King James Version:
(The Lord speaking is red text)
Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? [or] shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.
Complete Jewish Bible:
Who ever heard of such a thing? Who has ever seen such things? Is a country born in one day? Is a nation brought forth all at once? For as soon as Tziyon went into labor, she brought forth her children.
Berean Standard Bible:
Who has heard of such as this? Who has seen such things? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be delivered in an instant? Yet as soon as Zion was in labor, she gave birth to her children.
American Standard Version:
Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? shall a nation be brought forth at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.
KJV with Strong’s Numbers:
Who hath heard{H8085} such a thing? who hath seen{H7200} such things? Shall the earth{H776} be made to bring forth{H2342} in one{H259} day{H3117}? or shall a nation{H1471} be born{H3205} at once{H6471}? for as soon as{H1571} Zion{H6726} travailed{H2342}, she brought forth{H3205} her children{H1121}.
Cross-References (KJV):
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.
Isaiah 49:22
- Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in [their] arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon [their] shoulders.
Isaiah 64:4
- For since the beginning of the world [men] have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, [what] he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.
Romans 15:18
- For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed,
Romans 15:21
- But as it is written, To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see: and they that have not heard shall understand.
1 Corinthians 2:9
- But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
Acts 21:20
- And when they heard [it], they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law:
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Commentary for Isaiah 66:8
Isaiah 66:8 is the concluding verse of the Book of Isaiah, which is part of the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament. This verse is set within a broader context of prophetic literature that addresses the future restoration of Israel. The historical context of the verse is rooted in the period after the Babylonian Exile when the Israelites were either in exile or had returned to a devastated Jerusalem. The themes of the verse include the miraculous nature of national restoration and the rapid transformation of Zion (a symbol for Jerusalem and the Jewish people).
The verse uses rhetorical questions to emphasize the unprecedented nature of the event it describes: the birth of a nation in a single day. This can be interpreted both literally, as in the case of the return of the exiles and the reestablishment of Jerusalem as a city and nation, and figuratively, as a symbol of the spiritual rebirth and renewal of the Jewish people. The imagery of childbirth ("as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children") suggests a painful but ultimately joyful process, reflecting the struggles and eventual triumph of the Israelites in reestablishing their identity and sovereignty.
In the broader theological context, this verse speaks to God's power to bring about sudden and dramatic changes in history, fulfilling divine promises. It also prefigures the Christian concept of the "new birth" or being "born again," which is central to the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles in the New Testament. For Christians, this verse can also be seen as a prophecy pointing to the establishment of the Christian Church, which was born on the day of Pentecost as described in the Book of Acts.
In summary, Isaiah 66:8 reflects on the extraordinary nature of a nation's rebirth, using the metaphor of childbirth to describe the rapid and miraculous restoration of Zion. It encapsulates themes of divine intervention, national restoration, and spiritual renewal, resonating with both Jewish and Christian theological perspectives.
*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model
Strong's Numbers and Definitions:
Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)
- Strong's Number: H8085
There are 1072 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: שָׁמַע
Transliteration: shâmaʻ
Pronunciation: shaw-mah'
Description: a primitive root; to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.); [idiom] attentively, call (gather) together, [idiom] carefully, [idiom] certainly, consent, consider, be content, declare, [idiom] diligently, discern, give ear, (cause to, let, make to) hear(-ken, tell), [idiom] indeed, listen, make (a) noise, (be) obedient, obey, perceive, (make a) proclaim(-ation), publish, regard, report, shew (forth), (make a) sound, [idiom] surely, tell, understand, whosoever (heareth), witness. - Strong's Number: H7200
There are 1212 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: רָאָה
Transliteration: râʼâh
Pronunciation: raw-aw'
Description: a primitive root; to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative); advise self, appear, approve, behold, [idiom] certainly, consider, discern, (make to) enjoy, have experience, gaze, take heed, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] joyfully, lo, look (on, one another, one on another, one upon another, out, up, upon), mark, meet, [idiom] be near, perceive, present, provide, regard, (have) respect, (fore-, cause to, let) see(-r, -m, one another), shew (self), [idiom] sight of others, (e-) spy, stare, [idiom] surely, [idiom] think, view, visions. - Strong's Number: H776
