleased with, desire.">they delight</a> <a href="/hebrew/7132.htm" title="7132: qir·ḇaṯ (N-fsc) -- An approach. From qarab; approach.">in the nearness</a> <a href="/hebrew/430.htm" title="430: ’ĕ·lō·hîm (N-mp) -- Plural of 'elowahh; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used of the supreme God">of God.”</a> 3“Why have we fasted, and You have not seen? Why have we humbled ourselves, and You have not noticed?” “Behold, on the day of your fast, you do as you please, and you oppress all your workers.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div> <a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><a href="/matthew/6-16.htm">Matthew 6:16-18</a> When you fast, do not be somber like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward. / But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, / so that your fasting will not be obvious to men, but only to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. <a href="/matthew/23-23.htm">Matthew 23:23</a> Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin. But you have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. <a href="/amos/5-21.htm">Amos 5:21-24</a> “I hate, I despise your feasts! I cannot stand the stench of your solemn assemblies. / Even though you offer Me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; for your peace offerings of fattened cattle I will have no regard. / Take away from Me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. ... <a href="/micah/6-6.htm">Micah 6:6-8</a> With what shall I come before the LORD when I bow before the God on high? Should I come to Him with burnt offerings, with year-old calves? / Would the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? / He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? <a href="/hosea/6-6.htm">Hosea 6:6</a> For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. <a href="/jeremiah/7-4.htm">Jeremiah 7:4-11</a> Do not trust in deceptive words, saying: ‘This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.’ / For if you really correct your ways and deeds, if you act justly toward one another, / if you no longer oppress the foreigner and the fatherless and the widow, and if you no longer shed innocent blood in this place or follow other gods to your own harm, ... <a href="/ezekiel/33-31.htm">Ezekiel 33:31-32</a> So My people come to you as usual, sit before you, and hear your words; but they do not put them into practice. Although they express love with their mouths, their hearts pursue dishonest gain. / Indeed, you are to them like a singer of love songs with a beautiful voice, who skillfully plays an instrument. They hear your words but do not put them into practice. <a href="/zechariah/7-5.htm">Zechariah 7:5-6</a> “Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for these seventy years, was it really for Me that you fasted? / And when you were eating and drinking, were you not doing so simply for yourselves? <a href="/luke/18-9.htm">Luke 18:9-14</a> To some who trusted in their own righteousness and viewed others with contempt, He also told this parable: / “Two men went up to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. / The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—swindlers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. ... <a href="/romans/2-17.htm">Romans 2:17-24</a> Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God; / if you know His will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; / if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those in darkness, ... <a href="/james/1-22.htm">James 1:22-25</a> Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves. / For anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror, / and after observing himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ... <a href="/matthew/15-7.htm">Matthew 15:7-9</a> You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you: / ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. / They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’” <a href="/1_samuel/15-22.htm">1 Samuel 15:22</a> But Samuel declared: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obedience to His voice? Behold, obedience is better than sacrifice, and attentiveness is better than the fat of rams. <a href="/psalms/50-16.htm">Psalm 50:16-23</a> To the wicked, however, God says, “What right have you to recite My statutes and to bear My covenant on your lips? / For you hate My instruction and cast My words behind you. / When you see a thief, you befriend him, and throw in your lot with adulterers. ... <a href="/malachi/3-14.htm">Malachi 3:14-15</a> You have said, ‘It is futile to serve God. What have we gained by keeping His requirements and walking mournfully before the LORD of Hosts? / So now we call the arrogant blessed. Not only do evildoers prosper, they even test God and escape.’”</div> <a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div>Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.they seek<a href="/isaiah/1-11.htm">Isaiah 1:11-15</a> To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats… <a href="/isaiah/29-13.htm">Isaiah 29:13</a> Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:<a href="/isaiah/48-1.htm">Isaiah 48:1,2</a> Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the LORD, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness… they ask<a href="/jeremiah/42-2.htm">Jeremiah 42:2,20</a> And said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the LORD thy God, even for all this remnant; (for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us:) … <a href="/mark/12-14.htm">Mark 12:14</a> And when they were come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?<a href="/james/1-21.htm">James 1:21,22</a> Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls… <div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/2_kings/9-17.htm">Approaching</a> <a href="/proverbs/30-8.htm">Daily</a> <a href="/isaiah/32-1.htm">Decisions</a> <a href="/isaiah/55-2.htm">Delight</a> <a href="/isaiah/57-4.htm">Draw</a> <a href="/ecclesiastes/7-9.htm">Eager</a> <a href="/isaiah/55-7.htm">Forsake</a> <a href="/isaiah/54-7.htm">Forsaken</a> <a href="/isaiah/54-7.htm">Forsook</a> <a href="/isaiah/26-9.htm">Judgments</a> <a href="/isaiah/56-1.htm">Justice</a> <a href="/isaiah/55-5.htm">Nation</a> <a href="/isaiah/24-5.htm">Ordinance</a> <a href="/psalms/147-20.htm">Ordinances</a> <a href="/isaiah/56-7.htm">Prayer</a> <a href="/isaiah/56-1.htm">Right</a> <a href="/isaiah/57-1.htm">Righteous</a> <a href="/isaiah/57-12.htm">Righteousness</a> <a href="/isaiah/55-6.htm">Seek</a> <a href="/isaiah/29-17.htm">Seem</a> <a href="/isaiah/57-18.htm">Ways</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/luke/9-51.htm">Approaching</a> <a href="/jeremiah/7-25.htm">Daily</a> <a href="/jeremiah/5-31.htm">Decisions</a> <a href="/isaiah/58-13.htm">Delight</a> <a href="/isaiah/58-10.htm">Draw</a> <a href="/zechariah/6-7.htm">Eager</a> <a href="/isaiah/65-11.htm">Forsake</a> <a href="/isaiah/60-15.htm">Forsaken</a> <a href="/jeremiah/14-5.htm">Forsook</a> <a href="/jeremiah/1-16.htm">Judgments</a> <a href="/isaiah/59-4.htm">Justice</a> <a href="/isaiah/60-12.htm">Nation</a> <a href="/jeremiah/5-4.htm">Ordinance</a> <a href="/jeremiah/31-35.htm">Ordinances</a> <a href="/isaiah/60-7.htm">Prayer</a> <a href="/isaiah/59-8.htm">Right</a> <a href="/isaiah/60-21.htm">Righteous</a> <a href="/isaiah/58-8.htm">Righteousness</a> <a href="/isaiah/58-3.htm">Seek</a> <a href="/jeremiah/40-4.htm">Seem</a> <a href="/isaiah/58-12.htm">Ways</a><div class="vheading2">Isaiah 58</div>1. <a href="/isaiah/58-1.htm">The prophet, being sent to reprove hypocrisy, </a> 3. <a href="/isaiah/58-3.htm">shows the difference between a counterfeit fast and a true</a> 8. <a href="/isaiah/58-8.htm">He declares what promises are due unto godliness</a> 13. <a href="/isaiah/58-13.htm">And to the keeping of the Sabbath</a> </div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; 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In the context of ancient Israel, seeking God was often associated with prayer, fasting, and temple worship. However, the sincerity of their seeking is questioned, as it is more ritualistic than heartfelt. This reflects a common theme in the prophetic books where God desires genuine devotion over mere ritual (see <a href="/amos/5-21.htm">Amos 5:21-24</a>).and delight to know My ways The people express a desire to understand God's laws and commandments. This delight suggests an intellectual or superficial interest rather than a deep, transformative commitment. The Torah, particularly the books of Moses, outlines God's ways, and the Israelites were expected to live by these statutes. However, their actions often contradicted their professed delight, as seen in their social injustices.like a nation that does what is right This phrase implies a comparison between the people's self-perception and their actual behavior. They see themselves as righteous, akin to a nation that follows God's commandments. Historically, Israel was chosen to be a holy nation (<a href="/exodus/19-6.htm">Exodus 19:6</a>), but their actions frequently fell short of this calling. The prophets often called out this discrepancy between self-perception and reality.and does not forsake the justice of their God Justice is a central theme in the Old Testament, reflecting God's character and expectations for His people. The Israelites were commanded to uphold justice, especially for the marginalized (<a href="/deuteronomy/16-20.htm">Deuteronomy 16:20</a>). However, the prophets, including Isaiah, frequently rebuked them for neglecting justice, indicating a failure to live up to their covenantal responsibilities.They ask Me for righteous judgments The people seek God's guidance and decisions, possibly through prayer or consultation with prophets. This request for righteous judgments suggests a desire for divine intervention in their affairs. However, their understanding of righteousness is often skewed, as they fail to apply God's standards to their own lives, leading to a disconnect between their requests and their actions.they delight in the nearness of God This phrase indicates a superficial pleasure in the presence of God, likely through religious ceremonies and temple worship. The nearness of God was a significant aspect of Israel's identity, symbolized by the Ark of the Covenant and the temple. Yet, true nearness to God requires obedience and a heart aligned with His will, which the people lacked. This theme is echoed in the New Testament, where Jesus emphasizes internal transformation over external observance (<a href="/matthew/15-8.htm">Matthew 15:8-9</a>).<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <a href="/topical/i/isaiah.htm">Isaiah</a> A major prophet in the Old Testament, Isaiah is the author of the book that bears his name. He prophesied to the Kingdom of Judah during a time of moral and spiritual decline. 2. <a href="/topical/j/judah.htm">Judah</a> The southern kingdom of Israel, which Isaiah primarily addressed. The people of Judah are the audience of this prophecy, often criticized for their superficial religiosity. 3. <a href="/topical/g/god.htm">God</a> The central figure in this passage, God is portrayed as the one whom the people seek and from whom they desire righteous judgments. 4. <a href="/topical/t/the_people_of_judah.htm">The People of Judah</a> They are depicted as seeking God and delighting in His ways, yet their actions suggest a disconnect between their religious practices and true righteousness. 5. <a href="/topical/p/prophetic_context.htm">Prophetic Context</a> This passage is part of a larger discourse where God, through Isaiah, calls out the hypocrisy of the people who perform religious rituals without genuine devotion.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><a href="/topical/s/superficial_religion_vs._genuine_faith.htm">Superficial Religion vs. Genuine Faith</a> The people of Judah are described as seeking God and delighting in His ways, yet their actions reveal a superficial faith. True faith requires aligning our actions with God's justice and righteousness. <a href="/topical/t/the_importance_of_justice.htm">The Importance of Justice</a> The Hebrew word for justice, "mishpat," implies a deep commitment to fairness and righteousness. Our pursuit of God should be reflected in our commitment to justice in our communities. <a href="/topical/d/delighting_in_god's_nearness.htm">Delighting in God's Nearness</a> While the people claim to delight in God's nearness, true delight comes from a heart aligned with God's will. We should examine whether our delight in God is genuine or merely ritualistic. <a href="/topical/s/self-examination_in_worship.htm">Self-Examination in Worship</a> This passage challenges us to examine our motives in worship and religious practices. Are we seeking God with a sincere heart, or are we merely going through the motions? <a href="/topical/t/the_call_to_authenticity.htm">The Call to Authenticity</a> God desires authenticity in our relationship with Him. This involves a sincere pursuit of His ways and a life that reflects His character.