Isaiah 58:14 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Isaiah 58:14
Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
to be soft or pliable · verb, hithpael imperfect, 2nd person masculine singular
LORD
יְהוָ֔הYah.weh
H3068
Jehovah · proper noun, a title
ride
וְהִרְכַּבְתִּ֖יךָve.hir.kav.Ti.kha
H7392
to ride (on an animal or in a vehicle) · conjunction + verb, hiphil sequential perfect, 1st person common singular + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
places
בָּ֣מֳתֵיba.mo.tei
H1116
an elevation · noun, common feminine plural construct
earth
אָ֑רֶץ'A.retz
H776
the earth (at large · noun, common feminine singular absolute
feed
וְהַאֲכַלְתִּ֗יךָve.ha.'a.khal.Ti.kha
H398
to eat (literally or figuratively) · conjunction + verb, hiphil sequential perfect, 1st person common singular + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
heritage
נַחֲלַת֙na.cha.Lat
H5159
properly · noun, common feminine singular construct
Jacob
יַעֲקֹ֣בya.'a.Ko
H3290
Jaakob · proper noun, a man's name
father
אָבִ֔יךָ'a.Vi.kha
H1
father · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
mouth
פִּ֥יpi
H6310
the mouth (as the means of blowing) · noun, common masculine singular construct
LORD
יְהוָ֖הYah.weh
H3068
Jehovah · proper noun, a title
spoken
דִּבֵּֽרdi.Ber
H1696
perhaps properly · verb, piel perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Deuteronomy 32:13 He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the roc…
Job 22:26 For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God.
Isaiah 1:19-20 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:
Isaiah 33:16 He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.
Habakkuk 3:18-19 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
Deuteronomy 33:29 Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency!…
Psalms 37:4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
Isaiah 40:5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Isaiah 58:13–end
Great stress was always laid upon the due observance of the sabbath day, and it was particularly required from the Jews when they were captives in Babylon, because by keeping that day, in honour of the Creator, they distinguished themselves from the worshippers of the gods that have not made the heavens and the earth. See Isa 56:1, Isa 56:2, where keeping the sabbath is joined, as here, with keeping judgment and doing justice. Some, indeed, understand this of the day of atonement, which they think is the fast spoken of in the former part of the chapter, and which is called a sabbath of rest, Lev 23:32. But, as the fasts before spoken of seem to be those that were occasional, so this sabbath…
delight . . . in . . . Lord--God rewards in kind, as He punishes in kind. As we "delight" in keeping God's "Sabbath," so God will give us "delight" in Himself (Gen 15:1; Job 22:21-26; Psa 37:4).
ride upon . . . high places--I will make thee supreme lord of the land; the phrase is taken from a conqueror riding in his chariot, and occupying the hills and fastnesses of a country [VITRINGA], (Deu 32:13; Mic 1:3; Hab 3:19). Judea was a land of hills; the idea thus is, "I will restore thee to thine own land" [CALVIN]. The parallel words, "heritage of Jacob," confirm this (Gen 27:28-29; Gen 28:13-15).
mouth of . . . Lord . . . spoken it--a formula to assure men of the fulfilment of any solemn p…
Then shalt thou delight thyself - If all fasts and religious observances be carried on in the spirit and manner recommended above, God's blessing will attend every ordinance. But in public fasts, prescribed not in the Book of God, but by the rulers of nations in general (very unfit persons) care should be taken that the cause is good, and that God's blessing may be safely implored in it.
France has lately fasted and prayed that they might be able to subjugate Spain, restore and establish the horrible inquisition, and utterly destroy all the liberties of the people! Is this such a fast as God hath chosen? - a.d. 1823.
The Church Fathers
He teaches the manner [in which it is required] to rest: "Nor speak a word in anger out of your mouth," he says, "and you shall trust in the Lord"; it is as though if he ordains to honor the sabbath by making an end to bad actions and clinging to the accomplishment of good actions. There you see why he imposes a double duty even on priests, for they offered double sacrifices; they were required to sacrifice the victims and to clean the meats, offer them on the altar, light the fire and bring wood to the fire to feed it. Similarly, the reading of the divine word was done in abundance, as was the chanting of hymns and the prayer. And all that shows that the law diverted them from practical realities to lead them to spiritual realities on the day of the Sabbath, for they could not act continuously in such a way, given that they lived in a too-carnal fashion and were entirely absorbed in the cares they took with the body. "And he shall bring you up to the good places of the land and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father." And [here is] the confirmation of what he has just said: "For the mouth of the Lord has spoken it." The One who has made the promise does not lie, he says; he will undoubtedly grant you to take part in his beneficence, and you will enjoy the providence accorded to your ancestors.
