Isaiah 57:3
in Isaiah 57“But come here, you sons of a sorceress, you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes!
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
But draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the harlot.
KJV
But draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the whore.
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This verse in Isaiah 57
Commentary
7 notes on this verse(Vers. 3, 4.) But you come here, sons of a fortune teller: whose seed have you played with? Whose mouth have you opened wide, and whose tongue have you cast out? LXX: But you come here, wicked sons, seed of adulterers and prostitutes, with whom have you played? Whose mouth have you opened: and whose tongue have you cast out? By removing the just one, whose burial is in peace, indeed by removing from the midst, you who are sons of wickedness, come to me, and hear what I say (John 8).
This site's exposition
you sons of a sorceress
on Isaiah 57:3-5
The address turns sharply: “come here, you sons of a sorceress, you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes!” The names describe covenant unfaithfulness, Israel cast as a wife. The charge “who slaughter your children in the valleys” names child sacrifice, and Gill places it in the valley of Hinnom.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
But draw near hither. Here he takes away from the unjust hope of deliverance. And first, he alleges their sin; second, he takes away their confidence of deliverance: I will declare your justice (Isa 57:12). Concerning the first, he does two things: first, he alleges …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Sin is sorcery and adultery, for it is departing from God and dealing with the devil. They were children of disobedience. "Come," says the prophet, "draw near hither, and I will read you your doom; to the righteous death will bring peace and rest, but not to you; you are children of transgression and a seed of falsehood (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens+odd-straight-quotes
But draw near hither,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
But . . . ye--In contrast to "the righteous" and their end, he announces to the unbelieving Jews their doom. sons of the sorceress--that is, ye that are addicted to sorcery: this was connected with the worship of false gods (2Ki 21:6).
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
But draw near hither - That is, come near to hear the solemn sentence which God pronounces in regard to your character and doom. This is addressed to the impenitent and unbelieving part of the nation, and is designed to set before them the greatness of their sin, and the certainty that they would be punished. Ye sons of the sorceress - You who are addicted to sorcery and enchantments; who consult the oracles of the pagan rather than the only true God. On the meaning of the word used here, see the notes at Isa 2:
The words behind it
8 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאַתֶּ֥ם | veatem | and you | H859 → | 1094 times |
| קִרְבוּ־ | kirvu- | draw near | H7126 → | 280 times |
| הֵ֖נָּה | henah | hither | H2008 → | |
| בְּנֵ֣י | benei | O children of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| עֹנְנָ֑ה | ʾonenah | a soothsayer | H6049 → | |
| זֶ֥רַע | zera' | offspring | H2233 → | 229 times |
| מְנָאֵ֖ף | menaef | adulterous | H5003 → | |
| וַתִּזְנֶֽה׃ | vatizneh | and she has played [the] prostitute | H2181 → | 94 times |
וְאַתֶּ֥םand you
veatemH859 →1094 times
קִרְבוּ־draw near
kirvu-H7126 →280 times
הֵ֖נָּהhither
henahH2008 →
בְּנֵ֣יO children of
beneiH1121 →4930 times
עֹנְנָ֑הa soothsayer
ʾonenahH6049 →
זֶ֥רַעoffspring
zera'H2233 →229 times
מְנָאֵ֖ףadulterous
menaefH5003 →
וַתִּזְנֶֽה׃and she has played [the] prostitute
vatiznehH2181 →94 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Genesis 3:15And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
it leads to
- Romans 16:20
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
- 1 John 3:8
The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the…
- Revelation 12:17
And the dragon was enraged at the woman, and went to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And the…
- Isaiah 7:14
Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.
- Hebrews 2:14–15
Now since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity, so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil,
- Romans 16:20
Through
James 4:4You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an enemy of God.
it leads to
- 1 John 2:15–16
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
- Romans 8:7
because the mind of the flesh is hostile to God: It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.
- John 15:19
If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.
- 1 John 2:15–16
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Isaiah
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.