In their comments on Rev 12:1, Strack and Billerbeck wrote the following:
12:1: A woman wrapped with the sun.…
On the allegorical presentation of Zion as a
woman, see above all 4 Ezra 9:38–10:55; also Pesiq. Rab. 26 (131B) at § Gal
4:26 C, n. c. (Hermann L. Strack and Paul Billerbeck, A Commentary on the
New Testament from the Talmud & Midrash, 3 vols. (ed. Jacob N. Cerone;
trans. Joseph Longarino; Bellingham, Wash.: Lexham Press, 2021), 3: 951)
Here are the non-canonical sources quoted in full for those
interested:
4 Ezra 9:38-10:55 (KJV)
38 And when I spake these things in my heart, I
looked back with mine eyes, and upon the right side I saw a woman, and, behold,
she mourned and wept with a loud voice, and was much grieved in heart, and her
clothes were rent, and she had ashes upon her head. 39 Then let
I my thoughts go that I was in, and turned me unto her, 40 And
said unto her, Wherefore weepest thou? why art thou so grieved in thy mind?
41 And she said unto me, Sir, let me alone, that
I may bewail myself, and add unto my sorrow, for I am sore vexed in my mind,
and brought very low.
42 And I said unto her, What aileth thee? tell
me.
43 She said unto me, I thy servant have been
barren, and had no child, though I had an husband thirty years, 44 And
those thirty years I did nothing else day and night, and every hour, but make
my, prayer to the Highest. 45 After thirty years God heard me
thine handmaid, looked upon my misery, considered my trouble, and gave me a
son: and I was very glad of him, so was my husband also, and all my neighbours:
and we gave great honour unto the Almighty. 46 And I nourished
him with great travail. 47 So when he grew up, and came to the
time that he should have a wife, I made a feast.
Chapter 10
1 And it so came to pass, that when my son was
entered into his wedding chamber, he fell down, and died. 2 Then
we all overthrew the lights, and all my neighbours rose up to comfort me: so I
took my rest unto the second day at night. 3 And it came to
pass, when they had all left off to comfort me, to the end I might be quiet;
then rose I up by night, and fled, and came hither into this field, as thou
seest. 4 And I do now purpose not to return into the city, but
here to stay, and neither to eat nor drink, but continually to mourn and to
fast until I die.
5 Then left I the meditations wherein I was,
and spake to her in anger, saying, 6 Thou foolish woman above
all other, seest thou not our mourning, and what happeneth unto us? 7 How
that Sion our mother is full of all heaviness, and much humbled, mourning very
sore? 8 And now, seeing we all mourn and are sad, for we are
all in heaviness, art thou grieved for one son? 9 For ask the
earth, and she shall tell thee, that it is she which ought to mourn for the
fall of so many that grow upon her. 10 For out of her came all
at the first, and out of her shall all others come, and, behold, they walk
almost all into destruction, and a multitude of them is utterly rooted out. 11 Who
then should make more mourning than she, that hath lost so great a multitude;
and not thou, which art sorry but for one? 12 But if thou
sayest unto me, My lamentation is not like the earth’s, because I have lost the
fruit of my womb, which I brought forth with pains, and bare with sorrows; 13 But
the earth not so: for the multitude present in it according to the course of
the earth is gone, as it came: 14 Then say I unto thee, Like as
thou hast brought forth with labour; even so the earth also hath given her
fruit, namely, man, ever since the beginning unto him that made her. 15 Now
therefore keep thy sorrow to thyself, and bear with a good courage that which
hath befallen thee. 16 For if thou shalt acknowledge the
determination of God to be just, thou shalt both receive thy son in time, and
shalt be commended among women. 17 Go thy way then into the
city to thine husband.
18 And she said unto me, That will I not do: I
will not go into the city, but here will I die.
19 So I proceeded to speak further unto her, and
said, 20 Do not so, but be counselled by me: for how many are
the adversities of Sion? be comforted in regard of the sorrow of Jerusalem. 21 For
thou seest that our sanctuary is laid waste, our altar broken down, our temple
destroyed; 22 Our psaltery is laid on the ground, our song is
put to silence, our rejoicing is at an end, the light of our candlestick is put
out, the ark of our covenant is spoiled, our holy things are defiled, and the
name that is called upon us is almost profaned: our children are put to shame,
our priests are burnt, our Levites are gone into captivity, our virgins are
defiled, and our wives ravished; our righteous men carried away, our little
ones destroyed, our young men are brought in bondage, and our strong men are
become weak; 23 And, which is the greatest of all, the seal of
Sion hath now lost her honour; for she is delivered into the hands of them that
hate us. 24 And therefore shake off thy great heaviness, and
put away the multitude of sorrows, that the Mighty may be merciful unto thee
again, and the Highest shall give thee rest and ease from thy labour.
25 And it came to pass while I was talking with
her, behold, her face upon a sudden shined exceedingly, and her countenance
glistered, so that I was afraid of her, and mused what it might be. 26 And,
behold, suddenly she made a great cry very fearful: so that the earth shook at
the noise of the woman. 27 And I looked, and, behold, the woman
appeared unto me no more, but there was a city builded, and a large place
shewed itself from the foundations: then was I afraid, and cried with a loud
voice, and said, 28 Where is Uriel the angel, who came unto me
at the first? for he hath caused me to fall into many trances, and mine end is
turned into corruption, and my prayer to rebuke.
