Isaiah 49:21
Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been? Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been?
Isaiah 49:21 belongs to Isaiah 49:1-26, which sets out the way by which Christlike attributes of character may be obtained. The chapter as a whole shows the work God's people are to do. The verse records Zion speaking in her heart in wonder at the unexpected multitude of children given to her after losing her children and being desolate, captive, wandering to and fro, and left alone. In that amazement she asks who has begotten these children for her, who has brought them up, and where they had been. Its promise of children is true and not tantalizing, because God is true and righteous.