God’s Word Translation
Isaiah 58:2
2They look for me every day and want to know my ways. They act as if they were a nation that has done what is right and as if they haven’t disregarded God’s judgment ⌞on them⌟. They ask me for just decrees. They want God to be near them.
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
1Cry aloud! Don’t hold back! Raise your voice like a ram’s horn. Tell my people about their rebellion and the descendants of Jacob about their sins. They look for me every day and want to know my ways. They act as if they were a nation that has done what is right and as if they haven’t disregarded God’s judgment ⌞on them⌟. They ask me for just decrees. They want God to be near them. 3Why have we fasted if you are not aware of it? Why have we inflicted pain on ourselves if you don’t pay attention? Don’t you see that on the days you fast, you do what you want to do? You mistreat all your workers. 4Don’t you see that when you fast, you quarrel and fight and beat your workers? The way you fast today keeps you from being heard in heaven.
Read all of Isaiah 58Isaiah 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 1:11The Lord asks, “What do your many animal sacrifices mean to me? I’ve had enough of your burnt offerings of rams and enough fat from your fattened calves. I’m not pleased with the blood of bulls, lambs, or male goats.
- Isaiah 29:13The Lord says, “These people worship me with their mouths and honor me with their lips. But their hearts are far from me, and their worship of me is ⌞based on⌟ rules made by humans.
- Isaiah 48:1Listen to this, descendants of Jacob! You are given the name of Israel. You are descended from Judah. You take oaths by the name of the Lord. You acknowledge the God of Israel, but you are not honest or sincere.
- Deuteronomy 5:28When the Lord heard the words that you spoke to me, he said, “I have heard what these people said to you. Everything they said was good.
- 1 Samuel 15:21The army took some of their belongings—the best sheep and cows were claimed for God—in order to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.”
- Proverbs 15:8A sacrifice brought by wicked people is disgusting to the Lord, but the prayers of decent people please him.
- Ezekiel 33:30“Son of man, your people are talking about you by the walls and in the doorways of their homes. They are saying to each other, ‘Let’s go and hear the word that has come from the Lord.’
- Matthew 15:7You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:
- Mark 4:16Other people are like seeds that were planted on rocky ground. Whenever they hear the word, they accept it at once with joy.
- Mark 6:20because Herod was afraid of John. Herod knew that John was a fair and holy man, so he protected him. When he listened to John, he would become very disturbed, and yet he liked to listen to him.
- John 5:35John was a lamp that gave off brilliant light. For a time you enjoyed the pleasure of his light.
- Hebrews 6:4Some people once had God’s light. They experienced the heavenly gift and shared in the Holy Spirit.
- Jeremiah 42:2They said to him, “Please listen to our request, and pray to the Lord your God for all of us who are left here. As you can see, there are only a few of us left.
- Mark 12:14When they came to him, they said, “Teacher, we know that you tell the truth. You don’t favor individuals because of who they are. Rather, you teach the way of God truthfully. Is it right to pay taxes to the emperor or not? Should we pay taxes or not?”
- James 1:21So get rid of all immoral behavior and all the wicked things you do. Humbly accept the word that God has placed in you. This word can save you.
- 1 Peter 2:1So get rid of every kind of evil, every kind of deception, hypocrisy, jealousy, and every kind of slander.
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
In the dictionaries
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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