29 And as I was speaking these words behold, he
came unto me, and looked upon me. 30 And, lo, I lay as one that
had been dead, and mine understanding was taken from me: and he took me by the
right hand, and comforted me, and set me upon my feet, and said unto me, 31 What
aileth thee? and why art thou so disquieted? and why is thine understanding
troubled, and the thoughts of thine heart?
32 And I said, Because thou hast forsaken me,
and yet I did according to thy words, and I went into the field, and, lo, I
have seen, and yet see, that I am not able to express.
33 And he said unto me, Stand up manfully, and I
will advise thee.
34 Then said I, Speak on, my lord, in me; only
forsake me not, lest I die frustrate of my hope. 35 For I have
seen that I knew not, and hear that I do not know. 36 Or is my
sense deceived, or my soul in a dream? 37 Now therefore I
beseech thee that thou wilt shew thy servant of this vision.
38 He answered me then, and said, Hear me, and I
shall inform thee, and tell thee wherefore thou art afraid: for the Highest
will reveal many secret things unto thee. 39 He hath seen that
thy way is right: for that thou sorrowest continually for thy people, and
makest great lamentation for Sion. 40 This therefore is the
meaning of the vision which thou lately sawest: 41 Thou sawest
a woman mourning, and thou begannest to comfort her: 42 But now
seest thou the likeness of the woman no more, but there appeared unto thee a
city builded. 43 And whereas she told thee of the death of her
son, this is the solution: 44 This woman, whom thou sawest, is
Sion: and whereas she said unto thee, (even she whom thou seest as a city
builded,) 45 Whereas, I say, she said unto thee, that she hath
been thirty years barren: those are the thirty years wherein there was no
offering made in her. 46 But after thirty years Solomon builded
the city, and offered offerings: and then bare the barren a son. 47 And
whereas she told thee that she nourished him with labour: that was the dwelling
in Jerusalem. 48 But whereas she said unto thee, That my son
coming into his marriage chamber happened to have a fall, and died: this was
the destruction that came to Jerusalem. 49 And, behold, thou
sawest her likeness, and because she mourned for her son, thou begannest to
comfort her: and of these things which have chanced, these are to be opened
unto thee. 50 For now the most High seeth that thou art grieved
unfeignedly, and sufferest from thy whole heart for her, so hath he shewed thee
the brightness of her glory, and the comeliness of her beauty: 51 And
therefore I bade thee remain in the field where no house was builded: 52 For
I knew that the Highest would shew this unto thee. 53 Therefore
I commanded thee to go into the field, where no foundation of any building was.
54 For in the place wherein the Highest beginneth to shew his
city, there can no man’s building be able to stand.
55 And therefore fear not, let not thine heart
be affrighted, but go thy way in, and see the beauty and greatness of the
building, as much as thine eyes be able to see:
Pesikta Rabbati 26
... Jeremiah said: when I was coming up to
Jerusalem, I lifted up my eyes and saw a woman sitting on the mountaintop, her
clothes were black and her hair unkempt. She cried: I am seeking who will
comfort me! And I cried: I am seeking who will comfort me! I came near and
spoke with her, and I said to her: if you are a woman, then speak with me. If
you are a spirit, then go away from me. She answered and said to me: Do you not
recognize me? I am the one who had seven children. Their father went away to a
land across the sea and as I was going up to cry for him, a prophet said to me
‘the house collapsed on your seven children and killed them.’ I do not know for
whom I am crying and for whom my hair is unkempt.I answered and said to her:
you are no better than my mother Zion, who was made a pasture for the beasts of
the field. She answered and said to me: I am your mother Zion, I am she – the
mother of seven, so it is written “She who bore seven has been cut off…” (Jeremiah
15:9) Jeremiah said to her: the blows you have received are like those of Job.
Job’s sons and daughters were taken from him, your sons and daughters were
taken from you. From Job I took his silver and gold, from you I have taken your
silver and gold. I cast Job into the trash heap, you I have made into a heap of
trash. And just as I came back and consoled Job, so too in the future I will
return and console you. I doubled Job’s sons and daughters, and in the future I
will double your sons and daughters. I doubled Job’s gold and silver, and in
the future I will do so for you. I shook the trash from Job, and of you it is
said “Shake yourselves from the dust, arise, sit down, O Jerusalem…” (Isaiah
52:2) Flesh and blood built you and flesh and blood destroyed you. But In the
time to come I will build you, because thus it is written “The Lord is the
builder of Jerusalem; He will gather the outcasts of Israel.” (Psalms 147:2)
Amen! May the Holy One fulfill what is written about us speedily and in our day
“And the redeemed of Zion shall return, and they shall come to Zion with song,
with joy of days of yore shall be upon their heads; they shall achieve gladness
and joy, and sadness and sighing shall flee.” (Isaiah 35:10) (source)
