Can a woman forget her infant, so as not to have pity on the son of her womb? and if she should forget, yet will not I forget thee.
הֲתִשְׁכַּ֤ח אִשָּׁה֙ עוּלָ֔הּ מֵרַחֵ֖ם בֶּן־בִּטְנָ֑הּ גַּם־אֵ֣לֶּה תִשְׁכַּ֔חְנָה וְאָנֹכִ֖י לֹ֥א אֶשְׁכָּחֵֽךְ׃
3 Church Fathers comment on this verse · 4 commentaries
More intimate than a mother, let us place our regulations in His hands and embrace His boundless love. He serves as a more reliable guardian than any human could ever be, as He Himself has said, "Shall a woman forget her child, and not pity the children of her womb? But even if a woman forget them, I will not forget them" (Is 49:15, LXX). Truly, He is more intimately connected to us than both father and mother—He is our Creator and Designer.
Can a mother truly forget her little one? The Lord, desiring to convey His profound care and unwavering affection, which He lavishes upon us with endless compassion, has likened this love to the most nurturing embrace of a devoted mother. In the realm of human affection, He found no equivalent to His divine love that could adequately represent its depth. He employs this powerful analogy, for nothing is more cherished in human existence. He questions: Will a woman neglect her nursing child, that she should not have compassion on the offspring of her womb? Yet, even if she were to forget, I will never forget you (Isaiah 49:15).
While He compares Himself to a mother, whose care for her offspring is recognized as profoundly gentle, He elevates His love even higher than that of a mother: ‘Would a woman forget her infant child, that she might not pity the son of her womb? But if she forgot, I will not forget you.'
It is a wholly inappropriate concern to harbor: a mother might forget her child and leave it unattended, but the Lord would never forsake His faithful followers. It is unthinkable, even for an instant, to assume that God could neglect them, especially since He did not spare His only Son for the sake of humanity, offering Him up to death for their redemption. On the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the aforementioned passages are recited to highlight the grace of God, celebrated in this event, which has abundantly poured out upon people who were once unaware of the true God and spiritually unfruitful, since the Baptism of Christ made its effects known.
From the fullness of the Holy Spirit's grace, which descended upon Christ at His baptism, we have all received grace upon grace, nourished and revitalized by its streams, much like a barren land is revitalized when water flows into it. The specific verses from Isaiah 49:10-14 discussed previously form a distinct passage, designated during the week of All Saints. These verses illustrate that the saints honored by the Church were sanctified through the empowering grace of the Holy Spirit, as celebrated within these texts. Furthermore, the uniting of believers from various nations, as mentioned in Isaiah 49:12, connects to the commemoration of all saints, as the countless multitude of saints is a direct result of the Gospel being proclaimed among all peoples.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS