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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 58:4 You 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.</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/isaiah/58-4.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/19/23_Isa_58_04.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Isaiah 58:4 - True Fasts and Sabbaths" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="You fast with contention and strife to strike viciously with your fist. 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You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/isaiah/58.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/isaiah/58.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/isaiah/58.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />You 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.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/isaiah/58.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as <i>ye do this</i> day, to make your voice to be heard on high.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/isaiah/58.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />Indeed you fast for strife and debate, And to strike with the fist of wickedness. You will not fast as <i>you do</i> this day, To make your voice heard on high.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/isaiah/58.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />“Behold, you fast for contention and strife, and to strike with a wicked fist. You do not fast like <i>you have done</i> today to make your voice heard on high!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/isaiah/58.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />&#8220Behold, you fast for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked fist. You do not fast like you do today to make your voice heard on high.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/isaiah/58.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />“Behold, you fast for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked fist. You do not fast like <i>you do</i> today to make your voice heard on high.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/isaiah/58.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />Behold, you fast for contention and quarreling and to strike with a wicked fist. You do not fast like <i>you do</i> today to make your voice heard on high.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/isaiah/58.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />“The facts are that you fast <i>only</i> for strife and brawling and to strike with the fist of wickedness. You do not fast as <i>you do</i> today to make your voice heard on high.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/isaiah/58.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />You fast with contention and strife to strike viciously with your fist. You cannot fast as you do today, hoping to make your voice heard on high.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/isaiah/58.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />You fast with contention and strife to strike viciously with your fist. You cannot fast as you do today, hoping to make your voice heard on high. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/isaiah/58.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />Behold, ye fast for strife and contention, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye fast not this day so as to make your voice to be heard on high.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/isaiah/58.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />You even get angry and ready to fight. No wonder God won't listen to your prayers! <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/isaiah/58.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />Behold, ye fast for strife and contention, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye fast not this day so as to make your voice to be heard on high.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/isaiah/58.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />Don't you see that when you fast, you quarrel and fight and beat your workers? The way you fast today keeps you from being heard in heaven.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/isaiah/58.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />Your fasting makes you violent, and you quarrel and fight. Do you think this kind of fasting will make me listen to your prayers? <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/isaiah/58.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />"Look! You fast only for quarreling, and for fighting, and for hitting with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and have your voice heard on high.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/isaiah/58.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />You 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.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/isaiah/58.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />Look, your fasting is accompanied by arguments, brawls, and fistfights. Do not fast as you do today, trying to make your voice heard in heaven. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/isaiah/58.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />Look, you fast for strife and contention, and to strike with the fist of wickedness: you do not fast this day so as to make your voice to be heard on high.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/isaiah/58.