we were pregnant, we writhed, but we have given birth to wind. We have accomplished no deliverance in the earth, and the inhabitants of the world have not fallen.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The phrase "neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen" uses a verb that can also mean "to be born." This suggests that all their painful efforts didn't even result in a new beginning or a birth for their nation, a profound expression of futility. Their struggles didn't lead to any kind of renewal, whether in deliverance or in the birth of a new era.
we were pregnant, we writhed, but we have given birth to wind. We have accomplished no deliverance in the earth, and the inhabitants of the world have not fallen.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This passage expresses the deep disappointment and frustration of a people who have endured great suffering and effort, yet have seen no meaningful progress or salvation. They compare their efforts to a difficult pregnancy that ultimately results in nothing, lamenting their inability to bring forth deliverance for their land or to see their enemies overthrown. This reflection on past failures sets the stage for a renewed hope in God's future intervention, which is promised in the verses that follow.
Ever felt like you've poured your heart into something, only for it to yield nothing? This verse captures that deep frustration.
The people of Judah felt like a woman in the throes of labor, enduring immense pain and expectation, only to give birth to 'wind'—nothing substantial.
What 'Wind' Means Here
This imagery powerfully conveys the despair of working hard and suffering deeply, but seeing no positive outcome, no breakthrough, no deliverance.
Is there a difference between what we achieve and what God accomplishes? This verse hints at a crucial distinction.
The people of Judah, in their distress, express a profound sense of their own failure. They emphasize what did ('we have been with child,' 'we have writhed,' 'we have given birth') and what failed to do ('we have not wrought any deliverance').
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The Contrast Implied
This passage underscores a key biblical theme: our deepest hopes for salvation and justice are not ultimately realized through our own efforts, however strenuous, but through God's divine intervention.
Understand the original words
yeshu'ah · Hebrew Noun
The act of delivering or saving someone from danger, oppression, or ultimate destruction; in a spiritual sense, it refers to God's salvation from sin and its consequences.
The prophet Isaiah's words in this verse capture the deep sense of failure and futility experienced by the people of Judah, particularly during and after the Babylonian exile. Their intense prayers and fervent hopes for deliverance felt like a painful, yet ultimately empty, labor, yielding no true salvation and leaving their enemies still in power. This profound disappointment stems from the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC, a pivotal moment of judgment that tested their faith to its core.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquers the northern Kingdom of Israel, exiling many of its inhabitants and scattering them among other conquered peoples. This event serves as a stark warning to the southern Kingdom of Judah about the consequences of disobedience.
c. 701 BC
Assyrian Siege of Jerusalem
The Assyrian king Sennacherib invades Judah and besieges Jerusalem. Though the city is miraculously spared, the surrounding territories are devastated, and Judah is left weakened and tributary.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon defeats the Egyptian and Assyrian forces at Carchemish and begins to exert influence over Judah. He deports a group of Judean nobles and skilled workers, including the prophet Daniel, to Babylon.
597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Following a rebellion by King Jehoiachin, Nebuchadnezzar again besieges Jerusalem. He deports King Jehoiachin, his court, and a large segment of the population, including the prophet Ezekiel, to Babylon.
586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
After a prolonged siege and further rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar's forces finally destroy Jerusalem and its Temple, leveling the city and exiling the remaining significant population to Babylon. This marks the devastating climax of God's judgment on Judah.
c. 539 BC
Edict of Cyrus and Return from Exile
The Persian king Cyrus the Great conquers Babylon and issues an edict allowing the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple. This marks the beginning of the restoration period.
This verse speaks to the inability of humans to direct their own steps, mirroring Isaiah's lament about their own efforts yielding nothing, highlighting the need for divine guidance.
Romans 8:20-22The passage about creation being subjected to futility resonates with Isaiah's image of bringing forth 'wind,' suggesting a pervasive struggle and a longing for redemption that is not yet fully realized.
John 16:21Jesus' comparison of disciples' sorrow to a woman in labor, whose pain is forgotten in joy after childbirth, contrasts with Isaiah's imagery where the 'birth' yields only 'wind,' emphasizing a profound lack of ultimate fulfillment in human effort.
Isaiah 66:7-9This passage offers a counterpoint to Isaiah 26:18, describing God's swift and powerful intervention to bring forth a nation, contrasting sharply with the people's experience of laboring in vain.
barnesIsaiah 26:18: "We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen."
We have been ... - This refers to sorrows and calamities which they had experienced in former times, when they had made great efforts for deliverance, and when those efforts had proved abortive. Perhaps it refers to the efforts of this kind which they had made during their painful captivity of se…
ellicottIsaiah 26:18: "We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen."
(18) We have as it were brought forth wind. —Left to themselves, the longing expectations of Israel had been frustrated. It was, “as it were” (the words imply the prophet’s consciousness of the boldness of the figure), like a false pregnancy, a disease with no birth as its outcome. Neither have t…
The phrase "neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen" uses a verb that can also mean "to be born." This suggests that all their painful efforts didn't even result in a new beginning or a birth for their nation, a profound expression of futility. Their struggles didn't lead to any kind of renewal, whether in deliverance or in the birth of a new era.
This passage expresses the deep disappointment and frustration of a people who have endured great suffering and effort, yet have seen no meaningful progress or salvation. They compare their efforts to a difficult pregnancy that ultimately results in nothing, lamenting their inability to bring forth deliverance for their land or to see their enemies overthrown. This reflection on past failures sets the stage for a renewed hope in God's future intervention, which is promised in the verses that follow.
This passage expresses the deep disappointment and frustration of a people who have endured great suffering and effort, yet have seen no meaningful progress or salvation. They compare their efforts to a difficult pregnancy that ultimately results in nothing, lamenting their inability to bring forth deliverance for their land or to see their enemies overthrown. This reflection on past failures sets the stage for a renewed hope in God's future intervention, which is promised in the verses that follow.
"we were pregnant, we writhed, but we have given birth to wind. We have accomplished no deliverance in the earth, and the inhabitants of the world have not fallen." — The phrase "neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen" uses a verb that can also mean "to be born." This suggests that all their painful efforts didn't even result in a new beginning or a birt…
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Last reviewed October 2026