Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Isaiah 58:7 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 7. 7Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
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 not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are…” at Isaiah 58:7 within “The Chosen Fast Frees, Feeds, Shelters, and Repairs.”
Read It With
- Isaiah 58:6–12
Read Isaiah 58:7 with 58:6–12. By itself, “Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are…” can be detached from the speaker, addressee, historical horizon, poetic movement, or outcome that gives it force. The complete unit establishes: Loosed bonds, shared bread, welcomed poor people, clothing, accountable speech, guidance, restored strength, watered gardens, and rebuilt streets connect worship to justice.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Within the same chapter, this unit advances from “A Self-Interested Fast Cannot Hide Exploitation” into “The Chosen Fast Frees, Feeds, Shelters, and Repairs.” Its non-interchangeable movement is: Loosed bonds, shared bread, welcomed poor people, clothing, accountable speech, guidance, restored strength, watered gardens, and rebuilt streets connect worship to justice. This verse's placement is specific: The prophetic poem or speech in Isaiah presses the question “Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are…” at Isaiah 58:7 within “The Chosen Fast Frees, Feeds, Shelters, and Repairs.”
Follow the Context
- The unit opens at 58:6 with the address, scene, poem, sign, question, or action named in its title.
- Loosed bonds, shared bread, welcomed poor people, clothing, accountable speech, guidance, restored strength, watered gardens, and rebuilt streets connect worship to justice.
- By 58:12 the movement reaches its warning, promise, answer, response, or transition before the next unit begins.
What This Verse Is Not Saying
Sharing bread and shelter does not reduce justice to private charity or authorize unsafe housing arrangements.
What Remains True
Religious seriousness is tested by truthful institutions and concrete protection from exploitation. In Isaiah 58:7, that bounded truth is carried through this verse's role: The prophetic poem or speech in Isaiah presses the question “Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are…” at Isaiah 58:7 within “The Chosen Fast Frees, Feeds, Shelters, and Repairs.”
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 58:6–12's specific concern, “The Chosen Fast Frees, Feeds, Shelters, and Repairs.” This verse directs that response through its exact role: The prophetic poem or speech in Isaiah presses the question “Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are…” at Isaiah 58:7 within “The Chosen Fast Frees, Feeds, Shelters, and Repairs.”
Teach It Back
Explain Isaiah 58:7's precise role in Isaiah 58:6–12. Include “Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are…,” state the unit's historical or literary limit, give one proportionate truth and action, and explicitly reject one harmful use.
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Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Isaiah 58:6–12 — The Chosen Fast Frees, Feeds, Shelters, and RepairsSources 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 58:6–12, 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 58:6–12 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 58:6–12 in the complete 205-page book PDF
Open the official NET Isaiah PDF ↗modern scholarly book course
Isaiah course: summary, outline, background, introductory issues, themes, and reception
Fred Gaiser; revised by Michael Chan
Enter the Bible, Luther Seminary, revised August 2024
Supports: Whole-book historical, literary, theological, ethical, and reception synthesis across Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, and postexilic horizons.
Exact location: Enter the Bible Isaiah course, Outline Book 3A and themes of justice, worship, and return; applied to Isaiah 58:6–12
Open the Enter the Bible Isaiah course ↗