Isaiah 65:23

My Notes

What Does Isaiah 65:23 Mean?

"They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them." The promise eliminates two forms of futility: labor that produces nothing (working in vain) and childbearing that produces grief (bringing forth for trouble). The restored community will work AND see results. They will bear children AND those children will thrive. The curse of futile effort is lifted.

The phrase "not labour in vain" (lo yig'u lariq — they will not toil for emptiness) addresses the anxiety of wasted effort: the fear that your work won't matter, that your labor will be for nothing, that the investment of your energy will produce no return. The promise says: that's over. Your labor will produce. Your effort will bear fruit. The emptiness that swallowed previous labor will not swallow this.

The "nor bring forth for trouble" (velo yeldu labbehalah — they will not give birth for terror/calamity) addresses the grief of parents whose children suffer: the fear that the child you bore will face only hardship. The promise says: your children won't be born into calamity. The bringing forth will not result in trouble. The next generation will not inherit disaster.

Reflection Questions

• 1.Do you believe your labor won't be in vain — and does that belief change how you work?
• 2.What does 'nor bring forth for trouble' promise to every parent terrified for their children's future?
• 3.How does the blessing being generational ('their offspring WITH them') extend hope beyond your own life?
• 4.What futile labor or troubled childbearing in your history does this promise address?

Devotional

Your labor won't be wasted. Your children won't be born for trouble. The two deepest fears of any person — that your work means nothing and that your children will suffer — are addressed directly. Both fears are cancelled. Both futilities are ended.

The 'not labour in vain' speaks to everyone who has worked and watched the results evaporate: the project that collapsed, the investment that disappeared, the effort that produced nothing. The promise says: that pattern ends. In the restored community, work produces results. Effort bears fruit. The labor isn't consumed by emptiness. The toil has a destination that isn't futility.

The 'nor bring forth for trouble' speaks to every parent's deepest terror: will my children be okay? Will what I brought into the world face only hardship? The promise says: your children won't be born for calamity. The next generation isn't doomed. The bringing forth — the vulnerability of creating new life — will not end in the trouble you fear.

The 'seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them' gives the reason: the children are blessed seed. The offspring are included in the blessing. The generational promise extends: YOU are blessed AND your offspring WITH you. The blessing isn't individual. It's generational. The parent and the child share the same blessed status.

Do you believe your labor won't be in vain and your children won't be born for trouble — and does that belief change how you work and parent?

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture