Isaiah 49:20
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.
Original Language Analysis
Historical Context
The imagery of lost children resonates with exile realities. Lamentations 1:5 mourns, "her children are gone into captivity before the enemy." Families were separated, children died from violence, famine, and disease (Lamentations 2:11-12, 4:4). The promise of replacement children offered hope that loss would not be final.
Initially fulfilled through post-exilic population growth, the prophecy's greater fulfillment came through the church. Acts records rapid expansion creating logistical challenges—food distribution (Acts 6:1), meeting space (they outgrew the temple courts), geographical spread (persecution scattered believers, Acts 8:1). Church history shows continuous expansion from Jerusalem to Rome to global Christianity, demonstrating God's promise of too many children for the space available.
Questions for Reflection
- How does the inclusion of Gentiles in God's family demonstrate His abundant grace?
- What attitudes toward "newcomers" in the church does this verse challenge?
- How might your church better accommodate the "space" needs of growing faith communities?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
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. This verse continues the theme of superabundant restoration, now personalizing it through children's voices requesting more space. The phrase "after thou hast lost the other" (acharei shikkulayikh, אַחֲרֵי שִׁכֻּלָיִךְ) references the bereavement of exile when Jerusalem "lost" her children through deportation and death. Yet new children will arrive in such numbers they'll complain of crowding.
The Hebrew tsar (צַר, "strait/narrow") suggests confinement and constraint—a blessed problem of abundance. This paradoxically reverses the Deuteronomic curse where Israel would be "few in number" (Deuteronomy 28:62). Instead, covenant blessing prevails: "The LORD shall make thee plenteous" (Deuteronomy 28:11). The children's request, "give place to me that I may dwell," assumes entitlement to inheritance, reflecting covenantal belonging.
From a Reformed perspective, this prophesies the Gentile ingathering into God's family. Paul explains in Romans 11 how wild branches (Gentiles) are grafted into Israel's root, expanding God's people beyond ethnic boundaries. The church's exponential growth fulfills this—barren Zion becomes mother of multitudes through the gospel. Galatians 4:27 explicitly applies this promise to the church: "the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband."