“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?”
My Notes
What Does Isaiah 58:7 Mean?
God defines the fast he has chosen through Isaiah — and it is not ritual abstinence from food. It is justice: dealing bread to the hungry, bringing the poor into your house, clothing the naked, and not hiding from your own flesh.
"Deal thy bread to the hungry" — share what you have with those who have nothing. The bread is yours. The sharing is commanded.
"Bring the poor that are cast out to thy house" — the homeless. The displaced. The cast out. Bring them in. Not to a shelter. To your house. The generosity is personal, not institutional.
"When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him" — the response to visible need is immediate action. You see the naked and you cover them. The seeing produces the doing.
"That thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh" — do not withdraw from human need. Your own flesh — your fellow human beings — need you. Do not hide.
Reflection Questions
- 1.How does God's definition of fasting challenge religious practices focused on personal piety?
- 2.What does 'bring the poor to thy house' mean for personal versus institutional generosity?
- 3.Where are you 'hiding from your own flesh' — avoiding visible need?
- 4.What would the fast God has chosen look like in your daily life?
Devotional
Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry? God defines his preferred fast — and it is not about food. It is about justice. Share your bread. Feed the hungry. The fast that pleases God is not empty stomach. It is open hands.
That thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house. Your house. Not a program. Not a referral. Your house — personal, uncomfortable, inconvenient generosity. The poor who have been cast out are invited in.
When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him. See and act. The seeing is connected to the doing. You see need and you respond. The covering is immediate — not studied, not committee-discussed. Seen and covered.
That thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh. Do not look away. Do not cross the street. Do not pretend the need is not there. Your fellow human beings are your own flesh. And hiding from them is hiding from God's command.
The fast God chose is not religious abstinence. It is radical generosity. Bread shared. Homeless sheltered. Naked clothed. Need confronted instead of avoided.
Are you fasting the way God wants? Not the ritual kind. The justice kind. The kind that costs something real — your bread, your house, your comfort — and gives it to someone who has nothing.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry?.... Or "to break" (f) it, divide it, and communicate it to them; that which…
Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry? - The word renderd ‘deal’ (פרס pâras), means to divide, to distribute. The…
Deal thy bread to the hungry - But this thou canst not do, if thou eat it thyself. When a man fasts, suppose he do it…
Here we have, I. The displeasure which these hypocrites conceived against God for not accepting the services which they…
Comp. Eze 18:7 f., 16 f.; Job 31:13 ff.
the poor that are cast out the vagrant (homeless) poor. The word rendered…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture