Isaiah 57:4

"“But draw near here, you sons of a sorceress, you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes."

Key Reflection

Isaiah 57:4 addresses Jerusalem's leadership, likening them to a sorceress and offspring of adulterers and prostitutes. This vivid imagery would have struck the original audience as a harsh indictment, highlighting their moral corruption and spiritual rebellion against God. The term "sorceress" suggests practices involving witchcraft or idolatrous rituals, while "offspring of adulterers and prostitutes" underscores the leaders' own immoral conduct and its impact on the city's reputation and destiny.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Against whom do ye sport yourselves? -The word here rendered ‘sport’ (ענג‛ānag) means properly “to live delicately and tenderly”; then “to rejoice, to take pleasure or delight.” Here, however, it is evidently used in the sense of to sport oneself over anyone, that is, to deride; and the idea is, probably, that they made a sport or mockery of God, and of the institutions of religion. The prophet asks, with deep indignation and emotion, against whom they did this.

More from Isaiah 57

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