I used to strive daily to win my way outside the world, outside the flesh; to drive all phantasms of the body from the eyes of my soul, and to see incorporeally supernal joys; and not only with my voice but in the core of my heart I used to say, "My heart hath said unto Thee, I have sought Thy face, Thy face, Lord, will I seek." Moreover desiring nothing, fearing nothing, in this world, I seemed to myself to stand on a certain summit of things, so that I almost believed to be fulfilled in me what I had learnt of the Lord's promise through the prophet, "I will lift thee up upon the high places of the earth." For he is lifted up upon the high places of the earth who treads under foot through looking down upon them in his mind even the very things of the present world which seem lofty and glorious. But, having been suddenly dashed from this summit of things by the whirlwind of this trial, I have fallen into fears and tremors, since, even though I have no fears for myself, I am greatly afraid for those who have been committed to me. On every side I am tossed by the waves of business, and sunk by storms, so that I may truly say, "I am come into the depth of the sea, and the storm hath overwhelmed me." After business I long to return to my heart; but, driven therefrom by vain tumults of thoughts, I am unable to return.
Dictionary and topics
Delighting In God · Observing the sabbath leads to — Observing the sabbath leads to
Sabbath, The · Blessedness of honouring — Blessedness of honouring
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
John Gill on Isaiah 58:14
Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord,.... In his perfections; in his omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, eternity, immutability, holiness, justice, truth, and faithfulness; in his wisdom, love, grace, and mercy, especially as displayed in Christ, and salvation by him; in the relations he stands in to his people, as their covenant God and Father, and in what he is to them, their shield and exceeding great reward, their portion and inheritance; in his works of creation, providence, and grace; in his word, the Gospel, the truths, doctrines, and promises of it; in his ways and worship: in his ordinances and commandments; in communion with him, and with his people; in all which, abunda…
Then wilt thou delight in Jehovah. He appears to allude to the word delight in the preceding verse; for the verb ttgg (tithgnanneg) which the Prophet employs, is derived from the same root as gg (gnoneg) which he formerly used, when he said that the Lord takes the highest delight in the true observation of the Sabbath. In a word, he means that the people take no delight in God, because they provoke him, and do not obey his will; for if we framed our life in obedience to God, we should be his delight, and, on the other hand, he would be our delight. Thus he affirms that it is owing entirely to the Jews themselves that they do not, by relying on a reconciled God, lead a cheerful and joyful lif…
The third part of the prophecy now adds to the duties of human love the duty of keeping the Sabbath, together with equally great promises; i.e., it adds the duties of the first table to those of the second, for the service of works is sanctified by the service of worship. "If thou hold back thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy business on my holy day, and callest the Sabbath a delight, the holy of Jehovah, reverer, and honourest it, not doing thine own ways, not pursuing thy business and speaking words: then wilt thou have delight in Jehovah, and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the land, and make thee enjoy the inheritance of Jacob thy forefather, for the mouth of Jeho…
As people honor God through obedience, they themselves will be honored by God. • the inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob: The promised inheritance includes living with many descendants in the holy land and enjoying God’s presence, blessing, and protection (Gen 31:3; 35:9-12).
Rashi on Isaiah 58:14
the heritage of Jacob your father An inheritance without boundaries, as it is said (Gen. 28: 14): “And you shall spread to the west and to the east, etc.” Not like Abraham, about whom it is stated (ibid. 13:15): “The land that you see...” And Jacob indeed kept the Sabbath, as it is said (ibid. 33: 18): “And he encamped before the city,” i.e., he established the Sabbath limits at twilight. So did Rabbi Samson explain it.
(Verse 14.) Then you will delight in the Lord [Vulg. the Lord); and I will lift you up above the heights of the earth, and I will feed you with the inheritance of Jacob your father. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken. LXX: And you will trust in the Lord: and he will exalt you above the good things of the earth, and he will feed you with the inheritance of Jacob your father. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken. After you have called the delicate Sabbaths and have not moved your foot on the Sabbath to do servile work, nor have you spoken a word, that is, you have always been silent, and have fulfilled what is commanded: Restrain your tongue from evil, and let your lips not speak deceit (Psalm 34:14): then you will delight in the Lord and see that you are fulfilled: Delight in the Lord, and he will grant the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4). Whether you have confidence in the Lord, according to what is written: Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord. And in Jeremiah: Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and the Lord will be his hope (Jeremiah 17:7). And elsewhere: It is good to trust in the Lord rather than to trust in man (Psalm 118:8). And the Lord will lift you up and exalt you above the heights and the good things of the earth. For the earth is soft, and the earth of the living is not downwards, but upwards. Finally, to Lot fleeing from the valley of Sodom and Gomorrah, it is said: Make yourself safe on the mountain (Genesis 19). And when he reached there, the sun rose for him in Segor. Concerning this land, the Lord said: Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth (Matthew 5:4): and many other things that we have frequently mentioned, among which is this: Honor your father and your mother, and you will live long on the earth that the Lord your God has given you (Exodus 20:12). Which cannot be completely true according to the letter. For many honor their parents and die quickly, while others who are parricides live for a long time. But that the land is situated in the heights, let us briefly recall the 36th Psalm, in which it is written: The meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. After this, it is added: Wait for the Lord, and keep his ways: and he will exalt you, that you may possess the earth (Psalm 37:11): concerning which it is sung in another place, The righteous shall inherit…
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
