God uses a question to force Israel to evaluate their own reasoning, compelling them to confront the futility of multiplying sacrifices while living in rebellion, rather than flatly stating their worship is worthless.

The text records no verbal response from Israel; God continues His indictment through verse 15, declaring He will hide His eyes from their prayers because their hands are full of blood, then commands them to cease doing evil and learn to do good.

God’s question exposes the absurdity of Israel’s assumption that multiplying sacrifices could compensate for covenant disobedience. The Hebrew phrase mah-li, translated ‘what to me,’ expresses divine exasperation, asking what benefit or purpose these sacrifices serve from God’s perspective. By framing this as a question rather than a declaration, God invites Israel to examine their own logic and recognize the futility of their approach. The prophet lists specific offerings, burnt offerings (olah), fat (chelev), blood (dam) of bulls, lambs, and goats, emphasizing that even the most prescribed and costly elements of worship become meaningless without righteousness. The rhetorical force underscores that God instituted the sacrificial system, yet when detached from obedience and justice, it becomes not merely ineffective but offensive. This question carries profound theological weight, establishing that God values the condition of the worshiper’s heart infinitely more than the external act of worship.