Ésaïe 49:21

21 Et tu diras en ton coeur: Qui me les a engendrés? Car j'étais sans enfants, j'étais stérile. J'étais exilée, répudiée: qui les a élevés? J'étais restée seule: ceux-ci, où étaient-ils?

Ésaïe 49:21 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 49:21

Then shalt thou say in thine heart
In, a way of admiration, secretly within herself, astonished at the numerous crowds flocking in; who hath begotten me these?
not their natural parents, nor they themselves; for they are not born of blood, nor of the will of man, nor of the will
of the flesh;
nor ministers of the Gospel, though they are instruments, yet not the cause; but God only, Father, Son, and Spirit, to whom regeneration is only ascribed: regeneration is a wonderful work of God; it is unaccountable to the natural man; it is amazing to the saints themselves; and it is matter of astonishment to the church of God; especially when on a sudden, and without means, and in great numbers, men are born again; and particularly when these come from among the Gentiles, which seems to be the case here: seeing I have lost my children;
by captivity and the sword, by the tyranny and cruelty of the man of sin: and am desolate;
or alone, as if without a husband, or any to take care of her: this represents the church in the wilderness, during the reign of antichrist, ( Revelation 12:14 ) , while she seems to be forsaken of the Lord her husband, though she is not: and a captive;
to the Romish antichrist; see ( Revelation 13:10 ) : and removing to and fro;
being forced to flee from place to place, by reason of persecution: there is, no doubt, an allusion in all this to the case of the Jews in the Babylonish captivity: and who hath brought up these?
the same that begot them, even the Lord himself; who nourishes and brings up his children with the milk of the Gospel, and the breasts of Gospel ordinances; so that they are brought up from children to young men, from young men to fathers, till they become perfect men; even the church in the wilderness, with her children, are nourished by him, for a time, and times, and half a time, ( Revelation 12:14 ) which is wonderful: behold, I was left alone;
seemingly without husband or children, in a desolate and wilderness state: these, where had they been?
in the ruins of Adam's fall; in a state of darkness; in the graves of sin; in a pit wherein is no water; in the hands of Satan, and among wicked men; even in Babylon itself, but now called out; see ( Revelation 18:4 ) .

Ésaïe 49:21 In-Context

19 Dans tes places ravagées et désertes, Dans ton pays ruiné, Tes habitants seront désormais à l'étroit; Et ceux qui te dévoraient s'éloigneront.
20 Ils répéteront à tes oreilles, Ces fils dont tu fus privée: L'espace est trop étroit pour moi; Fais-moi de la place, pour que je puisse m'établir.
21 Et tu diras en ton coeur: Qui me les a engendrés? Car j'étais sans enfants, j'étais stérile. J'étais exilée, répudiée: qui les a élevés? J'étais restée seule: ceux-ci, où étaient-ils?
22 Ainsi a parlé le Seigneur, l'Eternel: Voici: Je lèverai ma main vers les nations, Je dresserai ma bannière vers les peuples; Et ils ramèneront tes fils entre leurs bras, Ils porteront tes filles sur les épaules.
23 Des rois seront tes nourriciers, et leurs princesses tes nourrices; Ils se prosterneront devant toi la face contre terre, Et ils lécheront la poussière de tes pieds, Et tu sauras que je suis l'Eternel, Et que ceux qui espèrent en moi ne seront point confus.
The Louis Segond 1910 is in the public domain.