Isaiah 57:4

4 Whom are you making fun of? At whom are you laughing and sticking out your tongue? Aren't you rebellious children, just a brood of 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 Yes, those who live uprightly will have peace as they rest on their couches.
3 "But you, you witches' children, come here, you spawn of adulterers and whores!
4 Whom are you making fun of? At whom are you laughing and sticking out your tongue? Aren't you rebellious children, just a brood of liars?
5 You go into heat among the oak trees, under every spreading tree. You kill the children in the valleys under the cracks in the rocks.
6 Your place is among the smooth stones in the vadi; these, these are what you deserve; you pour out drink offerings to them, you offer grain offerings to them. Should I calmly ignore these things?
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.