Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Isaiah 58:5 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 5. 5Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
The prophetic poem or speech in Isaiah presses the question “Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul?…” at Isaiah 58:5 within “A Self-Interested Fast Cannot Hide Exploitation.”
Read It With
- Isaiah 58:1–5
Read Isaiah 58:5 with 58:1–5. By itself, “Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul?…” can be detached from the speaker, addressee, historical horizon, poetic movement, or outcome that gives it force. The complete unit establishes: The people claim delight in worship while pursuing advantage, exploiting workers, quarrelling, and confusing bodily display with an acceptable fast.
Why This Verse Appears Here
This received unit develops “A Self-Interested Fast Cannot Hide Exploitation” through its own speaker, addressee, scene, poem, oracle, sign, or historical episode. Its non-interchangeable movement is: The people claim delight in worship while pursuing advantage, exploiting workers, quarrelling, and confusing bodily display with an acceptable fast. This verse's placement is specific: The prophetic poem or speech in Isaiah presses the question “Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul?…” at Isaiah 58:5 within “A Self-Interested Fast Cannot Hide Exploitation.”
What Remains True
Religious seriousness is tested by truthful institutions and concrete protection from exploitation. In Isaiah 58:5, that bounded truth is carried through this verse's role: The prophetic poem or speech in Isaiah presses the question “Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul?…” at Isaiah 58:5 within “A Self-Interested Fast Cannot Hide Exploitation.”
How It Can Shape Life
- Audit policy and practice, listen to affected people, repair material harm, and do not reduce justice to a slogan or partisan badge. This response follows Isaiah 58:1–5's specific concern, “A Self-Interested Fast Cannot Hide Exploitation.” This verse directs that response through its exact role: The prophetic poem or speech in Isaiah presses the question “Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul?…” at Isaiah 58:5 within “A Self-Interested Fast Cannot Hide Exploitation.”
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Isaiah 58:1–5 — A Self-Interested Fast Cannot Hide ExploitationSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.
Exact location: Isaiah 58:1–5, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Isaiah
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology at the exact unit, without treating morphology as apparatus, lexicon, composition history, or interpretation.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Isa.xml, OSIS 58:1–5 with Hebrew/KJV versification difference checked
Open the fixed Hebrew Isaiah file ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible Notes: Isaiah
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2016; current official PDF
Supports: Verse-level controls for Hebrew, syntax, poetry, older KJV language, chronology, names, textual issues, and material translation alternatives.
Exact location: Official NET Isaiah PDF, translator, study, and textual notes attached to Isaiah 58:1–5 in the complete 205-page book PDF
Open the official NET Isaiah PDF ↗