Commentaries:
Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown
for a man to afflict his soul—The pain felt by abstinence is not the end to be sought, as if it were meritorious; it is of value only in so far as it leads us to amend our ways (Isaiah 58:6-7).
bow . . . head . . . sackcloth—to affect the outward tokens, so as to "appear to men to fast" (Matthew 6:17-18; I Kings 21:27; Esther 4:3).
Other Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown entries containing Isaiah 58:5:
Isaiah 58:1
Isaiah 58:2
Zechariah 7:5
Malachi 3:14
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