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/isaiah/58.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />Behold, you fast for strife and contention, and to strike with the fist of wickedness. You don’t fast today so as to make your voice to be heard on high. <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/isaiah/58.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />Behold, you fast for strife and debate, "" And to strike with the fist of wickedness, "" You do not fast as [this] day, "" To sound your voice in the high place.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/isaiah/58.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> Lo, for strife and debate ye fast, And to smite with the fist of wickedness, Ye fast not as to -day, To sound in the high place your voice.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/isaiah/58.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />Behold, for contention and strife ye will fast, and to strike with the fist of injustice: ye shall not fast as today to cause your voice to be heard on high.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/isaiah/58.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />Behold you fast for debates and strife. and strike with the fist wickedly. Do not fast as you have done until this day, to make your cry to be heard on high. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/isaiah/58.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />Behold, you fast with strife and contention, and you strike with the fist impiously. Do not choose to fast as you have done even to this day. Then your outcry will be heard on high.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/isaiah/58.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />See, you fast only to quarrel and fight and to strike with a wicked fist! Do not fast as you do today to make your voice heard on high! <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/isaiah/58.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist. Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high.<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/isaiah/58.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />Behold, you fast for strife and quarreling, and to strike violently with the fist of wickedness; you shall not fast as you do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/isaiah/58.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />Behold, for strife and for contention you are fasting and to strike in the force of evil. You shall not fast like today and make your voice heard in high places<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/isaiah/58.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />Behold, ye fast for strife and contention, And to smite with the fist of wickedness; Ye fast not this day So as to make your voice to be heard on high.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/isaiah/58.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />If ye fast for quarrels and strifes, and smite the lowly with <i>your</i> fists, wherefore do ye fast to me as <i>ye do</i> this day, so that your voice may be heard in crying?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/isaiah/58-4.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Xv9bHT-nr9s?start=12849" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/isaiah/58.htm">True Fasts and Sabbaths</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">3</span>“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. <span class="reftext">4</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/2005.htm" title="2005: hên (Interjection) -- Lo! behold! A primitive particle; lo!; also if."></a> <a href="/hebrew/6684.htm" title="6684: tā·ṣū·mū (V-Qal-Imperf-2mp) -- To abstain from food, fast. A primitive root; to cover over, i.e. To fast.">You fast</a> <a href="/hebrew/7379.htm" title="7379: lə·rîḇ (Prep-l:: N-ms) -- Strife, dispute. Or rib; from riyb; a contest.">with contention</a> <a href="/hebrew/4683.htm" title="4683: ū·maṣ·ṣāh (Conj-w:: N-fs) -- Strife, contention. From natsah; a quarrel.">and strife</a> <a href="/hebrew/5221.htm" title="5221: ū·lə·hak·kō·wṯ (Conj-w, Prep-l:: V-Hifil-Inf) -- To smite. A primitive root; to strike.">to strike</a> <a href="/hebrew/7562.htm" title="7562: re·ša‘ (N-ms) -- Wickedness. From rasha'; a wrong.">viciously</a> <a href="/hebrew/106.htm" title="106: bə·’eḡ·rōp̄ (Prep-b:: N-msc) -- A fist. From garaph; the clenched hand.">with your fist.</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.">You cannot</a> <a href="/hebrew/6684.htm" title="6684: ṯā·ṣū·mū (V-Qal-Imperf-2mp) -- To abstain from food, fast. A primitive root; to cover over, i.e. To fast.">fast</a> <a href="/hebrew/3117.htm" title="3117: ḵay·yō·wm (Prep-k, Art:: N-ms) -- Day. From an unused root meaning to be hot; a day, whether literal, or figurative.">as you do today</a> <a href="/hebrew/6963.htm" title="6963: qō·wl·ḵem (N-msc:: 2mp) -- Sound, voice. Or qol; from an unused root meaning to call aloud; a voice or sound.">and have your voice</a> <a href="/hebrew/8085.htm" title="8085: lə·haš·mî·a‘ (Prep-l:: V-Hifil-Inf) -- To hear. A primitive root; to hear intelligently.">be heard</a> <a href="/hebrew/4791.htm" title="4791: bam·mā·rō·wm (Prep-b, Art:: N-ms) -- Height. From ruwm; altitude, i.e. Concretely, abstractly (elation), or adverbially (aloft).">on high.</a> </span><span class="reftext">5</span>Is 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?…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/6-16.htm">Matthew 6:16-18</a></span><br />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.