Isaiah 58:6 · Bible study
Isaiah 58:6 Commentary: True Fasting
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Isaiah 58:6 redefines fasting as releasing the oppressed and breaking every yoke. A verse that challenges ritual without justice.
Research Summary
- Meaning: True fasting is not abstinence from food but the active release of people from oppression, debt, and exploitation.
- Key words: “Bonds of wickedness” (חַרְצֻבּוֹת רֶשַׁע), unjust binding agreements; “yoke-bar” (מוֹטָה), symbol of forced labor; “crushed” (רְצוּצִים), people broken by oppression.
- Main debate: Whether this command primarily addresses literal slavery/debt (most commentators) or religious impositions on conscience (Gill). Both agree God demands the end of oppression.
- Theological theme: God cannot be worshiped with empty rituals; authentic worship must produce justice and mercy for the vulnerable.
- Best use: A prophetic corrective for any congregation that separates spiritual disciplines from social ethics. Preach when renewing commitment to justice or when challenging hollow religious routine.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Isn’t this the fast that I have chosen: to break the chains of wickedness, to untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and tear off every yoke?
WEB World English Bible 2000
“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?
KJV King James Version 1769
Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Is not this the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Is not this the fast that I chose--To loose the bands of wickedness, To shake off the burdens of the yoke, And to send out the oppressed free, And every yoke ye draw off?
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Is not this the fast which I have chosen: to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the thongs of the yoke, and to send forth free the crushed, and that ye break every yoke?
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Is not this rather the fast that I have chosen? loose the bands of wickedness, undo the bundles that oppress, let them that are broken go free, and break asunder every burden.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
¿ No es antes el ayuno que yo escogí, desatar las ligaduras de impiedad, deshacer los haces de opresión, y dejar ir libres á los quebrantados, y que rompáis todo yugo?
Por acaso não é este o jejum que eu escolheria: que soltes os nós de perversidade, que desfaças as amarras do jugo, e que libertes aos oprimidos, e quebres todo jugo?
Voici le jeûne auquel je prends plaisir:
Das ist aber ein Fasten, das ich erwähle: Laß los, welche du mit Unrecht gebunden hast; laß ledig, welche du beschwerst; gib frei, welche du drängst; reiß weg allerlei Last;
Is niet dit het vasten, dat Ik verkies: dat gij losmaakt de knopen der goddeloosheid, dat gij ontdoet de banden des juks, en dat gij vrij loslaat de verpletterden, en alle juk verscheurt?
Il digiuno di cui mi compiaccio non è egli questo: che si spezzino le catene della malvagità, che si sciolgano i legami del giogo, che si lascino liberi gli oppressi, e che s’infranga ogni sorta di giogo?
Ale to jest post, którym obrał: Rozwiąż związki niepobożności, rozwiąz brzemiona ciężkie, i wolno puść skruszonych, a tak wszelakie jarzmo rozerwij;
Вот пост, который Я избрал: разреши оковы неправды, развяжи узы ярма, и угнетенных отпусти на свободу, и расторгни всякое ярмо;
我所揀選的 禁食 不是 要鬆開 凶惡 的繩，解下 軛 上的索，使 被欺壓 的得自由，折斷 一切 的軛嗎？
Is not this the holy day for which I have given orders: to let loose those who have wrongly been made prisoners, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the crushed go free, and every yoke be broken?
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Isaiah 58:6
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this verse redefines the heart of fasting. God rejects a fast that coexists with oppression. The rhetorical question, “Isn’t this the fast that I have chosen?”, declares that true fasting is not about hunger but about justice.
The “bonds of wickedness” refer, in Barnes’s words, to “every tie which unjustly bound” others: fraudulent contracts, unjust servitude, exploitative debts. The Cambridge Bible specifies “unjust and oppressive obligations.” The Hebrew verb patach (“to loosen”) implies actively releasing those trapped by such bonds. The “yoke” (motah) is a symbol of forced labor, and the command to “break every yoke” demands the dismantling of systems of oppression.
“The oppressed” (retsutsim) is a participle that means “the crushed”, people broken by poverty, slavery, or debt. God’s chosen fast ends their crushing. Keil and Delitzsch summarize: true worship “consists in works of merciful love to one’s brethren.” The ritual is only valid when it produces liberation.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Literal social liberation: The plain sense of the Hebrew terms for bonds, yoke, and release; echoed in Nehemiah 5 and Jeremiah 34; supported by the majority of Protestant commentators (Barnes, Cambridge, JFB, Keil).
- Spiritual liberation from religious impositions: Gill interprets the ‘bands of wickedness’ as human religious obligations binding conscience, noting that such traditions become ‘heavy burdens’ (Matthew 23:4). This view emphasizes freedom from ecclesiastical tyranny.
What is clear: All traditions affirm that God rejects empty religious ritual and demands active justice for the oppressed; the fast He chooses is inseparable from setting people free.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Ritual versus justice in fasting | All traditions agree that God condemns external fasting that ignores oppression. The verse calls for a fundamental redefinition of fasting as social righteousness. | Some emphasize that the passage abolishes ritual fasting altogether; others hold that it supplements ritual with justice, fasting remains valid when accompanied by liberation. |
| Meaning of 'let the oppressed go free' | The primary reference is to economic/social oppression: debt-slavery, unjust contracts, forced labor. | Some (Clarke, Barnes) apply it directly to the abolition of chattel slavery; others (Cambridge, JFB) restrict it to ancient credit practices; Gill extends it to freeing consciences from human religious requirements. |
| Application to modern economic systems | The verse demands action against exploitation, it cannot be reduced to private charity alone. | Whether this requires Christians to advocate for structural political change (e.g., debt cancellation, worker rights) or primarily personal acts of mercy (e.g., forgiving a neighbor’s debt). Both sides claim continuity with the prophetic tradition. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Isaiah 58 addresses a people who fast diligently but miss the point entirely. They complain that God does not notice their fasting (v.3), yet on the same day they “find pleasure” and “oppress all your laborers.” The prophet exposes the disconnect: they treat fasting as a pious performance while continuing economic exploitation.
The specific terms echo ancient Israel’s laws of release. The Hebrew motah (yoke-bar) and aguddot (bindings) picture the heavy wooden bar laid on oxen, here applied to human beings under forced labor. The verb nattaq (“break” or “tear apart”) in the final clause is an emphatic form, a total, violent snapping of the yoke, not a gentle loosening. This language would remind Isaiah’s hearers of the Year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25), when slaves were freed and debts cancelled.
The passage likely dates to the post-exilic period, when community members often exploited poorer neighbors through debt and land seizure (Nehemiah 5:1-12). The “fast” mentioned may refer to the Day of Atonement, a day of self-denial that included a call to release others. But the people had reduced it to a hollow ritual. God’s response is to redefine what the day actually meant: not sackcloth and ashes, but setting the crushed free.
Culturally, the yoke was a common Near Eastern image of subjugation. Breaking the yoke became a metaphor for political and social liberation (Jeremiah 30:8). Isaiah 58:6 takes that metaphor and makes it concrete: if you want to fast, start by snapping the bonds that hold others down.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Isaiah 58:6. The Masoretic Text is stable across manuscripts, and the ancient versions (Septuagint, Targum, Syriac) render the verse with only minor differences in wording. The main interpretive question is lexical and theological, not text-critical.
Reception History
Early interpreters read this verse as a call to combine fasting with almsgiving. The ancient church by law connected fasting with charitable giving (Keil and Delitzsch cite Dressel, Patr. Ap. p. 493). Jerome interpreted the “oppressed” as those broken by poverty or bankruptcy (JFB). Later Protestant commentators, like Matthew Henry and Wesley, applied the verse to condemning usury and oppressive contracts. The verse has been a key text for Christian social reformers, including those who opposed slavery in the 18th and 19th centuries (Clarke). More recently, it has been used by advocates for debt cancellation and economic justice. Across centuries, the constant theme is that authentic faith must loosen the yokes that bind the poor.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The fast God rejects: Ritual that coexists with oppression (Isa 58:3-5). The people fast but exploit their workers and quarrel. External piety without internal justice is not worship.
- The fast God chooses: Active liberation (Isa 58:6). Loosing bonds, breaking yokes, letting the oppressed go free, these are not add-ons to fasting; they are the fast.
- The promise that follows: God responds to such fasting with light, healing, and guidance (Isa 58:8-12). Justice and mercy open the channel for God’s blessing.
Five-point outline
- Diagnosis: Why does God not see our spiritual disciplines? Because we separate worship from everyday justice (Isa 58:3-4).
- Redefinition: Fasting’s true purpose is not self-denial but other-liberation. The fast God chooses is social, not personal (v.6).
- Action list: Release unjust bonds (debts, contracts, systems); unstrap the yoke (stop coercive labor); set the crushed free; break every yoke, no exceptions (v.6).
- Extend the list: Feed the hungry, house the homeless, clothe the naked, care for your own kin (v.7). These acts are not separate from fasting; they are its content.
- Outcome: When we fast this way, our light rises, healing comes, God answers our calls, and we become repairers of broken society (vv.8-12).
Illustration hooks
- A congregation that gives up sugar for Lent while their business underpays workers, which fast does God see?
- Imagine someone who holds a legal but oppressive debt over a family member. The “fast” would be cancelling that debt. What would that cost them?
