As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you; and you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
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Isaiah 51:3 For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.
1 Thessalonians 2:7 But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children:
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Isaiah 66:10 Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her:
Isaiah 65:18,19 But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy…
Psalm 137:6 If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.
so will I comfort you
Here, God promises to provide the same level of comfort and reassurance to His people as a mother does to her child. This reflects God's commitment to His covenant with Israel, offering solace and restoration. The context of Isaiah 66 is one of hope and renewal after judgment, where God reassures the faithful remnant of His presence and support. This promise of comfort is echoed in the New Testament, where Jesus speaks of sending the Holy Spirit as the Comforter (John 14:16), indicating the ongoing presence of God with His people.
and you will be consoled over Jerusalem.
This phrase addresses the specific context of Jerusalem, which had experienced destruction and exile. The promise of consolation over Jerusalem signifies the restoration and renewal of the city, both physically and spiritually. Jerusalem holds a central place in biblical prophecy as the city of God, and its restoration is a recurring theme in the prophets. This consolation is not only for the physical city but also for the people of God, who are to find peace and hope in God's redemptive plan. The ultimate fulfillment of this promise is seen in the New Jerusalem described in Revelation 21, where God dwells with His people, wiping away every tear.
The opening picture is warm, familiar, and deeply personal.
• A mother’s embrace is instinctive, tender, and constant; it calms fear and dries tears (compare Isaiah 49:15 and Hosea 11:3-4).
• Scripture regularly uses parental imagery to convey God’s character—see Psalm 103:13, where a father’s compassion mirrors the Lord’s.
• Paul adopts the same tone when he says, “We were gentle among you, like a nursing mother caring for her children” (1 Thessalonians 2:7).
By choosing a mother’s comfort, God highlights not raw strength but nurturing closeness, assuring us that His care is never distant or formal.
The comparison shifts from illustration to promise.
• The Lord Himself—not merely circumstances or human helpers—takes the role of Comforter (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 calls Him “the God of all comfort”).
• This comfort is comprehensive, addressing grief, fear, and loss (Psalm 23:4; John 14:16 where Jesus speaks of “another Helper,” the Spirit).
• It is also covenantal: because God’s word is sure, His comfort is guaranteed to all who belong to Him (Isaiah 51:3).
Just as a mother does not ration consolation, neither does God offer partial relief; He pledges full, ongoing restoration.
The promise lands in a specific place and time.
• Jerusalem had known siege, exile, and ruin; God declares those sorrows temporary (Isaiah 40:1-2; 66:10-14).
• The phrase points forward to the city’s physical renewal after captivity (Nehemiah 12:43 records great joy at the rebuilt walls).
• Ultimately it stretches to the messianic and eternal hope, when “the New Jerusalem” descends and “He will wipe away every tear” (Revelation 21:2-4).
• For believers today, Jerusalem stands as a sign that God finishes what He starts, transforming places of pain into centers of praise (Psalm 122:6-9).
Isaiah 66:13 paints God’s comfort in three strokes: the tenderness of a mother, the direct promise of the Lord Himself, and the future healing of Jerusalem. Taken literally, the verse assures every child of God that His compassionate heart, personal involvement, and redemptive plan will turn mourning into everlasting joy.
(13) One whom his mother comforteth . . .--The image of maternal love, with which the prophet's mind is full, is presented in yet another aspect. The love which Zion gives, the love which her children receive from the nations, are both but shadows of the infinite tenderness of Jehovah. In this instance the object of the mother's love that comforts is not the child at the breast, but the full-grown man, returning, like the prodigal, to his home after long years of exile. The words are characteristic at once of the special tie which unites the son to the mother, almost more than to the father, in most Eastern nations, and, perhaps also, of the prophet's personal memories of his own mother's love.Verse 13. - As one; literally, as a man. Israel is now looked upon as grown up, and receiving comfort from God himself in Jerusalem.