Isaiah 49:20

The children which thou shalt haue, after thou hast lost the other, shall say againe in thine eares, The place is too straight for me: giue place to mee that I may dwell. Isaiah 49:20 (KJV)

Isaiah 49:20 belongs to a larger prophetic section in the book of Isaiah in which the prophet delivers a message of hope and restoration to the Israelites who were in exile in Babylon. The verse points forward to a time when the exiles will return to their homeland and experience an increase in population.

In the preceding verses God comforts Zion, assuring the people of Israel that He has not forgotten them and that their restoration is imminent. Isaiah 49:18‑19 declares, “Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee… For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away.”

The phrase “the children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other” indicates that the initial loss and devastation suffered by Israel will be replaced by a flourishing future. It implies that those who had been scattered will be blessed with a new generation born to them.

The latter part of the verse, “The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell,” signifies that the restored land will become too small to accommodate the growing people. The returning exiles will find the land filled with inhabitants and will need expansion and provision of dwelling places.

Overall, Isaiah 49:20 portrays a powerful message of hope and restoration. It prophesies the return of the exiles, the growth of the population, and the necessity of an expanded land to accommodate the flourishing nation of Israel. The passage reflects God’s faithfulness to His promises and His plan to bring His people back from exile and bless them with abundance in their homeland.