Isaiah 58:9

Isa 58:9 Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I [am]. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;

Ver. 9. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer.] Thou shalt have the royalty of his ear, easy access to, and all best success at, the throne of grace; no such cause to complain, as thou didst, {Isa 58:3} that thy prayers were lost.

If thou take away from the midst of thee.] E meditullio tui, from thy very heart, by an inward reformation; si animo, opere, et sermone aversaberis inhumanitatem, {a} if thou heartily hate cruelty and act accordingly.

The yoke.] As Isa 58:6.

The putting forth of the finger.] The finger of that wicked fist, {Isa 58:4} or that finger wherewith thou threatenest thy servants, or pointest at others in scorn or disdain, as the proud Pharisee seemeth to have done at the poor publican, when he said, I am not as that fellow. {Luk 18:11}

And speaking vanity.] Or, Violence, as the Chaldee here talk concerning the wringing and wronging of others. All this must be done, or else no hope that God will hear prayers; look to it. See Psa 66:18. {See Trapp on "Psa 66:18"}

{a} Jun

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Isa_58:9-11

Then shalt thou call

Gods wonderful response to His peoples prayers

When God calls to us by His Word, it becomes us to say, Here we are; what saith our Lord unto His servants?

But that God should say to us, Behold Me, here I am, is strange. When we cry to Him, as if He were at a distance, He will let us know that He is near, even at our right hand, nearer than we thought He was. It is I, be not afraid. When danger is near, our Protector is nearer, a very present help. Here I am, ready to give you what you want, and do for you what you desire. What have you to say to Me? God is attentive to the prayers of the upright (Psa_130:2). No sooner do they call to Him, but He answers, Ready, ready. Wherever they are praying, God saith, Here I am hearing; I am in the midst of you, nigh unto them in all things (Deu_4:7). (M. Henry.)

If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke

One path to prosperity

In the figures implied the prophet represents extreme adversity; and by metaphors which he distinctly puts forth he describes renewed prosperity; and he connects the marvellous change from the deepest adversity to the highest prosperity with the avoidance or laying aside of three sins which then beset the people of God, and with the performance of two ordinary duties.

1. The besetting sins.

(1) Oppression If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, i.e oppression.

(2) Scorn and contempt. The putting forth of the finger is the spirit that speaks in the, Thou fool!

(3) And speaking vanity--evil speaking generally.

2. The duties.

(1) And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul--i.e give, serve, minister, according as men about you have need, and according as you have ability and opportunity.

(2) And satisfy the afflicted soul--i.e visit the widow and fatherless in their affliction--comfort those that mourn--endeavour according to your power to wipe away the tears from the eyes of all the sorrowful. (S. Martin.)

Oppression

The oppression of others is an early sin, a sin which you often see rampant among children--among very little children. Oppression is a household sin, it will be found more or less in almost every family. There may be some cases where it is not, but they are decided exceptions. And it is a sin in connection with all family relations. The godly husband is charged to love the wife even as himself, and even as Christ loveth the Church; but there are many husbands--some: professing to be Christs disciples--who are the wretched oppressors of wives. Oppression Is a household sin--seen in parents--seen in brothers and sisters--seen in the husband. And it is a social sin--seen in all the walks of life.

1. Especially where men employ each other, and take advantage of each others skill, and of each others strength. It is a national sin--seen more or less in all rulers; and an international sin--seen in the conduct of nations to each other. Manifestly, therefore, a very common sin is this putting on of the yoke--seen where men have no right to put on the yoke at all; and seen in a heavy yoke where men have only the right to put on a light yoke, and they impose a heavy yoke; and seen in thus keeping on of the yoke after the yoke should be removed. (S. Martin.)

Creed and outward ordinances not the supreme things

1. Nothing is here said about this people having declined from religious belief, or in this case from the observance of religious rites. God had to find fault with them on these grounds, but what I want you to notice is, that God is not speaking of such declension here. What does this show? It shows that a man, so far as the creed on his lip is concerned, may maintain his orthodoxy, and that a man, so far as religious ordinances are concerned, may maintain his devoutness, and yet have a heart thoroughly declining from Gods statutes.

