Isaiah 57:4

4 Of whom are you making fun? Whom are you insulting? At whom do you stick out your tongue? You turn against God, and you are liars.

Isaiah 57:4 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 57:4

Against whom do ye sport yourselves?
&c.] Is it against the ministers of the Gospel, the prophets of the Lord, the true and faithful witnesses, over whose dead bodies you triumph? know that it is not so much against them, as against the Lord himself, whose ministers, prophets, and witnesses they are; see ( 1 Thessalonians 4:8 ) : "against whom make ye a wide mouth, and draw out the tongue?" gestures used by way of scorn and derision; see ( Psalms 22:7 Psalms 22:13 ) . So the Papists open their mouths, and draw out their tongues, in gibes and jeers, reproaches and calumnies, against the true Christians, calling and despising them as heretics and schismatics; which abuse and ill usage of them will be resented another day. The Targum is,

``before whom do ye open your mouth, and multiply to speak things?''

as antichrist is said to have a mouth open, speaking great things and blasphemy against God, his name, his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven, ( Revelation 13:5 Revelation 13:6 ) : are ye not children of transgression;
given up to all manner of sin and wickedness; or children of the wicked one, as the Targum, either of Satan, or of the man of sin; or, as the Septuagint and Arabic versions render it, "children of perdition"; of the same character, complexion, and religion, as the son of perdition is: "a seed of falsehood"; or a lie, given to lying; to believe a lie, and to speak lies in hypocrisy; professing a false religion; embracing false doctrines; a spurious breed, and not the sons of the true church of Christ.

Isaiah 57:4 In-Context

2 and are given peace. find rest in death.

3 "Come here, you magicians! Come here, you sons of prostitutes and those who take part in adultery!

4 Of whom are you making fun? Whom are you insulting? At whom do you stick out your tongue? You turn against God, and you are liars.

5 You have sexual relations under every green tree to worship your gods. You kill children in the ravines and sacrifice them in the rocky places.

6 You take the smooth rocks from the ravines as your portion. You pour drink offerings on them to worship them, and you give grain offerings to them. Do you think this makes me want to show you mercy?