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/james/4-3.htm">James 4:3</a></span><br />And when you do ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may squander it on your pleasures.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/23-23.htm">Matthew 23:23</a></span><br />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.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/luke/18-9.htm">Luke 18:9-14</a></span><br />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. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_corinthians/13-3.htm">1 Corinthians 13:3</a></span><br />If I give all I possess to the poor and exult in the surrender of my body, but have not love, I gain nothing.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/zechariah/7-5.htm">Zechariah 7:5-6</a></span><br />“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?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/amos/5-21.htm">Amos 5:21-24</a></span><br />“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. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/14-12.htm">Jeremiah 14:12</a></span><br />Although they may fast, I will not listen to their cry; although they may offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will finish them off by sword and famine and plague.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/micah/3-4.htm">Micah 3:4</a></span><br />Then they will cry out to the LORD, but He will not answer them. At that time He will hide His face from them because of the evil they have done.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/hosea/6-6.htm">Hosea 6:6</a></span><br />For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/malachi/3-14.htm">Malachi 3:14</a></span><br />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?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/9-13.htm">Matthew 9:13</a></span><br />But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/mark/7-6.htm">Mark 7:6-7</a></span><br />Jesus answered them, “Isaiah prophesied correctly about you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘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.’<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/romans/14-17.htm">Romans 14:17</a></span><br />For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_samuel/15-22.htm">1 Samuel 15:22</a></span><br />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.</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">Behold, you fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: you shall not fast as you do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.</p><p class="hdg">ye fast</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/1_kings/21-9.htm">1 Kings 21:9-13</a></b></br> And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people: … </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/proverbs/21-27.htm">Proverbs 21:27</a></b></br> The sacrifice of the wicked <i>is</i> abomination: how much more, <i>when</i> he bringeth it with a wicked mind?</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/matthew/6-16.htm">Matthew 6:16</a></b></br> Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.</p><p class="hdg">and to smite</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/acts/23-1.htm">Acts 23:1,2</a></b></br> And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men <i>and</i> brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day… </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/philippians/1-14.htm">Philippians 1:14,15</a></b></br> And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear… </p><p class="hdg">shall not fast as ye do this day.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/joel/2-13.htm">Joel 2:13,14</a></b></br> And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he <i>is</i> gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil… </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/jonah/3-7.htm">Jonah 3:7</a></b></br> And he caused <i>it</i> to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water:</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/matthew/6-16.htm">Matthew 6:16-18</a></b></br> Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward… </p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/isaiah/57-17.htm">Angry</a> <a href="/isaiah/54-16.htm">Blows</a> <a href="/proverbs/28-25.htm">Contention</a> <a href="/isaiah/41-12.htm">Debate</a> <a href="/isaiah/52-10.htm">Ends</a> <a href="/isaiah/58-1.htm">Evil</a> <a href="/genesis/44-26.htm">Expect</a> <a href="/isaiah/58-3.htm">Fast</a> <a href="/psalms/109-24.htm">Fasting</a> <a href="/isaiah/37-9.htm">Fight</a> <a href="/isaiah/37-8.htm">Fighting</a> <a href="/isaiah/10-32.htm">Fist</a> <a href="/ecclesiastes/4-6.htm">Fists</a> <a href="/isaiah/56-11.htm">Food</a> <a href="/isaiah/55-12.htm">Hands</a> <a href="/isaiah/53-1.htm">Heard</a> <a href="/isaiah/57-15.htm">High</a> <a href="/proverbs/23-35.htm">Hit</a> <a href="/isaiah/57-15.htm">Holy</a> <a href="/isaiah/57-11.htm">Keeping</a> <a href="/isaiah/50-2.htm">Make</a> <a href="/isaiah/55-10.htm">Makes</a> <a href="/isaiah/41-12.htm">Quarrel</a> <a href="/isaiah/56-1.htm">Quickly</a> <a href="/isaiah/57-14.htm">Ready</a> <a href="/isaiah/57-17.htm">Smite</a> <a href="/isaiah/54-15.htm">Strife</a> <a href="/isaiah/50-6.htm">Strike</a> <a href="/isaiah/27-7.htm">Striking</a> <a href="/isaiah/56-12.htm">Today</a> <a href="/isaiah/58-1.htm">Voice</a> <a href="/isaiah/57-21.htm">Wicked</a> <a href="/isaiah/47-10.htm">Wickedness</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/isaiah/59-15.htm">Angry</a> <a href="/jeremiah/2-30.htm">Blows</a> <a href="/jeremiah/15-10.htm">Contention</a> <a href="/john/6-52.htm">Debate</a> <a href="/isaiah/62-11.htm">Ends</a> <a href="/isaiah/58-9.htm">Evil</a> <a href="/isaiah/64-3.htm">Expect</a> <a href="/isaiah/58-5.htm">Fast</a> <a href="/isaiah/58-6.htm">Fasting</a> <a href="/jeremiah/1-19.htm">Fight</a> <a href="/jeremiah/1-19.htm">Fighting</a> <a href="/matthew/26-67.htm">Fist</a> <a href="/zephaniah/2-15.htm">Fists</a> <a href="/isaiah/58-7.htm">Food</a> <a href="/isaiah/59-3.htm">Hands</a> <a href="/isaiah/60-18.htm">Heard</a> <a href="/isaiah/58-14.htm">High</a> <a href="/matthew/26-68.htm">Hit</a> <a href="/isaiah/58-6.htm">Holy</a> <a href="/isaiah/65-4.htm">Keeping</a> <a href="/ezekiel/34-28.htm">Make</a> <a href="/isaiah/58-12.htm">Makes</a> <a href="/matthew/12-19.htm">Quarrel</a> <a href="/isaiah/58-8.htm">Quickly</a> <a href="/isaiah/58-12.htm">Ready</a> <a href="/jeremiah/18-18.htm">Smite</a> <a href="/jeremiah/15-10.htm">Strife</a> <a href="/jeremiah/12-14.htm">Strike</a> <a href="/ezekiel/9-8.htm">Striking</a> <a href="/jeremiah/1-10.htm">Today</a> <a href="/isaiah/58-9.htm">Voice</a> <a href="/isaiah/59-3.htm">Wicked</a> <a href="/isaiah/58-6.htm">Wickedness</a><div class="vheading2">Isaiah 58</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/isaiah/58-1.htm">The prophet, being sent to reprove hypocrisy, </a></span><br><span class="reftext">3. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/isaiah/58-3.htm">shows the difference between a counterfeit fast and a true</a></span><br><span class="reftext">8. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/isaiah/58-8.htm">He declares what promises are due unto godliness</a></span><br><span class="reftext">13. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/isaiah/58-13.htm">And to the keeping of the Sabbath</a></span><br></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'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <script type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script><br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading"><a href="/study/isaiah/58.htm">Berean Study Bible</a></div><b>You fast with contention and strife</b><br />The Hebrew root for "contention" is "רִיב" (riv), which often denotes a legal dispute or quarrel. In the context of Isaiah, this word suggests that the people's fasting is not a humble act of worship but rather a contentious display, filled with arguments and disputes. Historically, fasting was meant to be a time of self-denial and spiritual reflection, yet here it is marred by conflict. The phrase "and strife" further emphasizes the discord among the people, indicating that their religious practices are tainted by interpersonal conflicts. This serves as a reminder that true worship must be accompanied by peace and unity, not division.<p><b>to strike viciously with your fist</b><br />The imagery of striking with a fist conveys aggression and violence, which is antithetical to the spirit of fasting. The Hebrew word for "strike" is "נָכָה" (nakah), often used in the context of physical violence or punishment. This phrase highlights the hypocrisy of the people, who outwardly perform religious rituals while inwardly harboring anger and hostility. In a broader scriptural context, this behavior contradicts the teachings of love and compassion found throughout the Bible. It serves as a cautionary tale that religious observance without a heart of love and humility is empty and ineffective.<p><b>You cannot fast as you do today</b><br />The phrase "as you do today" indicates a specific critique of the current practices of the people. The Hebrew context suggests a habitual action, implying that this is not a one-time failure but a persistent issue. The prophet Isaiah is calling out the people's insincerity and the ineffectiveness of their fasting. This serves as a timeless warning that religious rituals, when performed without genuine repentance and transformation, are futile. It challenges believers to examine their own spiritual practices and ensure they align with God's desires.<p><b>and have your voice be heard on high</b><br />The phrase "be heard on high" refers to the desire for one's prayers and petitions to reach God. The Hebrew word for "heard" is "שָׁמַע" (shama), which implies not just hearing but also responding. The implication is that God does not respond to prayers that are offered insincerely or hypocritically. This echoes the broader biblical theme that God values the heart's condition over outward religious acts. It inspires believers to approach God with sincerity, humility, and a genuine desire for transformation, ensuring that their voices are truly heard by the Almighty.<div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/isaiah/58.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(4) <span class= "bld">Behold, ye fast for strife and debate.</span>--The words possibly point to the psychological fact that an unspiritual fasting irritates the nerves and embitters the temper. Extremes meet, and the disputes of fasting controversialists are often as fierce as those of drunken disputants. (Comp. the conspiracy of <a href="/acts/23-21.htm" title="But do not you yield to them: for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, which have bound themselves with an oath, that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him: and now are they ready, looking for a promise from you.">Acts 23:21</a>.)<p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/isaiah/58.