Isaiah 57:4

Isaiah 57:4

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,

a. NLT: Whom do you mock, making faces and sticking out your tongues?
You children of sinners and liars! [Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.]

b. ASV: Against whom do ye sport yourselves? against whom make ye a wide mouth, and put out the tongue? are ye not children of transgression, a seed of falsehood, [Thomas Nelson & Sons first published the American Standard Version in 1901. This translation of the Bible is in the public domain.]

c. YLT: Against whom do ye sport yourselves? Against whom enlarge ye the mouth? Prolong ye the tongue? Are not ye children of transgression? a false seed? [The Young's Literal Translation was translated by Robert Young, who believed in a strictly literal translation of God's word. This version of the Bible is in the public domain.]

d. Amplified Bible: Against whom do you make sport and take your delight? Against whom do you open wide your mouth and put out your tongue? Are you not yourselves the children of transgression, the offspring of deceit— [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

e. Septuagint: Wherein have ye been rioting? and against whom have ye opened your mouth, and against whom have ye loosed your tongue? are ye not children of perdition? a lawless seed? 

f. Stone Edition Torah/Writings/Prophets: Against whom do you take delight; against whome do you open wide a mouth [and] stick out a tongue? Are you not children of sin, seed of falsehood. [The Artscroll Series/Stone Edition, THE TANACH--STUDENT SIZE EDITION Copyright 1996, 1998 by Mesorah Publications, Ldt.]

1). Note under Isaiah 57:4 Stone Edition: How dare you take delight in deriding the prophets of God, as the verse now describes? (Radak).

1. “Against whom do ye sport yourselves…”

a. Against [Strong: 5921  `al al properly, the same as 5920 used as a preposition (in the singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a particle following); above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications (as follow):--above, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, X as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, X both and, by (reason of), X had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-)on, over, than, through(-out), to, touching, X with.]

b. whom [Strong: 4310 miy me an interrogative pronoun of persons, as 4100 is of things, who? (occasionally, by a peculiar idiom, of things); also (indefinitely) whoever; often used in oblique construction with prefix or suffix:--any (man), X he, X him, + O that! what, which, who(-m, -se, -soever), + would to God.]

c. [do ye] sport yourselves [Strong: 6026 * ‘anag: a primitive root; to be soft or pliable, i.e. (figuratively) effeminate or luxurious:--delicate(-ness), (have) delight (self), sport self.] [Gesenius: to be soft, be delicate, be dainty, to be delicate, to be of dainty habit, be pampered, to be happy about, take exquisite delight, to make merry over, make sport of.]

1). These individuals are mockers and no doubt the target of their ridicule is those who they are the righteous.

2). Matthew Poole's Commentary: Against whom do ye sport yourselves? Consider whom it is that you mock and scoff when you deride God’s prophets, as they did, Isaiah 28:14, 22, and know that it is not so much men that you abuse as God, whose cause they plead, and in whose name they speak.

2. “…Against whom make ye a wide mouth and draw out the tongue…”

a. against [Strong: 5921  `al al properly, the same as 5920 used as a preposition (in the singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a particle following); above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications (as follow):--above, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, X as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, X both and, by (reason of), X had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-)on, over, than, through(-out), to, touching, X with.]

b. whom [Strong: 4310 miy me an interrogative pronoun of persons, as 4100 is of things, who? (occasionally, by a peculiar idiom, of things); also (indefinitely) whoever; often used in oblique construction with prefix or suffix:--any (man), X he, X him, + O that! what, which, who(-m, -se, -soever), + would to God.]

c. [make ye a] wide [Strong: 7337 * rachab: a primitive root; to broaden (intransitive or transitive, literal or figurative):--be an en-(make) large(-ing), make room, make (open) wide.]

b. mouth [Strong 6310 peh peh: from 6284; the mouth (as the means of blowing), whether literal or figurative (particularly speech); specifically edge, portion or side; adverbially (with preposition) according to:--accord(-ing as, -ing to), after, appointment, assent, collar, command(-ment), X eat, edge, end, entry, + file, hole, X in, mind, mouth, part, portion, X (should) say(-ing), sentence, skirt, sound, speech, X spoken, talk, tenor, X to, + two-edged, wish, word.]

c. [and] draw out [Strong: 748 * ‘arak: a primitive root; to be (causative, make) long (literally or figuratively):--defer, draw out, lengthen, (be, become, make, pro-)long, + (out-, over-)live, tarry (long).]

d. [the] tongue [Strong: 3956 lashown law-shone' or lashon {law-shone'}; also (in plural) feminine lshonah {lesh-o-naw'}; from 3960; the tongue (of man or animals), used literally (as the instrument of licking, eating, or speech), and figuratively (speech, an ingot, a fork of flame, a cove of water):--+ babbler,bay, + evil speaker, language, talker, tongue, wedge.]

1).  Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers Against whom do ye sport yourselves?—The question, as in Isaiah 37:23, is one of indignant scorn, the implied answer being that the mockers were deriding the servants of Jehovah. (Comp. Wisdom 2), and, in so doing, mocking Jehovah himself. The “wide mouth,” and the “drawn-out tongue,” are the natural symbols of derision.

3. “…Are ye not children of transgression, a seed of falsehood.”

a. are ye [Strong: 859 'attah at-taw' or (shortened); aatta {at-taw'}; or wath {ath}; feminine (irregular) sometimes nattiy {at-tee'}; plural masculine attem {at- tem'}; feminine atten {at-ten'}; or oattenah {at-tay'naw}; or fattennah {at-tane'-naw}; a primitive pronoun of the second person; thou and thee, or (plural) ye and you:--thee, thou, ye, you.]

b.  not [Strong: 3808 lo' lo or lowi {lo}; or loh (Deut. 3:11) {lo}; a primitive particle; not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles (as follows):--X before, + or else, ere, + except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), (X as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, + surely, + as truly as, + of a truth, + verily, for want, + whether, without.]

c. children [Strong: 3206 * yeled: from 3205; something born, i.e. a lad or offspring:--boy, child, fruit, son, young man (one).]

b. [of] transgression [Strong: 6588 * pesha] [Strong: from 6586; a revolt (national, moral or religious):--rebellion, sin, transgression, trespass.]

c. [a] seed [Strong: 2233 * zera; from 2232; seed; figuratively, fruit, plant, sowing-time, posterity:--X carnally, child, fruitful, seed(-time), sowing- time.]

d. [of] falsehood [Strong: 8267 * sheqer; from 8266; an untruth; by implication, a sham (often adverbial):--without a cause, deceit(-ful), false(-hood, -ly), feignedly, liar, + lie, lying, vain (thing), wrongfully.]

1). The phrase “children of transgression” is almost identical to a phrase found in the New Testament.

a). Ephesians 2:2 Wherein in times past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

b). The phrase “children of transgression” is almost identical to the phrase, “children of disobedience” used in Ephesians 2:2 to describe those who live their lives, “according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh” in them. They are her “seed”. This in effect links them with “the great whore” of Revelation 17. There are hundreds of thousands of believers who attend churches within denominations where the official position of that work is pro-abortion. In that case I would obey Revelation 18:4 that says, “…Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” This helps answer the question of, ‘Has the church placed herself under a curse by advocating abortion?’ Yes!, and the church will be judged as a result! If we are attending a church that supports abortion rights and we are giving tithe and offerings to that work, we are partakers of her sins. It is an abomination for someone to claim to be a follower of Christ and be pro-abortion. That is why they need to be expelled from the Church. They are not right with God and the system they are associated with is a religious whore. The children of disobedience are walking in obedience to the devil, likewise the “children of transgression” are in obedience to the devil, both allow him to work in them to sin against God.

2). The phrase “seed of falsehood” shows they claim to be someone they are not, in particular, they claim to be believers in the one true God, but in fact as the verse reveals they mock the true believers in the one true God.