Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 66:9
Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut [the womb]? saith thy God.
9. Comp. ch. Isa 37:3; “the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth.” But in this crisis Jehovah Himself is present, and what He begins He will carry on to its marvellous issue.
The second half of the verse should be rendered as in R.V. shall I that cause to bring forth shut the womb? &c.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Shall I bring to the birth? – The sense of this verse is plain. It is, that God would certainly accomplish what he had here predicted, and for which he had made ample arrangements and preparations. He would not commence the work, and then abandon it. The figure which is used here is obvious; but one which does not render very ample illustration proper. Jarchi has well expressed it: Num ego adducerem uxorem meam ad sellam partus, sc. ad partitudinem, et non aperirem uterum ejus, ut foetum suum in lucem produceret? Quasi diceret; an ego incipiam rem nec possim eam perficere?
Shall I cause to bring forth? – Lowth and Noyes render this, Shall I, who begat, restrain the birth? This accurately expresses the idea. The meaning of the whole is, that God designed the great and sudden increase of his church; that the plan was long laid; and that, having done this, he would not abandon it, but would certainly effect his designs.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 9. Shall I bring to the birth] haani ashbir, num ego matricem frangam; MONTANUS. The word means that which immediately precedes the appearance of the fetus – the breaking forth of the liquor amnii. This also is an expression that should be studiously avoided in prayers and sermons.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The work before spoken of seemeth not after the manner of men, who do things that are great gradually, nor in an ordinary course of nature, whose motions also bring things by degrees to their perfection; but you must consider who it is that speaketh,
saith the Lord; now as is the God, so is his strength. Again, men may undertake things, and for want of power not bring them to perfection; but shall I do such a thing? I have by many prophecies and promises secured you in the expectation of such a thing, and shall I not by my providence effect it? I, that in the ordinary course of my providence use to give a birth to women, to whom I have given a power to conceive, shall I not give a birth to Zion, to my people, whom by my prophecies and promises I have made to conceive such hopes and expectations? Nor shall Zion once only bring forth, but she shall go on teeming; her womb shall not be shut, she shall every day bring forth more and more children; my presence shall be with my church to that end, to the end of the world.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
9. cause to bring forth, andshutrather, “Shall I who beget, restrain thebirth?” [LOWTH],(Isa 37:3; Hos 13:13);that is, Shall I who have begun, not finish My work of restoringIsrael? (1Sa 3:12; Rom 11:1;Phi 1:6).
shut(compare Rev 3:7;Rev 3:8).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth, saith the Lord?…. Or, “to the place of breaking” forth of children, as in
Ho 13:13, the womb, and the mouth of it: or, “shall I break or open” that, so some s render it; lest too much should or seem to be attributed to the Church, she being said to travail in birth, and bring forth children, this is said by the Lord. The church may pray, and her ministers preach, and both be said to travail in birth, but it is the Lord that brings to it; regeneration is not the work of man, but of God; it is he that beget, again, quickens, renews, and sanctifies; it is he that begins the work of grace in regeneration, in real and thorough convictions of sin; which are right when men are convinced of the impurity of their nature, the exceeding sinfulness of sin, have a godly sorrow for it, and forsake it: the work is begun when souls feel the burden of sin; the inward struggling, of grace and corruption; a want of spiritual food, and hunger after it; desires after spiritual things, and a glowing love and affection for them; and when light is infused, faith, fear, and love produced, and every other grace implanted; and he that has begun the good work will perform it; as Jarchi rightly gives the sense of the clause,
“shall I begin a thing, and not be able to finish it?”
no, he is a rock, and his work is perfect, as in creation and redemption, so in regeneration and conversion; as may be concluded, from his power to effect it, and his promise to do it; the grace of Christ, and the indwelling of the Spirit; the impotency of everything to hinder it, and the glory of the three divine Persons concerned in it. As in the natural birth it is he that gives strength to conceive, forms the embryo in the womb, ripens it for the birth, and takes the child out of its mother’s womb; so he does all that answers hereunto in the spiritual birth.
Shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb, saith thy God? no, I will not. As God has regenerated many souls in the first times of the Gospel, and many more since, in various nations, in each of the ages and periods of time; so he has not ceased, nor will he cease from this work, until all his elect are born again; for everyone that is chosen of the Father, given to the Son, taken into covenant, and redeemed by his blood, shall be begotten again to a lively hope of a glorious inheritance; God will not shut the womb of conversion until they are all brought to faith in Christ, and repentance towards God. He will beget many more sons and daughters; and he will cause the fulness of the Gentiles to be brought forth and brought in, and convert his ancient people the Jews; all his promises shall be performed, and all prophecies relating to these things shall be accomplished.
s “matricem frangam?” Montanus; “an ego aperirem os matricis?” Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
9. Do I bring to the birth? As in the preceding verse he extolled in lofty terms the work of God, so he now shews that it ought not to be thought incredible, and that we ought not to doubt of his power, which surpasses all the order of nature; for, if we consider who it is that speaks, and how easy it is for him to perform what he has promised, we shall not remain in such uncertainty as not instantly to recollect that the renewal of the world is in the hand of him, who would have no difficulty in creating a hundred worlds in a moment. A little before, by a burst of astonishment, he intended to magnify the greatness of the work. But now, lest the minds of good men should be perplexed or embarrassed, he exhorts them to consider his strength; and, in order that he may more fully convince them that nothing is so difficult in the eyes of men as not to be in his power and easily performed by him, he brings forward those things which we see every day; for in a woman’s bringing forth a child we see clearly his wonderful power. Shall not the Lord manifest himself to be far more wonderful in enlarging and multiplying the Church, which is the principal theater of his glory? It is therefore exceedingly wicked to limit his strength, by believing that he is less powerful, when he shall choose to act directly and by openly stretching out his hand, than when he acts by natural means.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(9) Shall I bring to the birth . . .The implied thought is that God will not leave His work of national restoration unfinished. There shall not be that frustration of hopes when they seem just on the point of being fulfilled which the history of the world so often records. (Comp. Isa. 37:3.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Isa 66:9 Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut [the womb]? saith thy God.
Ver. 9. Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? ] i.e., Shall I set upon a work and not go through with it? God began and finished his work of creation. Christ is both “author and finisher” of his people’s faith. Heb 12:2 The Holy Ghost will sanctify the elect wholly, “and keep them blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1Th 5:23 Nescit tarda molimina Spiritus Sancti gratia, saith Ambrose. Otherwise his power and mercy would not equally appear to his people in regeneration, as the power and mercy of the Father and the Son in creation and redemption.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
saith thy God. See note on Isa 1:11.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
bring to: Isa 37:3, Gen 18:14
cause to bring forth: or, beget
Reciprocal: 2Ki 19:3 – for the children Isa 40:28 – fainteth Luk 1:58 – they Joh 16:22 – But Act 21:20 – they glorified Rom 11:9 – a recompense 2Th 1:11 – fulfil
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Isa 66:9. Shall I bring to the birth Shall I disappoint and render abortive a design of which I myself was the author, when every thing is ripe for execution, and the effect just ready to be produced? Shall I begin a work and not perfect it? Shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb That there should not be a continual succession of converts in all ages? Zion shall not bring forth once only, but she shall continue to be fruitful: her womb shall not be shut: she shall every day bring forth more and more children, and my presence shall be with my church to the end of the world. Thus the prophet still carries on the comparison between the natural and the spiritual birth.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
66:9 Shall I {k} bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut [the womb]? saith thy God.
(k) Declaring by this that as by his power and providence women travailed and delivered so he gives power to bring forth the Church at his appointed time.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
God promised to bring the nation of Israel to birth. Her emergence as a nation in the future might appear impossible, but Yahweh would accomplish it (cf. Zec 12:10; Zec 13:1; Rom 11:26).
"Political Israel was born on May 14, 1948, but ’the new Israel’ will be ’born in a day’ when they believe on Jesus Christ." [Note: Wiersbe, p. 71.]