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 4.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">Ye fast for strife and debate</span>. Delitzsch explains, "When fasting, they are doubly irritable and ill tempered; and this leads to quarrelling and strife, even to striking with angry fists." This is quite a possible explanation. Or there may have been two parties, one for, the other against, fasting; and those who practised fasting may have done it, as some preached Christ, "of envy and strife" (<a href="/philippians/1-15.htm">Philippians 1:15</a>) - to provoke the opposite side. <span class="cmt_word">Ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high</span>; <span class="accented">i.e.</span> "ye must not fast as ye do at present, if ye would have your voices heard in heaven." God will not hear the prayer of which such a fast is the accompaniment. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/isaiah/58-4.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">You fast</span><br /><span class="heb">תָּצ֔וּמוּ</span> <span class="translit">(tā·ṣū·mū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_6684.htm">Strong's 6684: </a> </span><span class="str2">To abstain from food, fast</span><br /><br /><span class="word">with contention</span><br /><span class="heb">לְרִ֤יב</span> <span class="translit">(lə·rîḇ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7379.htm">Strong's 7379: </a> </span><span class="str2">Strife, dispute</span><br /><br /><span class="word">and strife</span><br /><span class="heb">וּמַצָּה֙</span> <span class="translit">(ū·maṣ·ṣāh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4683.htm">Strong's 4683: </a> </span><span class="str2">Strife, contention</span><br /><br /><span class="word">to strike</span><br /><span class="heb">וּלְהַכּ֖וֹת</span> <span class="translit">(ū·lə·hak·kō·wṯ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5221.htm">Strong's 5221: </a> </span><span class="str2">To strike</span><br /><br /><span class="word">viciously</span><br /><span class="heb">רֶ֑שַׁע</span> <span class="translit">(re·ša‘)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7562.htm">Strong's 7562: </a> </span><span class="str2">Wickedness</span><br /><br /><span class="word">with your fist.</span><br /><span class="heb">בְּאֶגְרֹ֣ף</span> <span class="translit">(bə·’eḡ·rōp̄)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_106.htm">Strong's 106: </a> </span><span class="str2">The clenched hand</span><br /><br /><span class="word">You cannot</span><br /><span class="heb">לֹא־</span> <span class="translit">(lō-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Adverb - Negative particle<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3808.htm">Strong's 3808: </a> </span><span class="str2">Not, no</span><br /><br /><span class="word">fast</span><br /><span class="heb">תָצ֣וּמוּ</span> <span class="translit">(ṯā·ṣū·mū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_6684.htm">Strong's 6684: </a> </span><span class="str2">To abstain from food, fast</span><br /><br /><span class="word">as you do today</span><br /><span class="heb">כַיּ֔וֹם</span> <span class="translit">(ḵay·yō·wm)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-k, Article | Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3117.htm">Strong's 3117: </a> </span><span class="str2">A day</span><br /><br /><span class="word">and have your voice</span><br /><span class="heb">קוֹלְכֶֽם׃</span> <span class="translit">(qō·wl·ḵem)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_6963.htm">Strong's 6963: </a> </span><span class="str2">A voice, sound</span><br /><br /><span class="word">be heard</span><br /><span class="heb">לְהַשְׁמִ֥יעַ</span> <span class="translit">(lə·haš·mî·a‘)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-l | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_8085.htm">Strong's 8085: </a> </span><span class="str2">To hear intelligently</span><br /><br /><span class="word">on high.</span><br /><span class="heb">בַּמָּר֖וֹם</span> <span class="translit">(bam·mā·rō·wm)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4791.htm">Strong's 4791: </a> </span><span class="str2">Altitude</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/isaiah/58-4.htm">Isaiah 58:4 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/isaiah/58-4.htm">Isaiah 58:4 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/isaiah/58-4.htm">Isaiah 58:4 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/isaiah/58-4.htm">Isaiah 58:4 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/isaiah/58-4.htm">Isaiah 58:4 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/isaiah/58-4.htm">Isaiah 58:4 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/isaiah/58-4.htm">Isaiah 58:4 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/isaiah/58-4.htm">Isaiah 58:4 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/isaiah/58-4.htm">Isaiah 58:4 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/isaiah/58-4.htm">Isaiah 58:4 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/isaiah/58-4.htm">OT Prophets: Isaiah 58:4 Behold you fast for strife and contention (Isa Isi Is)</a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/isaiah/58-3.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Isaiah 58:3"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Isaiah 58:3" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/isaiah/58-5.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Isaiah 58:5"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Isaiah 58:5" /></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>