Isaiah 58:2

Isaiah 58:2 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.
• New International Version (NIV)For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness and did not forsake the judgment of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments; they delight to draw near to God.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Yet they seek Me daily, And delight to know My ways, As a nation that did righteousness, And did not forsake the ordinance of their God. They ask of Me the ordinances of justice; They take delight in approaching God.

Context of Isaiah 58:2

1“Cry aloud, do not hold back; Lift up your voice like a trumpet, And declare to My people their transgression And to the house of Jacob their sins. Yet they seek Me day by day and delight [superficially] to know My ways, As [if they were in reality] a nation that has done righteousness And has not abandoned (turned away from) the ordinance of their God. They ask of Me righteous judgments, They delight in the nearness of God. 3‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You do not see it? Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice?’ Hear this [O Israel], on the day of your fast [when you should be grieving for your sins] you find something you desire [to do], And you force your hired servants to work [instead of stopping all work, as the law teaches]. 4The facts are that you fast only for strife and brawling and to strike with the fist of wickedness. You do not fast as you do today to make your voice heard on high.

Isaiah 58:2 word by word

וְאוֹתִ֗י י֥וֹם יוֹם֙ יִדְרֹשׁ֔וּן וְדַ֥עַת דְּרָכַ֖י יֶחְפָּצ֑וּן כְּג֞וֹי אֲשֶׁר־צְדָקָ֣ה עָשָׂ֗ה וּמִשְׁפַּ֤ט אֱלֹהָיו֙ לֹ֣א עָזָ֔ב יִשְׁאָל֙וּנִי֙ מִשְׁפְּטֵי־צֶ֔דֶק קִרְבַ֥ת אֱלֹהִ֖ים יֶחְפָּצֽוּן׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Yet they seekדָּרַשׁdârash · to seekH1875
• me dailyיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
• and delightחָפֵץchâphêts · to delight inH2654
• to knowדַּ֫עַתda‛ath · knowledgeH1847
• my waysדֶּ֫רֶךְderek · way: conductH1870
• as a nationגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
• that didעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
• righteousnessצְדָקָהtsedâqâh · righteousnessH6666
• and forsookעָזַב‛âzab · to leave: forsakeH5800
• not the ordinanceמִשְׁפָּטmishpâţ · justice: judgementH4941
• of their Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• they askשָׁאַלshâ'al shâ'êl · to askH7592
• of me the ordinancesמִשְׁפָּטmishpâţ · justiceH4941
• of justiceצֶ֫דֶקtsedeq · righteousnessH6664
• in approachingקִרְבָהqerâbâh · nearnessH7132

Cross-references for Isaiah 58:2

• Isaiah 1:11“What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me [without your repentance]?” Says the Lord. “I have had enough of [your] burnt offerings of rams And the fat of well-fed cattle [without your obedience]; And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls or lambs or goats [offered without repentance].
• Isaiah 29:13Then the Lord said, “Because this nation approaches [Me only] with their words And honors Me [only] with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me is a tradition that is learned by rote [without any regard for its meaning],
• Isaiah 48:1“Hear this, O house of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel And who come from the seed of Judah, You who swear [allegiance] by the name of the Lord And invoke the God of Israel, But not in truth (sincerity) nor in righteousness [with moral and spiritual integrity].
• Deuteronomy 5:28“The Lord heard your words when you spoke to me, and the Lord said to me, ‘I have heard the words of this people which they have spoken to you. They have done well in all that they have spoken.
• 1 Samuel 15:21But the people took some of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things [that were] to be totally destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”
• Proverbs 15:8The sacrifice of the wicked is hateful and exceedingly offensive to the Lord, But the prayer of the upright is His delight!
• Ezekiel 33:30“But as for you, son of man, your people who talk about you by the walls and in the doorways of the houses say one to another, every one to his brother, ‘Come now and hear what the message is that comes from the Lord.’
• Matthew 15:7You hypocrites (play-actors, pretenders), rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you when he said,
• Mark 4:16In a similar way these [in the second group] are the ones on whom seed was sown on rocky ground, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy [but accept it only superficially];
• Mark 6:20because Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he continually kept him safe. When he heard John [speak], he was very perplexed; but he enjoyed listening to him.
• John 5:35John was the lamp that kept on burning and shining [to show you the way], and you were willing for a while to rejoice in his light.
• Hebrews 6:4For [it is impossible to restore to repentance] those who have once been enlightened [spiritually] and who have tasted and consciously experienced the heavenly gift and have shared in the Holy Spirit,
• Jeremiah 42:2and said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Please let our petition be presented before you, and pray to the Lord your God for us, that is, for all this remnant [of the people of Judah]; for we were once many, but now [only] a few of us are left, as you see with your own eyes, [so please pray]
• Mark 12:14They came and said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and have no personal bias toward anyone; for You are not influenced by outward appearances or social status, but in truth You teach the way of God. Is it lawful [according to Jewish law and tradition] to pay the poll-tax to [Tiberius] Caesar, or not?
• James 1:21So get rid of all uncleanness and all that remains of wickedness, and with a humble spirit receive the word [of God] which is implanted [actually rooted in your heart], which is able to save your souls.
• 1 Peter 2:1So put aside every trace of malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander and hateful speech;

Commentaries on Isaiah 58:2

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2Yet they seek me daily - The whole description here is appropriate to the character of formalists and hypocrites; and the idea is, that public worship by sacrifice was celebrated daily in the temple, and was not intermitted. It is not improbable also that they kept up the regular daily service in their dwellings. And delight to know my ways - Probably this means, they profess to delight to know the ways of God; that is, his commands, truths, and…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2they seek me: They may have been truly committed to a religious form, but they failed to truly meet God in their religious activities.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. Put the stop at "ways"; and connect "as a nation that," &c. with what follows; "As a nation that did righteousness," thus answers to, "they ask of Me just judgments" (that is, as a matter of justice due to them, salvation to themselves, and destruction to their enemies); and "forsook not the ordinance of their God," answers to "they desire the drawing near of God" (that God would draw near to exercise those "just judgments" in behalf of them, and…Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 58:2

• Affections
• Hypocrisy

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Aloud
• Light
• Commentaries
• Guilt
• Isaiah
• Ordinance
• Saviour

Commentaries on Isaiah 58

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings