Then you will say in your heart …: The city of Zion will reflect on the amazing thing that will happen by asking itself three rhetorical questions. To say in your heart means “to speak to yourself” or “to think to yourself” (see the comments on 14.13). Since questions follow this quote frame, it may be better rendered “Then you will ask yourself” (Bible en français courant). If the rhetorical questions are replaced by emphatic statements, then the verb say or “think” fits well. In your heart may be omitted for naturalness; for example, Contemporary English Version renders this line as “and Jerusalem will ask.”

Who has borne me these?: As in verse 12, the demonstrative pronoun these refers to the Israelite exiles returning to Zion. It occurs once in each of the three questions. This question is literally “Who has given birth to these for me?” The Hebrew verb for “given birth” is masculine. This verb can be used of a father as well as a mother. The various countries from which the returning exiles came are referred to as the “father” of all these children. This question is not asking who are the parents of the returning exiles, but rather it is a figure of speech, meaning “How can they be so many? Where have they all come from?” Most versions consulted use a form of the verb “bear,” except Bible en français courant, which renders this question as “Who has given me all these children?” and Contemporary English Version, which translates it too freely with “Am I really their mother?” We prefer “Who has fathered all these [children] for me?”

I was bereaved and barren, exiled and put away: These four expressions describe what happened to the city of Zion when the Babylonians captured it in 587 B.C. In the first half of Isaiah there are many examples of three or four synonymous terms used to reinforce a description of an event or person. This group of synonymous terms is an unusual occurrence in the latter half of the book. However, it probably has the same purpose, namely to emphasize something or draw attention to it. Here that purpose is to stress the situation in the city. Bereaved refers to the loss of its people; barren means it was unable to have children, so no more children were born in the city; exiled means its people were taken away in exile; put away means it was rejected (so New International Version). Good News Translation offers natural equivalents for the English language: “I lost my children and could have no more. I was exiled and driven away.” Bible en français courant has “I was deprived of mine and without hope of having any other, I was exiled and put aside.”

But who has brought up these?: This second rhetorical question asks who has raised the returning exiles. But renders the common Hebrew conjunction (literally “and”). Here it introduces a contrast between the barren city of Zion and the surprising number of people returning to it. Good News Translation and New International Version leave this connector implied. The Hebrew verb rendered brought up is literally “made to grow” or “made to be great.” This verb is slightly ambiguous since it can refer to size as well as to power and greatness or importance. Since the people who return to Zion complain that the city is too small to contain them all, a likely sense of the verb here is “made to become numerous.” However, most versions see it as referring to the process of raising children to become mature individuals. Both interpretations are included in the examples below.

Behold, I was left alone refers either to the city being left without people, or to the city being the only city remaining since all others have been destroyed. In both cases there is hyperbole, since there were cities remaining throughout Judah, and each would have had a small population left in them (see 2 Kgs 25.22-24). The word Behold calls attention to Zion being left alone. Most versions omit it. I was left alone is an emphatic expression in Hebrew since the pronoun I occurs both independently and as a verbal affix in the Hebrew text, as in verse 15. Most versions consulted translate this clause literally.

Whence then have these come?: This third rhetorical question is related to the first two. Zion notices all the people coming toward it from all the regions to which they had been scattered, and asks where they all have come from. This question is literally “these, where [are] they?” Bible en français courant says “and those, where were they?” Revised English Bible has “where did I get them?” But most versions consulted use the verb phrase “come from,” as in Good News Translation.

In languages where all questions are naturally assumed to be asking for information, the use of these rhetorical questions may not be appropriate. If so, emphatic statements can be used instead; for example, “Then you will say to yourself, ‘I don’t know the father [or, the parents] of all these children … I don’t know who raised them … I don’t know where they have come from.’”

Translation examples for this verse are:

• Then you will ask yourself:
‘Who has fathered these for me?
I was bereft, childless, in exile and cast aside,
but who has made them so many?
Look, I was left all alone,
where have these all come from?’”

• Then you will say to yourself:
‘Who has had all these children for me?
I was bereft, without children, exiled and rejected,
who has raised these children?
See, I was all alone,
but I don’t know where these have come from!’”

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .