Isaia 49:21

21 E tu dirai nel cuor tuo: Chi mi ha generati costoro? conciossiachè io fossi rimasta orbata di figliuoli, e sola, in cattività, ed in esilio; e chi mi ha allevati costoro? ecco, io era rimasta tutta sola, e costoro dove erano?

Isaia 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 ) .

Isaia 49:21 In-Context

19 Perciocchè le tue ruine, ed i tuoi luoghi deserti, ed il tuo paese distrutto, anzi tu stessa, sarai allora troppo stretta per gli abitatori; e quelli che ti divoravano si allontaneranno.

20 Ancora ti diranno i figliuoli che tu avrai, dopo che sarai stata orbata degli altri: Questo luogo è troppo stretto per me; fattimi in là, che io possa abitare.

21 E tu dirai nel cuor tuo: Chi mi ha generati costoro? conciossiachè io fossi rimasta orbata di figliuoli, e sola, in cattività, ed in esilio; e chi mi ha allevati costoro? ecco, io era rimasta tutta sola, e costoro dove erano?

22 Così ha detto il Signore Iddio: Ecco, io leverò la mia mano alle genti ed alzerò la mia bandiera a’ popoli; ed essi ti porteranno i tuoi figliuoli in braccio, e le tue figliuole saranno portate in ispalla.

23 E i re saranno i tuoi balii, e le principesse, lor mogli, le tue balie; essi s’inchineranno a te, bassando la faccia a terra, e leccheranno la polvere de’ tuoi piedi; e tu conoscerai che io sono il Signore, e che quelli che sperano in me non saranno giammai confusi.