Like a pregnant woman who writhes and cries out in her pangs when she is near to giving birth, so were we because of you, O LORD;
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse doesn't just describe suffering; it highlights a painful longing for a future breakthrough, much like a pregnant woman's agonizing but hopeful labor. This imagery points to a crisis that, while intense, is on the cusp of delivering a miraculous new beginning.
Like a pregnant woman who writhes and cries out in her pangs when she is near to giving birth, so were we because of you, O LORD;
English Standard Version (ESV)
The prophet Isaiah has been detailing a future time of salvation and restoration for God's people, contrasting it with times of judgment. This verse emerges after describing the resurrection of the dead and the coming destruction of God's enemies. It serves as a poignant expression of the intense suffering and painful anticipation the people experienced during their oppression, looking back on their anguish as they waited for God's intervention.
Why does Isaiah compare their suffering to the intense pain of childbirth? What does this tell us about God's promises?
This verse uses a powerful, visceral image: a woman in labor. It's not just about pain, but about pain with a purpose.
The Intensity of Suffering
The prophet compares the people's experience to the "pangs" and "cries" of a woman nearing childbirth. This isn't a mild discomfort; it's a season of intense suffering, agony, and desperate pleas.
The Hope Within the Pain
Crucially, this pain is leading somewhere. It's the precursor to new life. The suffering isn't meaningless; it's the necessary process for a future birth. This highlights that even in the deepest distress, God's promises can be active, bringing about a future salvation.
God's Awareness
The phrase "in your sight, O LORD" emphasizes that God is not distant from this suffering. He sees their pain, their cries, and the intensity of their struggle. This isn't a blind, impersonal process, but one that God is intimately aware of.
If God is good, why would he use such agony? What does this verse reveal about His purpose in our suffering?
The imagery of childbirth pain isn't just descriptive; it's functional. It points to how God often uses difficult times to bring about His redemptive purposes.
Ask a follow-up
The Purpose of "Pangs"
These are not random pains. They are the body's natural, divinely-ordained mechanism for bringing forth new life. Similarly, God can use periods of intense trial and distress in our lives to birth something new – a stronger faith, a deeper dependence on Him, or a new phase of His kingdom's work.
"In Your Sight, O LORD"
The commentary notes suggest this pain was experienced "because of You, O LORD" or "at Your presence," indicating God's active involvement, even in chastening. This doesn't mean God causes suffering maliciously, but that He can permit or even use it as a refining tool within His sovereign plan.
Awaiting the "Birth"
The people are in this state of painful waiting, signifying a time of transition. They are not yet in the fullness of their deliverance, but they are moving toward it. Their current agony is a sign that the promised "birth" – their salvation and restoration – is nearing.
This verse speaks to the intense anguish and painful waiting experienced by the people of Judah during their exile in Babylon, a period of profound crisis and vulnerability before their eventual return and restoration.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Israel
The Northern Kingdom of Israel is conquered by the Assyrian Empire, leading to the exile of many of its people and the consolidation of the Southern Kingdom of Judah as the primary Israelite entity.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon conquers Judah and deports a portion of the population, including members of the royal family and skilled workers, to Babylon.
597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
After a period of rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar deports more of Judah's population, including the prophet Ezekiel, and installs a puppet king.
586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, bringing the Southern Kingdom of Judah to an end and exiling most of the remaining population to Babylon. This marks a profound crisis for the people of God.
c. 539 BC
Cyrus the Great's Conquest of Babylon
Cyrus the Great of Persia conquers the Babylonian Empire. He later issues a decree allowing exiled peoples, including the Jews, to return to their homelands.
c. 516 BC
Dedication of the Second Temple
A remnant of the Jewish exiles returns to Jerusalem and rebuilds the Temple, though it is a shadow of the former glory. This marks a significant step in the restoration of Jewish life in the land.
This passage uses the intense pain of childbirth as a metaphor for the deep anguish and distress that comes from sin and judgment, paralleling Isaiah's depiction of suffering.
Micah 4:10Micah also employs the image of a woman in labor to describe the distress and cries of Zion before deliverance, highlighting the suffering that precedes God's intervention and salvation.
John 16:21Jesus uses the same metaphor of a woman's pain in childbirth, but contrasts it with the subsequent joy of a new life, offering a glimpse of the ultimate hope that follows periods of intense suffering.
Matthew 24:8This verse links the 'beginning of the birth pains' to the signs of the end times, suggesting that the suffering described in Isaiah can represent the intense, foreboding period before a significant divine intervention.
cambridgeIsaiah 26:17: "Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O LORD."
17 . The agony of the crisis is compared to the pangs of a woman in travail,—a common figure, Hosea 13:13 ; Micah 4:10 , &c. in thy sight ] Or, because of thee —Thy chastening hand.
barnesIsaiah 26:17: "Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O LORD."
Like as a woman with child ... - This verse is designed to state their griefs and sorrows during the time of their oppression in Babylon. The comparison used here is one that is very frequent in the sacred writings to represent any great suffering (see Psalm 48:6 ; Jeremiah 6:24 ; Jeremiah 13:21 ; Jeremiah 22:23 ; Jeremiah 49:24 ;…
The verse doesn't just describe suffering; it highlights a painful longing for a future breakthrough, much like a pregnant woman's agonizing but hopeful labor. This imagery points to a crisis that, while intense, is on the cusp of delivering a miraculous new beginning.
The prophet Isaiah has been detailing a future time of salvation and restoration for God's people, contrasting it with times of judgment. This verse emerges after describing the resurrection of the dead and the coming destruction of God's enemies. It serves as a poignant expression of the intense suffering and painful anticipation the people experienced during their oppression, looking back on their anguish as they waited for God's intervention.
The prophet Isaiah has been detailing a future time of salvation and restoration for God's people, contrasting it with times of judgment. This verse emerges after describing the resurrection of the dead and the coming destruction of God's enemies. It serves as a poignant expression of the intense suffering and painful anticipation the people experienced during their oppression, looking back on their anguish as they waited for God's intervention.
"Like a pregnant woman who writhes and cries out in her pangs when she is near to giving birth, so were we because of you, O LORD;" — The verse doesn't just describe suffering; it highlights a painful longing for a future breakthrough, much like a pregnant woman's agonizing but hopeful labor. This imagery points to a crisis that,…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026