The Meaning of Isaiah 58:10 Explained

Isaiah 58:10

KJV: And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:

YLT: And dost bring out to the hungry thy soul, And the afflicted soul dost satisfy, Then risen in the darkness hath thy light, And thy thick darkness is as noon.

Darby: and thou proffer thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul: then shall thy light rise in the darkness, and thine obscurity be as midday;

ASV: and if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul: then shall thy light rise in darkness, and thine obscurity be as the noonday;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And [if] thou draw out  thy soul  to the hungry,  and satisfy  the afflicted  soul;  then shall thy light  rise  in obscurity,  and thy darkness  [be] as the noonday: 

What does Isaiah 58:10 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Positively, God"s people needed to alleviate hunger in others (more than creating it in themselves by fasting), and to pour out their lives for others. Then they would have light, even in gloom, because God would be with them, and God is light (cf. 1 John 1:5).

Context Summary

Isaiah 58:1-14 - The Fast That God Has Chosen
The divorce between outward rites and inward piety has been the curse of every age. When the Pharisees were plotting our Lord's death, they refused to enter Pilate's hall. Not the bowed head, but the broken heart; not the sackcloth and ashes of the flesh, but the contrition of the soul!
Notice the three paragraphs descriptive of the experiences of the devout and consecrated soul: (1.) The conditions of blessedness, Isaiah 58:6-7. (2.) The successive items which go to make a blessed life, Isaiah 58:8-12. (3.) The true Sabbath-keeping, Isaiah 58:13-14. Primarily, it is inward, not outward. Let us be on our watch against the entrance into our hearts of all thoughts that would break the holy inward calm. Remember to imitate Nehemiah's instructions: Nehemiah 13:16-22. Let the divine peace rule within and be as a sentinel keeping the outward gate, Colossians 3:15; Philippians 4:7. Cease to follow your own ways, or find your own pleasures, or speak your own words. Delight yourself in God; so shall you sit with Christ in heavenly places and feed at the heavenly table. [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 58

1  The prophet, being sent to reprove hypocrisy,
3  shows the difference between a counterfeit fast and a true
8  He declares what promises are due unto godliness
13  And to the keeping of the Sabbath

What do the individual words in Isaiah 58:10 mean?

and [If] you extend to the hungry your soul and the soul afflicted satisfy and shall dawn in the darkness your light and your darkness shall [be] as the noonday
וְתָפֵ֤ק לָֽרָעֵב֙ נַפְשֶׁ֔ךָ וְנֶ֥פֶשׁ נַעֲנָ֖ה תַּשְׂבִּ֑יעַ וְזָרַ֤ח בַּחֹ֙שֶׁךְ֙ אוֹרֶ֔ךָ וַאֲפֵלָתְךָ֖ כַּֽצָּהֳרָֽיִם

וְתָפֵ֤ק  and  [If]  you  extend 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive imperfect Jussive, second person masculine singular
Root: פּוּק 
Sense: to bring out, furnish, promote, go out, issue.
לָֽרָעֵב֙  to  the  hungry 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: רָעָב  
Sense: hungry.
נַפְשֶׁ֔ךָ  your  soul 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: נֶפֶשׁ  
Sense: soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion.
וְנֶ֥פֶשׁ  and  the  soul 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: נֶפֶשׁ  
Sense: soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion.
נַעֲנָ֖ה  afflicted 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: עָנָה 
Sense: (Qal) to be occupied, be busied with.
תַּשְׂבִּ֑יעַ  satisfy 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: שָׂבַע  
Sense: to be satisfied, be sated, be fulfilled, be surfeited.
וְזָרַ֤ח  and  shall  dawn 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: זָרַח  
Sense: to rise, come forth, break out, arise, rise up, shine.
בַּחֹ֙שֶׁךְ֙  in  the  darkness 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֹשֶׁךְ  
Sense: darkness, obscurity.
אוֹרֶ֔ךָ  your  light 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: אֹור  
Sense: light.
וַאֲפֵלָתְךָ֖  and  your  darkness  shall  [be] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: אֲפֵלָה  
Sense: darkness, gloominess, calamity.
כַּֽצָּהֳרָֽיִם  as  the  noonday 
Parse: Preposition-k, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: צֹהַר 
Sense: noon, midday.