Isaiah 66:7Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He wishes to illustrate that although the Jews rejected and killed the Author of Life, He rose and ascended to the Father, and the divinely inspired apostles proclaimed Him to all, even those who had persecuted Him, urging them to repent and find salvation through faith, and the forgiveness of sins through holy baptism. Thus Peter proclaimed, "And now, brethren, I know that in ignorance ye have done these things, as did also your princes: repent ye therefore, and let every one of you be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins: and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost: for unto you is the promise, and unto your children." When Peter declared this, many were converted, as recorded in the Acts of the Holy Apostles: "On that day there were added to them about three thousand souls." The apostles persevered in strengthening the Israelites, drawing them to faith. However, in time, both Judea and Jerusalem faced the repercussions of God’s wrath after the faithful had been called. This refers to the remnant. It is declared, "Before she gives birth, she will conceive; before the labor pains arise, she will avoid and give birth to male children." Before the tribulation struck and Jerusalem experienced severe anguish from the ravages of war, she was to avoid danger and bring forth male offspring, a favorable and valued birth; for those giving life find it more joyous to bear male children rather than others. A male child perhaps symbolizes the strength of Christ’s followers, indicating a robust spirit rather than frailty. The blessed Paul affirms this by stating: "But those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." He then expresses his astonishment at the magnitude of God's power displayed in such events, asking, "Who has seen such things?" The earth gave birth with intense suffering in one day; can a whole nation come into being in one moment? Indeed, Zion delivered her children, as three thousand souls were spiritually regenerated through faith and holy baptism in a single day, resembling the birth of an entire nation. The Lord states, "I grant this hope," and this was also predicted by the holy prophets, who promised her a great multitude: "Have you not acknowledged Me," says the Lord, "Is it not that I have given birth and caused her barrenness? How could He, who wields such power, permit her to remain childless? Had she shown willingness to embrace faith before the inhabitants of the earth, she would have flourish and been blessed; but due to her disobedience, stubbornness, and willfulness, she became barren, while the Gentile lands produced a people far more numerous. This is precisely what the holy prophet Isaiah conveys, addressing the Gentile church: "Rejoice, you who were barren, you who have not borne; break forth and cry aloud, you who have not labored, for the children of the desolate are more than the children of the married woman."

For Zion experienced sickness but bore her sons. Yet I have provided this hope, and you have not remembered Me, says the Lord. Have I not created both the life-giving and the barren, says your God? When Jerusalem and its temple were called with a loud cry, following the siege and destruction, and when the enemies of Christ, unwilling to accept God as their King, faced eternal punishment for their sins and corruption, the Church assembled in the name of the Lord, as the psalm states, “A man is born in her” (Psalm 86:3), and before she suffered, she gave birth to a son. This was not a long wait, as with the Jewish people through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, whose descendants developed over time. Rather, at the proclamation of the Gospel, the entire world was conceived and entered into travail, and a son was born—one whom Pharaoh and Herod sought to destroy, yet was saved in Egypt through Moses and Christ. Abraham and Isaac had sons, and Jacob was the father of many; he even had a daughter through whom he suffered distress (Genesis 34). However, if the daughters of Zelophehad inherited their father's estate as appointed by God (Numbers 27), it must be noted that their father died for his sin without having a son, and Moses did not presume to decide their case but left it to the Lord, who commanded them to unite with their brothers. Genesis also recounts (Genesis 6) that as humanity multiplied on the earth—and such increase is never without flaws—daughters were born, and it was not the angels who took them, but the sons of God, who fathered giants, or as the Hebrew describes them, mighty warriors. Conversely, it is stated to the righteous: “Your wife shall be as a fruitful vine within your house; your children shall be like olive plants around your table” (Psalms 127:3-4). And again, “You shall see the children of your children” (Psalms 127:6). Therefore, Zion bore a son, meaning the remnant of Israel and the faith of the believing apostles gave birth to the Lord Savior, who was born in the world—a remarkable event no one has heard of or written about, leading to a swift belief among all peoples, creating one Christian nation. As Paul states, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things are new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). This is further reflected in the prophecy: “And all the nations of the earth shall worship before Him; for the Lord is king, and He rules the nations” (Psalm 21:28-29). For all the nations you have made shall come and worship before You, glorifying Your name (Psalm 86:9). Concerning Him, James affirms, “He is the expectation of the nations” (Genesis 49:10). As the psalmist declares, “The hope of all the ends of the earth” (Psalm 61:6). This Isaiah, whom we interpret, foretold: “There shall be a root of Jesse, and He who arises to rule the nations; in Him, the Gentiles shall hope” (Isaiah 11:10). The apostles fulfilled the command to teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19), so that a new nation might arise, celebrated in Psalm 21, which sings, “The heavens declare His righteousness to His people,” the ones He has made (Psalm 21:32). Moreover, “The people yet to be created shall praise the Lord” (Psalm 101:19). This nation was formed in a single day, illuminated by the Sun of Righteousness, as the Scripture states, “The Lord shall be to you an everlasting light” (Isaiah 60:19). Let us consider the words: “A nation will arise all at once.” For Zion was in labor and brought forth her sons, which may refer to the time when, in a single day, three thousand and later five thousand from Judah believed (Acts 2). The Acts of the Apostles also tells us that those from every nation under heaven were present in Jerusalem, listening to the disciples speak in various tongues about the wonderful works of God (Ibid.). Next, according to the Septuagint: “I gave this hope, and you did not remember Me, says the Lord. Did I not create the one who gives birth and the one who is barren?” Your God clarifies in the Hebrew: “Shall I not be able to bring forth as I enable others?” declares the Lord. “Shall I, who gives birth to others, remain unfruitful?” as it is written, “He who creates the ear, shall it not hear? Or he who forms the eye, shall it not see?” (Psalms 93:9). This signifies that He, who made all mankind from nothing, can also make one segment of the nations a church of believers. In the twenty-eighth psalm, we read: “The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness” (Psalm 28:8), but the Hebrew translation reads: “The voice of the Lord empowers the forsaken to bear children,” indicating that the church, once forsaken, may now be fruitful, producing those whose hearts are pure in the open and broken places. Thus, according to the Septuagint, it is further implied that one nation will arise to preach the Gospel throughout the world. I have frequently made promises through many prophets, yet you have forgotten My covenant, O city full of outcries, O temple abandoned by the Lord, O people for whom I have rendered recompense. Did I not create her who was once in labor to bring forth, who was barren initially and later conceived? The psalmist has written about her: “He gathers the barren into the house, the mother of children rejoicing in her offspring” (Psalm 112:9). Alternatively, the sequence may be reversed: she who once was fruitful may become barren, while she who was once unable to conceive may bear many, for this is the will of the Lord.

The One who is eternally begotten of the Father, without a father, is also born of a mother, highlighting the unique nature of His incarnation. His birth aligns with natural laws in timing, occurring after nine months, yet transcending the usual pains associated with childbirth; for, as the prophet foretold, she experienced no suffering before giving birth, and delivered a son without the torment of labor. Thus, from Mary emerged the incarnate Son of God—not merely a messenger of God, but God Himself made flesh; anointed not by any human action, as the prophet states, but by the full presence of the Anointing, so that the Anointing took on human form while the Anointed remained divine, accomplished not through a transformation of nature but through a hypostatic union. Therefore, how can we not recognize the Virgin as the one who bore God incarnate?