Isaiah 54:2Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Is this not echoed in what the Son Himself joyfully proclaimed through the words of the Psalmist: "The Lord said to me: You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the ends of the earth as your possession" (Ps. 2:7-8)? Indeed, the multitude is vast, for the Gentiles alone significantly outnumber the descendants of Israel.

This great assembly of Gentiles is likened to a barren and forsaken wife, and to her it is said: "Rejoice, O barren one who has not borne." But one might wonder: why label the multitude of the Gentiles or the assembly of believers drawn from among them as ‘unfruitful’? The prior discussion has illustrated that those who wandered astray in service to the creation rather than the Creator were far more numerous than those redeemed through Moses, and thus counted among God's inheritance. As it is written, "When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when He divided mankind, He fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the angels" and the Lord's portion was the people of Jacob, and His chosen inheritance is Israel (Deuteronomy 32:8-9).

Thus, how can this multitude be deemed unfruitful, seeming as if it is the most fruitful? Because in those who did not know the true God, there was no one on whom virtue or knowledge could be bestowed to qualify as children of God. Alternatively, they had not been reborn through water and the Spirit but remained a corruption issuing from the perishable seed (1 Pet. 1:23), estranged from fellowship with God as the Psalmist poignantly illustrates (Ps. 57:4). They were sinners and idolaters, devoid of hope, as Paul wisely expounds (Eph. 2:12).

Consequently, she remains unfruitful to the Almighty, having produced no one deserving of being counted among His children, achieved through faith and righteousness. Yet behold, she is commanded to cry out, as it is customary for those who are in labor to give vocal expression to their condition with the aid of their midwives, who prompt them to shout long and loud, facilitating the birth. This signifies that she must begin to bring forth; let her frequently express the cries of one in the throes of labor, and as the prospective mother of many nations, she is to embrace spiritual joy.

In elaborating on this command, God proclaims: "for many shall be the children of the desolate, more than those of the one who is married." Scripture identifies a widow as such, and the multitude of the Gentiles is akin to a widow, since they had no communion—specifically, no communion with the Word, the Giver of all truth and virtues, who, in fidelity to reality, is likened to a farmer who nurtures all intelligent creation, for every spiritual fruitfulness emanates from Him, impacting both the holy angels and ourselves.

Before the advent of the Savior, this gathering was thus a widow, desolate and childless. However, upon receiving the heavenly Bridegroom by faith, she bore far more children than she who had a husband—the Jewish synagogue. Through wise Moses, God introduced the Jewish people into spiritual fellowship, making them the partner, mother, and nourisher of many. Yet, through Christ, she found herself bereft of offspring, though as Jeremiah the prophet notes, she was once very affluent (Jeremiah 31:8). As previously established, she who was once barren now claims more sons.

To this assembly, God says: "Enlarge the space for your tent and your coverings" (v. 2). After receiving the celestial Word or Bridegroom, and becoming prosperous and numerous, she is commanded to broaden her courts' dimensions. This illustrates the unwavering strength of the Church among the Gentiles, and the continuous expansion signifies the unmatched growth of holy churches, in contrast to the original tabernacle, which was relatively modest with limited enclosures.

Moreover, this imagery depicts the church's expansion among the Gentiles, both in breadth and length. Behind the ten coverings fashioned with waxen fringes (Ex. 26:7), there were four courtyards positioned steeply, symbolically reaching every corner of the earth, in terms of length and width (Ex. 27:18). Therefore, He commands: "You shall spread out," meaning let your influence reach in every direction. For under heaven, the multitude of holy churches thrives, expansive in depth and breadth, aspiring to the zenith of beauty.

Was this not within the purview of what the Almighty declared during the construction of the temple in Jerusalem, subsequent to the first temple's destruction by the Assyrians? "Who of you is left who saw this temple in its former glory? And how do you see it now? Is it not in your sight as nothing?" (Haggai 2:3). "Yet," says the Lord Almighty, "the latter glory of this temple will be greater than the former glory" (Haggai 2:9). Across the heavenly realm, there exist churches far more grand and rich than the Jerusalem temple, each hosting a sacred altar glorifying Christ.

Therefore, "enlarge the space for your tent and your canopies," for your descendants will inherit nations and inhabit forsaken cities (v. 3). The Church emerging from the Gentiles has birthed and nurtured countless righteous and virtuous individuals, raising many leaders of the people, and thus presides over numerous nations with the ability to faithfully preach the sacred mystery of God, while being blessed with pastoral skill.

To them, the Savior promises inheritance and authority over the nations in the age to come. Thus, in the parable of the talents, He says to those who multiplied the gifts given to them, "You shall be in charge of ten cities" (Lk. 19:17) and "You shall be in charge of five cities" (Lk. 19:19). Hence, your descendants shall inherit nations. As proclaimed, this resonates most closely with the leaders of the churches, who rejoice, proclaiming: "We shall take nations unto ourselves and subdue them under our feet; grant us our inheritance" (Psalm 46:4-5).

