Isaiah 49:20 · Bible study
Isaiah 49:20 Commentary: The Cry of Overflowing Children
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
God promises Zion such a multitude of children that the space becomes too small. Who are these children, restored exiles or Gentile converts?
Research Summary
- Meaning: God promises Zion such a multitude of new children that they cry out for more space.
- Key words: Bereavement (shikkulai, H7923), childlessness; draw near (nagash, H5066), here meaning “make room.”
- Main debate: Do the “children” represent restored Israelite exiles, Gentile converts, or both?
- Theological theme: Reversal of desolation; God’s power to bring abundant life from barrenness.
- Best use: A text of hope for churches or individuals who feel abandoned, pairing promise with expectation of surprising growth.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Yet the children of your bereavement will say in your hearing, ‘This place is too small for us; make room for us to live here.’
WEB World English Bible 2000
The children of your bereavement will say in your ears, ‘This place is too small for me. Give me a place to live in.’
KJV King James Version 1769
The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
The children of thy bereavement shall yet say in thine ears, The place is too strait for me; give place to me that I may dwell.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Again do the sons of thy bereavement say in thine ears: `The place is too strait for me, Come nigh to me--and I dwell.'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
The children of thy bereavement shall yet say in thine ears, The place is too narrow for me: make room for me, that I may dwell.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
The children of thy barrenness shall still say in thy ears: The place is too strait for me, make me room to dwell in.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Aun los hijos de tu orfandad dirán á tus oídos: Angosto es para mí este lugar; apártate por amor de mí, para que yo more.
Até mesmo os filhos que nascerem depois de teres perdido os primeiros dirão aos teus ouvidos: Este lugar é muito apertado para mim! Dá-me espaço para que eu possa habitar.
Ils répéteront à tes oreilles,
daß die Kinder deiner Unfruchtbarkeit werden noch sagen vor deinen Ohren: Der Raum ist mir zu eng; rücke hin, daß ich bei dir wohnen möge.
Nog zullen de kinderen, waarvan gij beroofd waart, zeggen voor uw oren: De plaats is mij te nauw, wijk van mij, dat ik wonen moge.
I figliuoli di cui fosti orbata ti diranno ancora all’orecchio: “Questo posto è troppo stretto per me; fammi largo, perch’io possa stanziarmi”.
Tak, że rzeką w uszy twoje synowie sieroctwa twego: Ciasne mi jest to miejsce; ustąpże mi, abym mieszkać mógł.
Дети, которые будут у тебя после потери прежних, будут говорить вслух тебе: "тесно для меня место; уступи мне, чтобы я мог жить".
你必 聽見 喪子 之後所生的兒女 說：這地方 我 居住太窄，求你給 我 地方居住。
The children to whom you gave birth in other lands will say in your ears, The place is not wide enough for me: make room for me to have a resting-place.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Isaiah 49:20
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this verse pictures an astonishing reversal: Zion, once bereaved and desolate, receives such a flood of new inhabitants that they joyfully cry out for more room. Barnes notes the language 'denotes a vast accession to the church of God,' whether through the return from exile or the Gentile mission. The Cambridge Bible hears the mother overhearing 'the talk of her vigorous and enterprising offspring.' Matthew Henry and Wesley both apply it to the spread of the gospel. There is near-unanimity on the fact of super-abundant multiplication; the debate centres on who the 'children' are.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Literal restoration of Israel: JFB and K&D point to the context of physical exile and return (Isa 49:22; 66:20).
- Spiritual children (Gentile converts): Barnes and Wesley apply it to the ingathering of the Gentiles in the apostolic age.
- Both / multiple fulfillments: Matthew Henry sees a partial fulfillment in the return from Babylon and a fuller one in the spread of the gospel.
What is clear: God promises to replace Zion’s bereavement with an abundant community that will outgrow its present boundaries.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Identity of the children | They represent a vast increase of people attached to Zion after a period of loss. | Barnes and Matthew Henry primarily apply it to Gentile converts in the gospel age. JFB and K&D see the primary reference as literal Israelites restored from exile, with an expanded spiritual meaning. |
| Time of fulfillment | The verse looks forward to a future reversal of Zion’s desolation. | Some, like Gill, place the fulfillment in an eschatological future after antichrist’s fall. Others, like Wesley, see it beginning with the apostolic mission. |
| Meaning of 'bereavement' | The word (shikkulai) indicates a state of childlessness or loss. | Barnes takes it as 'widowhood', children given after others were lost. JFB interprets it as 'the children of whom thou hast been bereft', the same ones restored. |
| The verb 'draw near' (nagash) | It is an imperative that expresses the children's urgent demand. | Some, like Gesenius and the WEB, translate it 'give place' or 'make room.' Others (Gill, K&D) prefer 'draw near to me', an invitation to squeeze together. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Isaiah 49 belongs to the section often called the Book of Comfort (chapters 40, 55), addressed to Israelites in Babylonian exile. Jerusalem, personified as a desolate widow, has lost her children to war and deportation. The immediate context (vv. 18, 23) promises that God will gather these children from among the nations, reversing the curse of exile.
The verb translated 'give place' in the WEB (nagash, H5066) ordinarily means 'draw near' or 'approach.' K&D and Gill note that in this verse it carries the sense of 'make room' or 'move aside,' as in Genesis 19:9, where Lot urges the men of Sodom not to press closer. The children are not demanding that others leave; rather they are pressing close together, eager to squeeze in. Gill paraphrases: 'draw nigh to me that I may dwell', a picture of intimate crowding, not cold expansion.
The phrase 'children of your bereavement' (literally 'sons of thy childlessness') may refer to children born after the period of loss, as Barnes suggests, or to the children Zion lost and now regains (JFB). Either way, the land that was waste and desolate (v. 19) becomes too cramped for its inhabitants. This reversal echoes the complaint of Joseph’s descendants in Joshua 17:14 and the prophets’ words in 2 Kings 6:1, a good problem to have.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentaries note no significant textual variants for this verse. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts. The differences in English translations stem from the semantic range of the imperative nagash (H5066) and from how they render the phrase 'children of thy bereavement,' not from variant readings.
Reception History
In the early church, Christians read this verse as a prophecy of the Gentile mission: the 'children' were those brought in from the nations after Israel’s rejection of the Messiah (cf. Rom 11:11, 12). Reformation-era commentators such as Matthew Henry and the Geneva Bible applied it to the spread of the gospel in their own day. Jewish exegesis, especially after the return from Babylon, understood it as a literal promise of repopulation. The verse has been sung in hymns celebrating church growth and has appeared in devotional literature as an image of unexpected blessing.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Barrenness reversed, God transforms Zion’s bereavement into fruitfulness. The children she thought she had lost are restored in even greater numbers.
- Space insufficient, The congregation itself cries out that there is no more room. The problem shifts from desolation to overcrowding.
- Astonished mother, Zion’s response (v. 21) is bewildered joy: “Who has conceived these for me?” God’s blessing surpasses expectation.
Five-point outline
- God remembers the forgotten, Zion feels abandoned, but God has engraved her on his hands (v. 16).
- Enemies depart, Those who swallowed her up are driven far away (v. 19).
- Children return and multiply, The bereaved mother hears the cry of a new generation.
- Room to grow, The request for space is a sign of life, not complaint.
- Wonder and worship, The mother’s question leads to praise (v. 21, 23).
Illustration hooks
- A family that thought it would never have children now has triplets and must move to a bigger house. The old home becomes a symbol of God’s surprising provision.
- A small church plant that prayed for growth suddenly outgrows its rented storefront. Members have to sit in the aisles, a joyful inconvenience.
- After a natural disaster, a community that lost everything rebuilds and finds that more people want to move in than expected. The recovery becomes a re-creation.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does this verse promise physical children to Israel, spiritual children to the church, or both? How do we decide?
- Our church feels small and stagnant. How can we hold onto this promise without forcing artificial growth?
- What does it mean to pray for a space problem? Are we ready for what we ask for?
Leading a Discussion
This verse sits in a passage where God promises to restore Zion from utter desolation. The image of children crying out for more room is startling, it turns grief into a problem of abundance. Use these questions to explore how this promise speaks to your group’s experience of God’s provision.
Discussion questions
- Read Isaiah 49:14, 21 as a group. What emotions does Zion express in this section?
- What does the phrase “children of your bereavement” suggest about the way these children come to Zion?
- The children say, “The place is too small for me.” What does this complaint reveal about what God has done?
- Compare this verse with Isaiah 54:1, 3 and 60:4. How does the theme of multiplication recur?
- Some interpreters see these children as literal descendants of Israel returning from exile; others see them as Gentile converts. Which reading makes the most sense in the chapter’s context? Why?
- Zion responds in verse 21 with bewilderment: “Who has conceived these for me?” When have you felt surprised by God’s goodness in a way you didn’t expect?
- If God gave your church a space problem, what would need to change in your attitude and practices?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Joshua 17:14 | The children of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given me just one lot and one part for an inheritance, since we are a numerous people, because Yahweh has blessed us so far?” |
| Joshua 17:16 | The children of Joseph said, “The hill country is not enough for us. All the Canaanites who dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, both those who are in Beth Shean and its towns, and those who are in the valley of Jezreel.” |
| II Kings 6:1 | The sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “See now, the place where we live and meet with you is too small for us. |
| Isaiah 51:3 | For Yahweh has comforted Zion. He has comforted all her waste places, and has made her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of Yahweh. Joy and gladness will be found in them, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody. |
| Isaiah 54:1 | “Sing, barren, you who didn’t give birth! Break out into singing, and cry aloud, you who didn’t travail with child! For more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife,” says Yahweh. |
| Isaiah 54:3 | For you will spread out on the right hand and on the left; and your offspring will possess the nations and settle in desolate cities. |
| Isaiah 60:4 | “Lift up your eyes all around, and see: they all gather themselves together. They come to you. Your sons will come from far away, and your daughters will be carried in arms. |
| Hosea 1:10 | Yet the number of the children of Israel will be as the sand of the sea, which can’t be measured or counted; and it will come to pass that, in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’ |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes argues that the loss of God's people through war and captivity will be followed by an even greater increase, as if children are given to a widowed mother. He sees a general truth: persecution actually expands and strengthens the church, and this pattern points to the vast growth that continues when the gospel reaches the whole world.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Cambridge Bible Schools emphasizes the striking reversal in Zion's fortunes: once barren and solitary, she becomes so crowded that her children, born during her bereavement, complain of insufficient space. The commentator notes an unusual verb sense, where draw near paradoxically means stand off or give place.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Bible note highlights the sudden reversal of the barren woman's condition: her children will come to her complaining that the dwelling is too cramped and demanding room to live. This emphasizes the astonishing abundance that will follow her long desolation.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill identifies the "other" not as the Jews but as believers lost through persecution and antichrist's cruelty, and the "children" as great numbers of converts after antichrist's fall. He also reinterprets "give place to me" as an invitation to draw close together so all can dwell comfortably in fellowship, not as a request to move aside.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB insists that the phrase "children of thy widowhood" refers to the literal offspring of Israel lost during dispersion, not merely spiritual children. While the New Testament uses similar language for the spread of the gospel, the parallel passages in Isaiah show the primary meaning remains the actual descendants of Israel.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch explains that the word "for" introduces the reason behind the earlier images of jewelry and a bridal girdle. The prophet highlights a dramatic reversal: Zion, once desolate, will become so crowded with returning children that she will hear them pleading for more room, and those who ravaged her will be gone.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry sees a double fulfillment in these promises: they were partly realized when the Jewish church revived after the Babylonian exile, but find their fullest meaning in the growth of the Christian church through the gospel. The church will be replenished with multitudes flocking to it from all directions.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley identifies "the children" as the Gentile believers who will be brought in through the ministry of the Jewish people when the Jewish nation as a whole cuts itself off from God. This interprets the promise as a substitution: Gentile children replace the natural children lost through unbelief.