There are 2739 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אֶרֶץ
Transliteration: ʼerets
Pronunciation: eh'-rets
Description: from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth (at large, or partitively a land); [idiom] common, country, earth, field, ground, land, [idiom] natins, way, [phrase] wilderness, world. - Strong's Number: H2342
There are 58 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: חוּל
Transliteration: chûwl
Pronunciation: khool
Description: or חִיל; a primitive root; properly, to twist or whirl (in a circular or spiral manner), i.e. (specifically) to dance, to writhe in pain (especially of parturition) or fear; figuratively, to wait, to pervert; bear, (make to) bring forth, (make to) calve, dance, drive away, fall grievously (with pain), fear, form, great, grieve, (be) grievous, hope, look, make, be in pain, be much (sore) pained, rest, shake, shapen, (be) sorrow(-ful), stay, tarry, travail (with pain), tremble, trust, wait carefully (patiently), be wounded. - Strong's Number: H259
There are 801 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אֶחָד
Transliteration: ʼechâd
Pronunciation: ekh-awd'
Description: a numeral from אָחַד; properly, united, i.e. one; or (as an ordinal) first; a, alike, alone, altogether, and, any(-thing), apiece, a certain, (dai-) ly, each (one), [phrase] eleven, every, few, first, [phrase] highway, a man, once, one, only, other, some, together, - Strong's Number: H3117
There are 1931 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: יוֹם
Transliteration: yôwm
Pronunciation: yome
Description: from an unused root meaning to be hot; a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb); age, [phrase] always, [phrase] chronicals, continually(-ance), daily, ((birth-), each, to) day, (now a, two) days (agone), [phrase] elder, [idiom] end, [phrase] evening, [phrase] (for) ever(-lasting, -more), [idiom] full, life, as (so) long as (... live), (even) now, [phrase] old, [phrase] outlived, [phrase] perpetually, presently, [phrase] remaineth, [idiom] required, season, [idiom] since, space, then, (process of) time, [phrase] as at other times, [phrase] in trouble, weather, (as) when, (a, the, within a) while (that), [idiom] whole ([phrase] age), (full) year(-ly), [phrase] younger. - Strong's Number: H1471
There are 511 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: גּוֹי
Transliteration: gôwy
Pronunciation: go'-ee
Description: rarely (shortened) גֹּי; apparently from the same root as גֵּוָה (in the sense of massing); a foreign nation; hence, a Gentile; also (figuratively) a troop of animals, or a flight of locusts; Gentile, heathen, nation, people. - Strong's Number: H3205
There are 403 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: יָלַד
Transliteration: yâlad
Pronunciation: yaw-lad'
Description: a primitive root; to bear young; causatively, to beget; medically, to act as midwife; specifically, to show lineage; bear, beget, birth(-day), born, (make to) bring forth (children, young), bring up, calve, child, come, be delivered (of a child), time of delivery, gender, hatch, labour, (do the office of a) midwife, declare pedigrees, be the son of, (woman in, woman that) travail(-eth, -ing woman). - Strong's Number: H6471
There are 108 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: פַּעַם
Transliteration: paʻam
Pronunciation: pah'-am
Description: or (feminine) פַּעֲמָה; from פָּעַם; a stroke, literally or figuratively (in various applications, as follow); anvil, corner, foot(-step), going, (hundred-) fold, [idiom] now, (this) [phrase] once, order, rank, step, [phrase] thrice, (often-), second, this, two) time(-s), twice, wheel. - Strong's Number: H1571
There are 32 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: גַּם
Transliteration: gam
Pronunciation: gam
Description: by contraction from an unused root meaning to gather; properly, assemblage; used only adverbially also, even, yea, though; often repeated as correl. both...and; again, alike, also, (so much) as (soon), both (so)...and, but, either...or, even, for all, (in) likewise (manner), moreover, nay...neither, one, then(-refore), though, what, with, yea. - Strong's Number: H6726
There are 154 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: צִיּוֹן
Transliteration: Tsîyôwn
Pronunciation: tsee-yone'
Description: the same (regularly) as צִיּוּןlemma צִיוּן missing dagesh, corrected to צִיּוּן; Tsijon (as a permanent capital), a mountain of Jerusalem; Zion. - Strong's Number: H1121
There are 3654 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: בֵּן
Transliteration: bên
Pronunciation: bane
Description: from בָּנָה; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.); [phrase] afflicted, age, (Ahoh-) (Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-) ite, (anoint-) ed one, appointed to, ([phrase]) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-) ian, one born, bough, branch, breed, [phrase] (young) bullock, [phrase] (young) calf, [idiom] came up in, child, colt, [idiom] common, [idiom] corn, daughter, [idiom] of first, [phrase] firstborn, foal, [phrase] very fruitful, [phrase] postage, [idiom] in, [phrase] kid, [phrase] lamb, ([phrase]) man, meet, [phrase] mighty, [phrase] nephew, old, ([phrase]) people, [phrase] rebel, [phrase] robber, [idiom] servant born, [idiom] soldier, son, [phrase] spark, [phrase] steward, [phrase] stranger, [idiom] surely, them of, [phrase] tumultuous one, [phrase] valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one), youth.