9, 10. What would the instruction to ‘make the place of the tent more spacious’ mean to a tent-dwelling woman in ancient times, and why is this a time of joy for such a woman?

⁹ Isaiah goes on to prophesy about a period of remarkable growth: “Make the place of your tent more spacious. And let them stretch out the tent cloths of your grand tabernacle. Do not hold back. Lengthen out your tent cords, and make those tent pins of yours strong.

Isaiah 54:2

¹⁰ Here Jerusalem is addressed as if she were a wife and mother dwelling in tents, just like Sarah. When blessed with a growing family, it is time for such a mother to see to the expansion of her home. She needs to put up longer tent cloths and cords and secure the tent pins in their new positions. This is happy work for her, and at such a busy time, she may easily forget the years she spent wondering anxiously whether she would ever bear children to carry on the family line.