Christ alone is the worthy Counselor of others, which is why He forbids anyone to be called 'teacher,' proclaiming, "You have one teacher, the Christ" (Matthew 23:7, 10). Just as He, the true light (John 1:9), appointed the holy apostles to be lights themselves (Matt. 5:14), and as the natural and only true Son, He conferred upon believers the privilege to call God ‘Father,’ embracing the honor of sonship. Likewise, as the guide of all, possessing the heavenly inheritance, He empowered the saints, crowning them with His grace to collaborate as co-laborers and true stewards of the nations, guiding many to Him who, having served creation, were once lost and unaware of the path of chosen life.

Furthermore, the desolate cities shall be filled—this signifies that the offspring of your faith shall be so abundant that there will be uninhabited cities ready to be occupied by them.

For your Maker is your husband; the Lord of hosts is His name, and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of all the earth" (Isaiah 54:1-5). These words express a profound message that deserves contemplation; however, I believe there is enough clarity within them that even our opponents will be compelled to grasp their meaning.

36), which calls for an extension of your tent, the stretching of the coverings, the lengthening of the cords, and the deep driving and strengthening of the stakes, from which every tent is constructed, so that it withstands the winds. You shall spread out to the right and to the left, in contrast to the narrow Jewish tabernacle, which had a circumference of one hundred cubits in length and fifty in breadth (Ex. 27), or the limited temple space of sixty cubits long and twenty cubits wide (3 Kings 6:2), yet will keep expanding without constraint. And to prevent misunderstanding that this refers to Zion, which the Lord will restore to its former glory, it clarifies that your offspring will inherit the nations. In the Gospel, we also read, He who sows, let him sow (Matt. 13:3); and again, Have you not sown good seed in your fields (Matt. 13:27)? This seed will lead to the inhabitation of even the desolate cities, enabling Gentile congregations to flourish worldwide. Alternatively, the seed could refer to the apostles and the remnant of the Jewish population. As the prophet states, ‘If the Lord of hosts had not left us a remnant, we would have been like Sodom, and as Gomorrah’ (Isaiah 1:9). The apostle confirms, ‘It was stopped’ (Rom. 11:5). This speaks to the vastness of the Churches, which will expand beyond Judea, encompassing the entire earth.

Let us shift to a spiritual perspective. A person dwelling in a tent has no fixed home but constantly changes locations, moving forward, as expressed in the Psalm, ‘I will enter a place of wonders’ (Psalm 41:5), forgetting the past while reaching toward the future until attaining the honor of the highest calling (Phil. 3:13-14). Concerning this community, it is written: ‘Your dwellings are dear, O Lord of Hosts; my soul longs and faints for the courts of the Lord’ (Ps. 83:2-3). The psalmist adds, Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; they will praise You forever (Ps. 83:5). For the ultimate destination of these communities is the possession of an everlasting dwelling, firm and unchanging. Those rooted in the Lord’s house will flourish first in His courts (Psalms 91:14) so they may transition from blossoming to bearing fruit and declare, ‘But I am like an olive tree, flourishing in the house of God’ (Psalms 51:10). Consequently, the faithful, eager to pass through these communities in search of the house of God, express their singular desire to never depart from it: one thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life (Ps. 26:4). Thus, the tent will be spread wide, coverings stretched, and the ropes of varied teachings lengthened, while the stakes will be fortified on either side, so that the seed of the Word, meaning God’s doctrine, may take possession of the nations and fill the cities neglected by those who buried their talents (Luke 19). In the sacred Scripture, the right and left sides symbolize righteousness, understood both spiritually and literally through the instruments of righteousness in our right and left hands (2 Cor. 6:7), guiding our earthly understanding to follow the wisdom and examples of the elders, while spiritual truths elevate us from the present to the future. This is reflected in the Lord’s reply to the questioning Pharisees, ‘Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's’ (Matthew 22:21): thus, we are to submit to the authorities of this age wielding the sword justly against wrongdoing (Rom. 13), which can be interpreted as belonging to the left hand; and we must render to God what is His, fearing only Him who has control over both the soul and body (Matthew 10), thus belonging to the right hand. Regarding the wisdom of God, which is incomparable to anything precious (Proverbs 8:11), it’s noted that in her right hand she holds long life and many years (Proverbs 3:16), while in her left hand are riches and honor, indicating that the richness speaks to knowledge and good deeds, and the honor reflects God’s glory through our efforts among the Gentiles, while the long life signifies eternal life, which, by disregarding the temporal, strives toward the eternal future.