Isaiah 57:4 kjv
Against whom do ye sport yourselves? against whom make ye a wide mouth, and draw out the tongue? are ye not children of transgression, a seed of falsehood.
Isaiah 57:4 nkjv
Whom do you ridicule? Against whom do you make a wide mouth And stick out the tongue? Are you not children of transgression, Offspring of falsehood,
Isaiah 57:4 niv
Who are you mocking? At whom do you sneer and stick out your tongue? Are you not a brood of rebels, the offspring of liars?
Isaiah 57:4 esv
Whom are you mocking? Against whom do you open your mouth wide and stick out your tongue? Are you not children of transgression, the offspring of deceit,
Isaiah 57:4 nlt
Whom do you mock,
making faces and sticking out your tongues?
You children of sinners and liars!
Isaiah 57 4 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isaiah 1:4 | Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity... | Condemnation of sinfulness |
| Jeremiah 2:13 | For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water. | Forsaking God for false sources |
| Ezekiel 16:24 | "Never have you done anything like this, nor will you ever do it again, because of your many lewdnesses. | Adulterous nature of Israel |
| Hosea 7:1-2 | When I would heal Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim is exposed, and the villainies of Samaria, for they deal in false dealings; a robber acts as one. And they do not consider that I remember all their evil. Now their deeds are before me. | Actions not recognized as evil |
| Psalms 50:17 | But you hate discipline, and you cast my words behind you. | Rejection of God's word |
| Proverbs 1:7 | The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. | Despising wisdom |
| Proverbs 14:4 | Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but by the strength of an ox come good harvests. | Dependence on flawed resources |
| Proverbs 19:27 | Cease and desist from hearing instruction, only to err from the words of knowledge. | Deliberate avoidance of truth |
| John 8:43 | Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. | Inability to understand God's word |
| Romans 8:5 | For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. | Contrasting mindsets |
| Galatians 5:19-21 | Now the deeds of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. | Works of the flesh |
| 1 Corinthians 10:20 | No, I will say that what they sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be sharing with demons. | Sacrifices to demons |
| Ephesians 4:17-19 | Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves over to sensuality, greedy for every kind of impurity. | Futility of Gentile mind |
| 2 Timothy 3:13 | while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. | Deception and being deceived |
| Titus 1:16 | They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work. | Denial of God by works |
| Revelation 17:2 | With whom the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality, and with the wine of whose immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk. | Political and spiritual immorality |
| Jeremiah 22:21 | I spoke to you in your prosperity, but you said, 'I will not listen!' This has been your conduct from your youth; you have not obeyed my voice. | Disobedience from youth |
| Hosea 1:2 | When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, the LORD said to Hosea, "Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the LORD." | Land's spiritual whoredom |
| Deuteronomy 12:30 | take care that you be not ensnared to become like them, after they are destroyed from before you, and lest you inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods, that I also may serve them?’ | Inquiring about pagan practices |
| Isaiah 30:1 | "Woe to the rebellious children," declares the LORD, "who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make a league, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin upon sin, | Rebellion and ungodly plans |
Isaiah 57 verses
Isaiah 57 4 Meaning
This verse condemns the Israelites' infidelity to God through idolatry and deceptive practices. They mock God by choosing wicked leaders and forms of worship that are contrary to His covenant. Their "counsel" is not with the Lord but with sinful human wisdom and apostate powers, highlighting their spiritual bankruptcy and defiance.
Isaiah 57 4 Context
Isaiah 57 takes place within a broader prophetic message concerning Israel's apostasy and its consequences. The chapter speaks to a time when the people of Judah have turned to idolatry and syncretic practices, adopting the ways of surrounding nations. They have experienced God's judgment but have not learned. This particular verse (57:4) is a part of God's indictment against their deep-seated sin of turning away from Him, not just in occasional lapses but in their fundamental approach to life and worship. It highlights their active participation in sin, choosing ungodly leaders and adopting pagan customs instead of seeking divine guidance.
Isaiah 57 4 Word Analysis
- "Whom": Pronoun referring back to "you" (the people addressed).
- "Do ye": Verb indicating action, specifically the way they conduct themselves.
- "Sport": Hebrew:
tsachaq(צחק). Literally means to laugh, sport, play. In this context, it implies mocking, making sport of, or taunting. It suggests a frivolous and contemptuous attitude towards God. - "With": Preposition indicating association or accompaniment.
- "Whom": Pronoun again, emphasizing their target.
- "Children": Hebrew:
bênîym(בנים). While it can mean sons, it can also be used more broadly for offspring or people. Here it signifies progeny, possibly those they consider wise or from whom they derive counsel. - "Lie": Hebrew:
sheqer(שקר). Falsehood, deception, untruth. It refers to the false idols, deceptive messages, or lying spokespersons they engage with. - "Against": Preposition indicating opposition or direction.
- "Your": Possessive pronoun referring to the people.
- "Neighbours": Hebrew:
rêʻ(רע) orlĕwānôn(לבנון), meaning friend, companion, neighbor, or "Lebanon." In the context of "mocking your neighbors," it can refer to mocking fellow Israelites who are faithful, or more significantly, to the deceitful "friends" or entities they are involved with, possibly referring to nations they ally with or the pagan deities they turn to. The LXX reads "your friends." The interpretation also leans towards those they engage with spiritually or politically who lead them astray. - "are ye spread out": Hebrew:
yirrĕbû(ירבּוּ), derived fromrâbâb(רבה) meaning to multiply, grow numerous, increase. In a passive sense here, it can mean they have spread themselves out or have been made numerous among the nations, or that their sins have multiplied, becoming widespread and pervasive. This spread is a consequence of their turning away from God. It could also imply that they are boastful or arrogant in their transgressions.
Words-group by Words-group analysis:
- "Sport yourselves with whom you choose": This phrase signifies a deliberate and self-willed deviation from God. It shows an active choice of association and practice, a willful departure from divine command.
- "Ye fill the valley with adulteries": This is a more direct accusation of widespread moral and spiritual corruption. "Valley" may be literal or metaphorical for places of worship or public life where their sin is evident.
- "With your lying": This emphasizes the false foundation of their actions and worship. Their system of belief and practice is built on deceit, not on the truth of God.
- "Whom ye choose for your neighbours": This highlights their selection of ungodly associates, allies, or objects of worship over their covenant relationship with God. They choose human wisdom, pagan deities, or oppressive foreign powers as their "friends" or protectors instead of God. The phrase "spread out with them" implies assimilation and extensive participation in these false systems.
Isaiah 57 4 Bonus Section
The Hebrew word tsachaq (sport) carries a severe connotation here; it’s not lighthearted fun but a scornful, mocking disregard for divine authority. Scholars suggest this could also relate to ecstatic, sensual rites of pagan deities where "sports" or revelries were common. The imagery of filling "the valley with adulteries" evokes places of public shame and the widespread nature of their moral decay, echoing earlier prophecies in Isaiah (e.g., Isaiah 1:11-15) where the valley of Hinnom (a place associated with pagan sacrifice) is mentioned. The emphasis on "choice" underscores that their sin is a conscious decision against God’s revealed will. This verse paints a stark picture of spiritual bankruptcy where genuine fellowship with God is replaced by harmful, deceitful alliances and practices.
Isaiah 57 4 Commentary
The verse exposes the Israelites' deeply ingrained rebellion against God. Their choice to "sport yourselves with whom you choose" is not merely an error but a willful, active engagement in sin and idolatry. They are not passively led astray but actively seek out false counsel and companions, filling their lives and their land with the "lie" of paganism. This self-willed pursuit of sin, which extends to associating with spiritually corrupt entities ("your neighbors"), leads to widespread defilement ("fill the valley with adulteries"). Their spiritual infidelity is marked by mockery of God's commands and a preference for deceptive practices over divine truth, demonstrating a hardening of their hearts and a rejection of God’s covenant.