Isaiah 49:20Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The deserted areas will be so populated with sons and heirs that they will exclaim, 'This place is too congested for me; give way to me, that I may prosper.' There will be an astounding number of offspring in the forsaken regions, causing them to feel confined due to the sheer volume—the ancient promise will be realized among them: There shall not be any barren or unfruitful, either in you or in your livestock (Deuteronomy 7:14). When did this occur? It transpired after the removal of their adversaries, granting them peace, enabling them to begin living and multiplying.

Because the war had decimated the male population, leaving only a handful, he indicated that seven women would be for one man, so he could alleviate their shame of childlessness. Recognizing the challenges one man would face in supporting such a number, they declared their intention to provide for themselves, suggesting they needed nothing from his wealth. Their primary concern was merely the humiliation of being unclean. Thus, given that their land had become a complete wasteland, he foretells the end of their calamity, asserting that the deserted and fallen shall be consumed, which will happen when those who have devoured what remained are removed—specifically, those who had received the burden of leadership and who had nearly ravaged it as if they were wild beasts. He emphasizes the vast multitude that will be called; it will be immense and countless: “For your sons, whom you have lost, shall say in your ears, ‘Give us a place.’” Moreover, it is stated to the spiritual Zion, “Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; do not spare; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes” (Isaiah 54:2, 3). The books of Moses also describe that around the tabernacle in the wilderness, which I say was constructed from skins, there were expansive and lengthy courtyards, oriented partly toward the east to catch the sun's rays, and partly westward behind the tabernacle, as well as northward and southward. This pattern revealed the depth and expanse of sacred grounds or churches as they existed in that time. However, with the abundant grace of Christ, the places for believers overflow everywhere, leading the Church, identified as the spiritual Zion, to rejoice and reflect, exclaiming, “Who has begotten these for me?” I would assert that through faith in Christ, the barren and widowed have become fruitful; you have nourished your nations with your own, once abandoned, you are now richer than nature; once void and solitary, you are now numerous.