Isaiah 58:4

4 ecce ad lites et contentiones ieiunatis et percutitis pugno impie nolite ieiunare sicut usque ad hanc diem ut audiatur in excelso clamor vester

Isaiah 58:4 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 58:4

Behold, ye fast for strife and debate
Brawling with their servants for not doing work enough; or quarrelling with their debtors for not paying their debts; or the main of their religion lay in contentions and strifes about words, vain hot disputations about rites and ceremonies in worship, as is well known to have been the case of the reformed churches: and to smite with the fist of wickedness;
their servants or their debtors; or rather it may design the persecution of such whose consciences would not suffer them to receive the doctrines professed; or submit to ordinances as administered; or comply with rites and ceremonies enjoined by the said churches; for which they have smitten their brethren that dissented from them with the fist, or have persecuted them in a violent manner by imprisonment, confiscation of goods; all which is no other than a fist of wickedness, and highly displeasing to God, and renders all their services unacceptable in his sight; see ( Matthew 24:49 ) : ye shall not fast as ye do this day;
or, "as this day"; after this manner; this is not right: to make your voice to be heard on high;
referring either to their noisy threatening of their servants for not doing their work; or their clamorous demands upon their debtors; or to their loud prayers, joined with their fasting, which they expected to be heard in the highest heaven, but would be mistaken; for such services, attended with the above evils, are not wellpleasing to God.

Isaiah 58:4 In-Context

2 me etenim de die in diem quaerunt et scire vias meas volunt quasi gens quae iustitiam fecerit et quae iudicium Dei sui non reliquerit rogant me iudicia iustitiae adpropinquare Deo volunt

3 quare ieiunavimus et non aspexisti humiliavimus animam nostram et nescisti ecce in die ieiunii vestri invenitur voluntas et omnes debitores vestros repetitis

4 ecce ad lites et contentiones ieiunatis et percutitis pugno impie nolite ieiunare sicut usque ad hanc diem ut audiatur in excelso clamor vester

5 numquid tale est ieiunium quod elegi per diem adfligere hominem animam suam numquid contorquere quasi circulum caput suum et saccum et cinerem sternere numquid istud vocabis ieiunium et diem acceptabilem Domino

6 nonne hoc est magis ieiunium quod elegi dissolve conligationes impietatis solve fasciculos deprimentes dimitte eos qui confracti sunt liberos et omne onus disrumpe