Isaiah 58:7

"“Isn’t this the fast that I have chosen: to release the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke?"

Key Reflection

This verse emphasizes a fasting that goes beyond mere physical abstinence; it calls for acts of justice and liberation. By releasing bonds and breaking yokes, one demonstrates true faith, aligning with God's will by freeing the oppressed and promoting righteousness.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry? -The word renderd ‘deal’ (פרסpâras), means to divide, to distribute. The idea is, that we are to apportion among the poor that which will be needful for their support, as a father does to his children. This is everywhere enjoined in the Bible, and was especially regarded among the Orientals as an indispensable duty of religion. Thus JobJob 31:16-22beautifully speaks of his own practice: If I have witheld the poor from his desire, Or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail; Or have eaten my morsel myself alone, And the fatherless hath not eaten thereof; If I have seen any perish for want of clothing, Or any poor without covering; - ...

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