2. There is an eternal connection between righteousness and blessedness.

3. The true state of individual saints and of congregations of saints is light, not obscurity; brightness, not dulness; happiness, not misery; spiritual health, not moral sickness; usefulness, not sterility and barrenness; continuance, not declension. (S. Martin.)

Putting forth of the finger

A gesture of derision. Hence the middle finger is called by Persius, digitus infamis. (J. A. Alexander.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Isa 58:9-10. Then shalt thou call, &c. — They made great complaint, Isa 58:3, that God took no notice of their services, which complaint he seems now to refer to, as if he had said, These conditions being observed, call upon me, and thou shalt see I will regard, Psa 34:15. The Lord shall answer — He will give an effectual demonstration that he hears thee. He shall say, Here I am — A phrase that signifies a person to be ready at hand to help. If thou take away from the midst of thee — From among you; the yoke — All those pressures and grievances before mentioned. The putting forth of the finger — Done by way of scoff, or disdainful insulting; and speaking vanity — Any kind of evil words. Bishop Lowth renders it, “The pointing of the finger, and the injurious speech.” If thou draw out — Open, as when we open a store to satisfy the wants of the needy; thy soul to the hungry — Thy affection, that is, thy pity and compassion, to those in want of the necessaries of life; and satisfy the afflicted soul — With a real, substantial benefit, not contenting thyself with giving him merely kind words. For here the prophet expresses the work that is to be done, as in the former clause the affection wherewith it is to be done; otherwise it would only be what the Apostle James reproves, Jas 2:15-16. Then shall thy light rise in obscurity — See on Isa 58:8; and thy darkness be as the noon-day — In the very darkness of the affliction itself, thou shalt have comfort, Psa 112:4. There it shall be as the morning, still increasing, here as the noon-day, in its zenith, and height of perfection.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

58:9 the Lord will answer: Cp. 1:15; see also 19:22. • Stop . . . spreading vicious rumors: God calls for an end to acts and words that destroy relationships (see Prov 6:12-14).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Whereby is meant all manner of injury.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Then . . . call . . . answer--when sin is renounced (Isa 65:24). When the Lord's call is not hearkened to, He will not hear our "call" (Psa 66:18; Pro 1:24, Pro 1:28; Pro 15:29; Pro 28:9).

putting forth of . . . finger--the finger of scorn pointed at simple-minded godly men. The middle finger was so used by the Romans.

speaking vanity--every injurious speech [LOWTH].

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

(9) Then shalt thou call.—The words point to the secret of the prayer which is answered in contrast to the formal worship that found no acceptance (Isa_58:2; Isa_58:4).

The putting forth of the finger.—The gesture (Cheyne compares the “infamis digitus” of Persius ii. 33) has in well-nigh all nations been a natural symbol of scorn. It is in action what the words “Raca” and “Thou fool” are in the language of Mat_5:22.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Then shall thou call, and the Lord shall answer,.... A spirit of grace and supplication will be poured out upon the people of God; they will then pray without a form, and call upon the Lord in sincerity and truth, with faith and fervency; and the Lord will hear and answer them, and plentifully bestow his favours on them, so that they will have no reason to complain, as in Isa 58:3,

thou shalt cry, and he shall say, here I am; he will immediately appear to the help and relief of his people; they shall have his presence with them, to comfort and refresh them, to support and supply them, to protect and defend them:

if thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke; of human inventions, doctrines, rites and ceremonies, as in Isa 58:6, "the putting forth of the finger"; pointing at those that could not comply with them, by way of scorn and derision, as puritans, schismatics, &c. and persecuting them for it; and so is the same with smiting with the fist of wickedness, Isa 58:4; when this deriding and persecuting spirit is done away, then, and not till then, will the prayers of a people be heard, though under a profession of religion, and under the Protestant name: and speaking vanity; which also must be taken away, or desisted from; even speaking false doctrines, as the Syriac version; or which profits not, as the Vulgate Latin version; profane and vain babblings, Ti2 2:14, and threatening words, to such who will not receive them.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Then shalt thou call - The sense is, that if we go before God renouncing all our sins, and desirous of doing our duty, then we have a right to expect that he will hear us. But if we go indulging still in sin; if we are false and hollow and hypocritical in our worship; or if, while we keep up the regular forms of devotion, we are nevertheless guilty of oppression, cruelty, and dishonesty, we have no right to expect that he will hear us (see the notes at Isa 1:15).

