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enlarging tents. Zion is seen here with the patriarchal image of the tent. As a mother who has been blessed with many children, Zion will need a spacious tent. The tents were made of hand-woven, three-feet-wide strips of dark goats’ hair. When more family members needed to be accommodated, additional strips could be sown on. The cords that stretched from center poles to corner poles would have to be longer and the stakes made of stronger, thicker wood in order to hold the weight.

barren woman Refers to Zion’s loss of inhabitants. The city is metaphorically depicted as abandoned, deserted, and vacant in 49:19–21 and 51:2–3. Personified Zion describes herself as one barren and bereaved of children in 49:21. The analogy also points to the reference to Abraham and Sarah in 51:2—the nation of Israel was built on the promise of offspring to one who was barren. Paul quotes this verse in Gal 4:27, arguing that those who believe in Christ are the true children of promise predicted in the ot oracles of salvation (see note on Gal 4:27).

In Israel a barren woman was disgraced, for children aided in family chores and helped the parents in their old age. Fertility on every level was a sign of God’s blessing. For example, when Hannah was not able to have children she was devastated, but when the Lord allowed her to have a son she sang for joy (1 Sam. 1:1–2:10). Israel was like a woman who had no children and was therefore in a continual state of mourning. But by God’s sovereignty and grace He will enable her to have many children. So she will break into song and shout for joy. Jerusalem, once desolate and mourning (Lam. 1:1–5), will be revitalized and teeming with people. Also like a nomad who has so many children he has to enlarge his tent to accommodate them all, Israel’s descendants will increase and even settle in the cities of foreign nations because there will not be enough room for them in their homeland.

(2) Israel’s regathering.

54:1–17 The teeming mother-city

This chapter’s exuberance, peace and security spring from the dereliction and death just described, which at 52:13 cut across the description of the great homecoming. In Christian terms, the Calvary of ch. 53 is followed by the growing church of ch. 54 and the gospel call of ch. 55.

54:1–10 Wife and mother. Paul linked this passage with the story of Sarah and Hagar (cf. Gal. 4:27) and saw here the true church, its members born from above (see also on 49:14–23). The promise of world-wide expansion (3; cf. 49:19) and the hint of coming strains upon the old structure (2) were to be vividly borne out in the age of the apostles. For the metaphor of the erring wife see 50:1; here however, with rare sympathy, not the guilt but the pain (6) of the estrangement is put to the fore, with a corresponding tenderness of reunion (7–8)—its permanence seen to be as unconditional and as undeserved (cf. compassion in v 10) as the promise of Gn. 9:11, and (we can now add) of