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_isaiah_58.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Isaiah 58</a> <a href="/q/how_to_reconcile_zephaniah_3_17_with_wrath.htm">How do we reconcile Zephaniah 3:17's depiction of a rejoicing God with earlier passages describing severe wrath and destruction?</a> <a href="/q/isaiah_58_13__sabbath_vs._sunday_worship.htm">Isaiah 58:13 - How can the chapter's call to honor the Sabbath be reconciled with Christianity's shift to Sunday worship, suggesting inconsistency with Old Testament commands?</a> <a href="/q/why_does_proverbs_22_7_lack_solutions.htm">Proverbs 22:7: Why does the text point out the rule of the rich over the poor but offer no direct solution to systemic economic oppression?</a> <a href="/q/why_does_psalm_58_6_invoke_violence.htm">Why does David, in Psalm 58, invoke violent divine judgment (verse 6) when other passages emphasize mercy?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/isaiah/58.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(2) Yet they seek me daily . . .--The "seeking" is that of those who come, like the elders in <a href="/ezekiel/20-1.htm" title="And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the LORD, and sat before me.">Ezekiel 20:1</a>, to "enquire" of Jehovah, and looking for an oracle from Him. The words point to the incongruous union, possible in the reign of Manasseh, but hardly possible after the exile, of this formal recognition of Jehovah with an apostate life. Every phrase rings in the tone of an incisive irony,, describing each element of a true devotion which the people did not possess.<div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/isaiah/58.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div>Verse 2. - They seek me daily, and delight to know my ways (compare the picture drawn in <a href="/isaiah/1-11.htm">Isaiah 1:11-15</a>). We have there exactly the same representation of a people honouring God with their lips, but whose hearts are far from him - zealous in all the outward forms of religion, even making "many prayers" (<a href="/isaiah/1-15.htm">Isaiah 1:15</a>), but yet altogether an offence to God. They are not conscious hypocrites - quite the reverse; they are bent on "doing righteousness," on not forsaking God's ordinance, on continually "approaching" him; but they are wholly without a proper sense of what religion is - they make it a matter of outward observance, and do not understand that it consists in the devotion of the heart. That did righteousness, and forsook not; rather, that hath done righteousness, and hath not forsaken. The righteousness is, of course, forensic legal righteousness-the offering of the appointed sacrifices, the abstaining from unclean meats, the avoidance of external defilement, the payment of vows, the observance of the one appointed fast, and the like. They ask of me the ordinances of justice. Either "they claim at God's hands righteous judgments on their enemies" (Delitzsch); or "they demand of God a fidelity to his covenant engagements correspondent to their own (assumed) fidelity to theirs." They take delight in approaching to God. So the LXX., the Vulgate, Calvin, Vitringa, and Kay. Others prefer to render, "they desire the approach of God" (Knobel, Delitzsch, Cheyne); i.e. they desire that he will come to help them against their foes. <a href="/commentaries/isaiah/58-2.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a> <a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div>For וְאוֹתִ֗י (wə·’ō·w·ṯî) Conjunctive waw | Direct object marker | first person common singular <a href="/hebrew/strongs_853.htm">Strong's 853: </a> Untranslatable mark of the accusative case day י֥וֹם (yō·wm) Noun - masculine singular <a href="/hebrew/strongs_3117.htm">Strong's 3117: </a> A day after day יוֹם֙ (yō·wm) Noun - masculine singular <a href="/hebrew/strongs_3117.htm">Strong's 3117: </a> A day they seek Me יִדְרֹשׁ֔וּן (yiḏ·rō·šūn) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural | Paragogic nun <a href="/hebrew/strongs_1875.htm">Strong's 