Translations
F.O.G.MPrimary
F.O.G Message"Would I bring a mother to the very brink of birth and not bring the child forth?" declares Yahweh. "Would I — the One who opens the womb — then close it shut?" says your God.
F.O.GSecondary
The F.O.G"Would I bring to the point of birth and not deliver?" declares YHWH. "Would I — who cause birth — then shut the womb?" says your Elohim.
KJV
King James VersionShall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God.
BSB
Berean Standard BibleShall I bring a baby to the point of birth and not deliver it?” says the LORD. “Or will I who deliver close the womb?” says your God.
Footnotes
*Ashbir* (אַשְׁבִּיר), from the hiphil of *shabar*, means to cause to break through — the specific moment of a child crowning and breaking through the birth canal. It is a concrete, even visceral image. YHWH here takes the role of divine midwife-Creator, and the theological point is covenant assurance: what He has initiated, He will complete. Paul echoes this logic in Philippians 1:6. The juxtaposition of YHWH as midwife with His identity as Creator-Sustainer makes this one of Scripture's most tender yet powerful portraits of divine faithfulness. FOG preserves "deliver"; FOG Message expands for emotional and theological clarity.
