Shall I bring to the point of birth and not cause to bring forth?” says the LORD; “shall I, who cause to bring forth, shut the womb?” says your God.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse uses the powerful imagery of childbirth not just to show God's ability to start something, but to emphasize His commitment to completing it. It's a direct reassurance that God won't initiate a process of new creation or restoration only to abandon it before the final outcome is realized.
Shall I bring to the point of birth and not cause to bring forth?” says the LORD; “shall I, who cause to bring forth, shut the womb?” says your God.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This passage appears at the end of Isaiah's prophecy, following a stark contrast between God's judgment on the unfaithful and His ultimate restoration of Zion. It speaks directly to God's commitment to bringing His work of renewal to completion, assuring His people that He will not start a promise of new life and growth only to abandon it. The imagery of childbirth signifies the miraculous and powerful way God will establish and expand His people.
Has God ever started something great in your life, only to seem to leave it unfinished? This verse confronts that doubt head-on.
In Isaiah 66:9, God uses the powerful, intimate metaphor of childbirth to assure His people that He always finishes what He starts.
The Lord's Question
God asks two rhetorical questions:
These aren't questions seeking information. They are emphatic declarations. God is saying, 'Absolutely not! That is not who I am.' Just as a mother doesn't bring a child to the brink of birth only to abandon it, God will not bring His promises to the verge of fulfillment and then stop.
The Assurance of Completion
The commentaries highlight that God is asserting His faithfulness. He has initiated a work – the restoration and expansion of His people – and He will bring it to completion. The imagery emphasizes that the power and the will to finish rest entirely with Him. It's a profound comfort to know that our hope isn't dependent on our strength to persevere, but on God's unwavering commitment to His plans.
We often think of growth and new beginnings as slow, gradual processes. But what if God's breakthrough comes with astonishing speed?
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Isaiah 66:9, especially when read in its surrounding context (Isaiah 66:7-8), speaks of a 'birth' that defies natural expectations. The prophet marvels, 'Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man-child. Who hath heard such a thing? ... as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.'
Beyond Natural Means
This isn't just about overcoming infertility; it's about God's power to create ex nihilo – out of nothing – or to bring about results in ways that are supernatural and astounding. The imagery of a birth happening before the pain, or a nation being born in a single day, highlights the dramatic, swift, and powerful nature of God's restorative work.
A Divine Intervention
God’s questions in verse 9 serve to emphasize this point: He is the one initiating and completing this miraculous new birth. It's not a human endeavor that struggles with limitations, but a divine act that transcends them. This assures us that when God decides to act, His interventions can be sudden, complete, and breathtakingly effective.
This verse speaks to the people of Judah during or after their exile in Babylon. They had experienced the devastating destruction of their homeland and the loss of their temple, a period that must have felt like God had 'shut the womb' and abandoned His promises of fruitful restoration.
c. 701 BC
Sennacherib's Invasion of Judah
Assyrian King Sennacherib invades Judah, conquering many cities and besieging Jerusalem. King Hezekiah trusts in God for deliverance, which miraculously occurs.
597 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon deports thousands of Judeans, including royalty and skilled workers, to Babylon after a revolt. This marks the beginning of the Babylonian exile.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Second Deportation
Babylon destroys Jerusalem and its temple, exiling most of the remaining population. This event represents a profound national trauma and a perceived abandonment by God.
c. 539 BC
Cyrus the Great's Decree
Cyrus of Persia conquers Babylon and issues a decree allowing exiled peoples, including the Judeans, to return to their homelands and rebuild their temples.
c. 516 BC
Rebuilding of the Second Temple
Exiles return and complete the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem, a significant milestone in their return to national and religious life.
c. 530 BC - 470 BC— this verse
Prophetic Ministry of Isaiah (Second Part)
The latter part of Isaiah's prophecy, likely delivered to people struggling with the aftermath of exile and the rebuilding efforts, addresses themes of restoration, future glory, and God's unfailing faithfulness.
This verse echoes Isaiah's question, highlighting God's power over creation and His promise to bring about what He intends, even when it seems impossible from a human perspective.
Jeremiah 32:17Jeremiah marvels at God's power to create and sustain, similar to how Isaiah emphasizes that God's creative and bringing-forth power will not be thwarted.
Romans 4:20-21This passage connects Abraham's faith to God's power to bring life from barrenness, paralleling the assurance in Isaiah that God's promises of bringing forth will be fulfilled, regardless of natural limitations.
Philippians 1:6Paul assures believers that God will complete the good work He has begun in them, mirroring Isaiah's confident assertion that God will not abandon His creative work of bringing forth new life and restoration.
clarkeIsaiah 66:9: "Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God."
Shall I bring to the birth - האני אשביר haani ashbir, num ego matricem frangam; Montanus. The word means that which immediately precedes the appearance of the fetus - the breaking forth of the liquor amnii. This also is an expression that should be studiously avoided in prayers and sermons.
jfbIsaiah 66:9: "Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God."
- cause to bring forth, and shut—rather, "Shall I who beget, restrain the birth?" [Lowth], (Isa 37:3; Ho 13:13); that is, Shall I who have begun, not finish My work of restoring Israel? (1Sa 3:12; Ro 11:1; Php 1:6).shut—(compare Re 3:7, 8).
The verse uses the powerful imagery of childbirth not just to show God's ability to start something, but to emphasize His commitment to completing it. It's a direct reassurance that God won't initiate a process of new creation or restoration only to abandon it before the final outcome is realized.
This passage appears at the end of Isaiah's prophecy, following a stark contrast between God's judgment on the unfaithful and His ultimate restoration of Zion. It speaks directly to God's commitment to bringing His work of renewal to completion, assuring His people that He will not start a promise of new life and growth only to abandon it. The imagery of childbirth signifies the miraculous and powerful way God will establish and expand His people.
This passage appears at the end of Isaiah's prophecy, following a stark contrast between God's judgment on the unfaithful and His ultimate restoration of Zion. It speaks directly to God's commitment to bringing His work of renewal to completion, assuring His people that He will not start a promise of new life and growth only to abandon it. The imagery of childbirth signifies the miraculous and powerful way God will establish and expand His people.
"Shall I bring to the point of birth and not cause to bring forth?” says the LORD; “shall I, who cause to bring forth, shut the womb?” says your God." — The verse uses the powerful imagery of childbirth not just to show God's ability to start something, but to emphasize His commitment to completing it. It's a direct reassurance that God won't initi…
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Last reviewed October 2026