1875: </a> To tread, frequent, to follow, to seek, ask, to worship and delight יֶחְפָּצ֑וּן (yeḥ·pā·ṣūn) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural | Paragogic nun <a href="/hebrew/strongs_2654.htm">Strong's 2654: </a> To incline to, to bend, to be pleased with, desire to know וְדַ֥עַת (wə·ḏa·‘aṯ) Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct <a href="/hebrew/strongs_1847.htm">Strong's 1847: </a> Knowledge My ways, דְּרָכַ֖י (də·rā·ḵay) Noun - common plural construct | first person common singular <a href="/hebrew/strongs_1870.htm">Strong's 1870: </a> A road, a course of life, mode of action like a nation כְּג֞וֹי (kə·ḡō·w) Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular <a href="/hebrew/strongs_1471.htm">Strong's 1471: </a> A foreign nation, a Gentile, a troop of animals, a flight of locusts that אֲשֶׁר־ (’ă·šer-) Pronoun - relative <a href="/hebrew/strongs_834.htm">Strong's 834: </a> Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that does עָשָׂ֗ה (‘ā·śāh) Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular <a href="/hebrew/strongs_6213.htm">Strong's 6213: </a> To do, make what is right צְדָקָ֣ה (ṣə·ḏā·qāh) Noun - feminine singular <a href="/hebrew/strongs_6666.htm">Strong's 6666: </a> Rightness, subjectively, objectively and does not לֹ֣א (lō) Adverb - Negative particle <a href="/hebrew/strongs_3808.htm">Strong's 3808: </a> Not, no forsake עָזָ֔ב (‘ā·zāḇ) Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular <a href="/hebrew/strongs_5800.htm">Strong's 5800: </a> To loosen, relinquish, permit the justice וּמִשְׁפַּ֤ט (ū·miš·paṭ) Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct <a href="/hebrew/strongs_4941.htm">Strong's 4941: </a> A verdict, a sentence, formal decree, divine law, penalty, justice, privilege, style of their God. אֱלֹהָיו֙ (’ĕ·lō·hāw) Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular <a href="/hebrew/strongs_430.htm">Strong's 430: </a> gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative They ask יִשְׁאָל֙וּנִי֙ (yiš·’ā·lū·nî) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural | first person common singular <a href="/hebrew/strongs_7592.htm">Strong's 7592: </a> To inquire, to request, to demand Me for righteous צֶ֔דֶק (ṣe·ḏeq) Noun - masculine singular <a href="/hebrew/strongs_6664.htm">Strong's 6664: </a> The right, equity, prosperity judgments; מִשְׁפְּטֵי־ (miš·pə·ṭê-) Noun - masculine plural construct <a href="/hebrew/strongs_4941.htm">Strong's 4941: </a> A verdict, a sentence, formal decree, divine law, penalty, justice, privilege, style they delight יֶחְפָּצֽוּן׃ (yeḥ·pā·ṣūn) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural | Paragogic nun <a href="/hebrew/strongs_2654.htm">Strong's 2654: </a> To incline to, to bend, to be pleased with, desire in the nearness קִרְבַ֥ת (qir·ḇaṯ) Noun - feminine singular construct <a href="/hebrew/strongs_7132.htm">Strong's 7132: </a> An approach of God.? אֱלֹהִ֖ים (’ĕ·lō·hîm) Noun - masculine plural <a href="/hebrew/strongs_430.htm">Strong's 430: </a> gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative <div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/isaiah/58-2.htm">Isaiah 58:2 NIV</a> <a href="/nlt/isaiah/58-2.htm">Isaiah 58:2 NLT</a> <a href="/esv/isaiah/58-2.htm">Isaiah 58:2 ESV</a> <a href="/nasb/isaiah/58-2.htm">Isaiah 58:2 NASB</a> <a href="/kjv/isaiah/58-2.htm">Isaiah 58:2 KJV</a> <a href="//bibleapps.com/isaiah/58-2.htm">Isaiah 58:2 BibleApps.com</a> <a href="//bibliaparalela.com/isaiah/58-2.htm">Isaiah 58:2 Biblia Paralela</a> <a href="//holybible.com.cn/isaiah/58-2.htm">Isaiah 58:2 Chinese Bible</a> <a href="//saintebible.com/isaiah/58-2.htm">Isaiah 58:2 French Bible</a> <a href="/catholic/isaiah/58-2.htm">Isaiah 58:2 Catholic Bible</a> <a href="/isaiah/58-2.htm">OT Prophets: Isaiah 58:2 Yet they seek me daily and delight (Isa Isi Is)</a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/isaiah/58-1.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Isaiah 58:1"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Isaiah 58:1" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/isaiah/58-3.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Isaiah 58:3"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Isaiah 58:3" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>