If thou take away ... the yoke - (See the notes at Isa 58:6).

The putting forth of the finger - That is, if you cease to contemn and despise others; if you cease to point at them the finger of scorn. It was usual to make use of the middle finger on such occasions. Thus Martial, ii. 28, 2:

Rideto multum -

- et digitum porrigito medium.

So Juvenal, Sat. x. 52:

- mediumque ostenderet unguem.

And speaking vanity - Lowth and Noyes render it thus, ‘The injurious speech.’ Kimchi understands it of words of contention and strife. The word used here (און 'âven) denotes either nothingness, vanity, a vain and empty thing Isa 41:29; Zec 10:2; or falsehood, deceit Psa 36:4; Pro 17:4; or unworthiness, wickedness, iniquity Job 36:21; Isa 1:13; here it means, probably, every kind of false, harsh, and unjust speaking - all of which probably I abounded among the Jews. The Septuagint renders it, ̔Ρῆμα γογγυσμοῦ Rēma gongusmou - ‘The word of murmuring.’

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Finger, contemptuously, or threatening. (St. Jerome) --- Some explain it of the ordaining sacred ministers, or taking another’s property.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

They make great complaint, Isa 58:3, that God took no notice of their services, which complaint God seems now to satisfy: q.d. These conditions observed, call upon me, and thou shalt see I will regard, Psa 34:15. See Isa 1:18.

The Lord shall answer; he will give an effectual demonstration, that he hears thee, by the real answer that he will give to thy request, Psa 34:17; 99:6; 118:5.

Here I am; a phrase that notes a person to be ready at hand for work, as Isa 6:8; or for help, as God here, and Psa 46:1; or both, Psa 145:18,19.

From the midst; not a geometrical middle or centre, but having a place among others; the meaning is, from among you.

The yoke, i.e. all those pressures and grievances before mentioned, Isa 58:6; all that barbarous slavery they brought their brethren into; the particulars expressed by that one Hebrew word motah, three times used in this chapter.

The putting forth of the finger: there being often an indication of a man’s mind by the postures of several parts of the body, as of lust, malice, scorn, revenge, &c., Pro 6:12-14, this putting forth of the finger may point at divers things all springing from two roots; either the secret malice of the heart, or just and open violence. It is used,

1. Sometimes by way of scoff, reproof, or disdainful insulting, as the Pharisee seems to point at the publican, Luk 18:11; pointing with the finger, like winking with the eye, seeming to indicate something that may cause shame in another; and this is reckoned among great afflictions, Heb 11:36. See 2Ch 36:16; Jer 20:7;

2. Sometimes for beating, or other injurious treating men, seizing either their persons or estates: such a putting forth of the hand you have mentioned 1Sa 22:17; and this agrees well to the fist of wickedness, Isa 58:4; and so the finger may be put by a synecdoche for the hand, and that which before was called the fist may be here called the finger.

3. Sometimes as a token of putting suitors by, and refusing to hear their petitions and requests, seeking to them for mercy and pity.

4. Sometimes to express an angry mind, stirring up itself, either to the imperious commanding of a thing, or to revenge, whether by the gesture alone, or accompanied with menacing expressions. signifying thereby a purpose to put our power in execution.

Speaking vanity, Heb. aven; it signifies a lie, or iniquity, as Psa 5:5; 6:8; and so the sense may be, If thou dost not proceed to indecent expressions in thy strifes, brawls, and threatenings with thy finger, which seldom is done without sin; and thus the counsel here may suit with our Saviour’s, Mat 5:21,22, viz. not only not stretch out thine hand against thy brother, but not so much as be lavish with thy tongue: so speaking vanity may be a meiosis, for not railing; the LXX. render it muttering, which is an incomplete kind of speaking, whereby we reproach another in low, unformed, undigested expressions. But it seems here rather to signify affliction, not only because the word used in this place doth properly so signify, but because it is most agreeable to the matter discoursed of, and the Chaldee render it violence; and then the sense is, speaking words of affliction, or that will vex and grieve, like those words of Nabal to David’s servants, 1Sa 25:10,11; Pr 18:23. And thus it relates to their harsh and unjust commands, wherewith they were wont to burden their servants; a synecdoche of the kind.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

9. Then — On ceasing to oppress, and engaging in works of kindness and helpfulness.

Call… answer — The one party having the confidence to “call,” and the other both the disposition and legally the power to “answer,” seeing that right actions proceeding from right motives had taken the place of wrong ones.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke (comp. ver. 6). The putting forth of the finger. The pointing of the finger at any one in scorn. And speaking vanity; rather, speaking evil, or plotting evil, against others.