- A charity that distributes food but never asks why people are hungry, does it practice the fast of Isaiah 58?
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does God care about my personal spiritual disciplines if I ignore social justice?
- Where is the line between “binding wickedness” and ordinary business practices?
- If I am not directly oppressing anyone, what does this verse require of me?
Leading a Discussion
This passage confronts the gap between religious practice and moral action. The people of Isaiah’s day were fasting and praying, yet their daily lives were full of exploitation. God’s response is startling: the fast He wants has nothing to do with food and everything to do with freedom. Open by reading Isaiah 58:6-7 aloud, then move through the questions below. Encourage the group to think about “yokes” they have the power to loosen, in relationships, finances, workplaces, or systems they are part of.
Discussion questions
- Why do the people in Isaiah 58 think God should notice their fasting? What is their complaint (v.3)?
- What does the word “fast” mean to you before reading this passage? How does verse 6 change that meaning?
- Look at the Hebrew terms: “bonds” (char.tzu.Bot), “yoke-bar” (mo.Tah), “crushed” (re.tzu.Tzim). What do these words tell you about the seriousness of the oppression God wants ended?
- Verse 6 lists four actions: loose bands, undo bindings, let the oppressed go free, break every yoke. Which of these is hardest for you personally to imagine doing?
- How does this passage connect to the Year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25) or Nehemiah 5’s call to cancel debts? What does that tell us about God’s vision for society?
- Are there “yokes” in our community, local systems or practices, that keep people trapped? What would it look like for our church to “break” one of them?
- This passage promises that if we practice this kind of fasting, God will answer when we call (v.9). What does that promise teach us about the relationship between our actions and God’s response?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Nehemiah 5:10 | I likewise, my brothers and my servants, lend them money and grain. Please let us stop this usury. |
| Nehemiah 5:12 | Then they said, “We will restore them, and will require nothing of them. We will do so, even as you say.” Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they would do according to this promise. |
| Isaiah 58:9 | Then you will call, and Yahweh will answer. You will cry for help, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ “If you take away from among you the yoke, finger pointing, and speaking wickedly; |
| Jeremiah 34:8 | The word came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people who were at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty to them, |
| Jeremiah 34:11 | but afterwards they turned, and caused the servants and the handmaids whom they had let go free to return, and brought them into subjection for servants and for handmaids. |
| Micah 3:2 | You who hate the good, and love the evil; who tear off their skin, and their flesh from off their bones; |
| Micah 3:4 | Then they will cry to Yahweh, but he will not answer them. Yes, he will hide his face from them at that time, because they made their deeds evil.” |
| I Timothy 6:1 | Let as many as are bondservants under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, that the name of God and the doctrine not be blasphemed. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke denounces the slave trade as an utter contradiction of true religion. He argues that any nation or person who traffics in human beings while professing faith in Christ is guilty of the worst hypocrisy and should abandon any pretense of Christianity.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes argues that the prophet's commands to loose bonds, break yokes, and free the oppressed refer directly to slavery. Based on the Hebrew words used, a Jewish slave owner would understand this as a command to emancipate his slaves. For Barnes, a genuine fast requires abolishing slavery itself.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator identifies two essential duties of true fasting: stopping all oppression and actively helping the needy. The underlying principle is that self-denial has no value before God unless it translates into social responsibility, specifically releasing the "broken" from unjust debts and burdens.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
Is not this the fasting, that I haue chosen, to loose the bandes of wickednes, to take off the heauie burdens, and to let the oppressed goe free, and that ye breake euery yoke?
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill focuses on the religious dimension: the fast God chooses is about removing human-imposed burdens on conscience, not ritual abstinence. He identifies the "bands of wickedness" and "heavy burdens" as man-made religious rules, traditions, and church tyrannies that Christ never commanded, insisting that true fasting means freeing people from every yoke except the yoke of Christ.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown interpret these commands as concrete social action: cancelling fraudulent contracts, releasing people from unjust servitude, and freeing the bankrupt poor. They root the passage in Old Testament laws and prophecies that demand the actual breaking of bonds and yokes, not merely symbolic gestures.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch draw a sharp contrast between two kinds of fasting. Outward acts of bowing the head and wearing sackcloth mean nothing to God when selfish business continues; true fasting that pleases Him consists of releasing the oppressed, feeding the hungry, and clothing the naked. This passage exposes the self-righteous delusion that ritual alone merits reward.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry sees these people as following Cain's path: angry at God because their fasting went unrecognized. They boast of their religious efforts while overlooking the selfishness and oppression that accompany them, treating God as unjust for not accepting services they themselves valued too highly.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
The bands - The cruel obligations of usury and oppression.