Conditions of answer to prayer.

Were these men, whose lives were spent for self, but who made a show of seeming to want God, proper persons to receive answers to their prayers? Let the Apostle James answer. "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts". (Jam_4:3) God wants signs of right character in those whose petitions he grants; for such character is the only guarantee that what he gives is rightly accepted and rightly used. Here with special reference to the particular sins of the age, we have these conditions laid down.

1. Ceasing from stern and cruel dealings with those who serve us. "Takeaway the yoke" (see ver. 6).

2. Taunts of those who are recognized as the faithful servants of God, but de not make just the same expression of their piety that we do. "Putting forth the finger;" a gesture of derision. "Indicative of mockery and insolence towards the pious and persisting part of the nation" (Matthew Arnold).

3. Boasting. A spirit of self-satisfaction, which is quite inconsistent with any approach to God with expressions of need and fervent desires. "Speaking vanity." While these evils must be put away, it is made a further condition of answer to prayer, that he who prays shall be positively set upon doing good, caring for the hungry and the afflicted. As the immediate reference is to the prayers offered on the national fast-days, this homily may be made to hear specially upon national days of humiliation, Lenten times, etc. Such times are useful, and are necessary. They are called for by the Divine judgments. But the special danger of them is insincerity. The special condition of their acceptance with God is national turning from sin to righteousness and charity. Therefore, at such seasons, the work of God"s ministers is to produce due convictions of national sins. Our Lord taught conditions of prayer for his individual disciples, in his sermon on the mount. "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. R.T.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Answer - He will give an effectual demonstration, that he hears thee. Here l am - A phrase that notes a person to be ready at hand to help. Take away - From among you. The yoke - All those pressures and grievances before mentioned. Putting forth - Done by way of scoff, or disdainful insulting. Vanity - Any kind of evil words.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

“Then shalt thou call and Jehovah will answer, thou shalt cry and He will say, Behold me (here I am), if thou wilt put away from the midst of thee the yoke, the pointing of the finger, and the speaking of vanity.” The ‘then’ may either be connected with what goes before or correspond to ‘if’ in the other clause, like ‘then’, when, in English. The conditional form of the promise implies that it was not so with them now, of which indeed they are themselves represented as complaining in v. 3. The idea of this verse might be expressed in the occidental idiom by saying, ‘when thou callest, Jehovah will answer; when thou criest, he will say, Behold me.’ (See above, on Isa 50:2). The yoke is again mentioned as the symbol of oppression. (See v. 6.) The pointing of the finger is a gesture of derision The Arabs have a verb derived from finger and denoting scorn full ridicule. The object of contempt in this case may be the pious or the unfortunate. Words of vanity in Zec 10:2 means falsehood, which is here retained by some, while others give it the specific sense of ‘slander, secret and malignant machination, censorious and unnecessary fault-finding, strife and bickerings’. All these may be included in the general sense of evil speech or wicked words.

Joseph Addison Alexander, The Prophecies of Isaiah (1846–1847; New York: Scribner, 1870–1878) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

General Information:

Yahweh continues speaking to the people of Israel.

then your light will rise in the darkness, and your darkness will be like the noonday

"Your light" represents the acts of kindness that will be examples to everyone, and the "darkness," the bad deeds, will be overcome by their good deeds. (See: Metaphor)

translationWords

call

Yahweh

yoke

accuse

evil

light

darkness

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

From thy midst. From thy heart, or from the midst of Israel. מוטה Yoke. Slavery.

שׁלַח The putting forth. It is a verbal noun similar in form to the infinitive שְׁכַב to lie (1 Kgs. 1:21). The putting forth of thy finger, that is, the stretching out of the hand to smite the neighbour or to take away his property. ודבר And to speak. דבר is a verbal noun.

Ibn Ezra on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009” (CC BY 4.0); and “Commentary of Ibn Ezra on Isaiah - trans. by M. Friedlander, 1873” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.