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God's Word, especially in the Old Testament Books of the prophets, often does that switch of topics.

How do you know?

Wouldn't it make God's communication with man impossible?

"I'm sayin this right here, but in the next verse, even though I use the same exact word, it actually means something different. But you have to guess when I do that." 

the blind Pharisees

LOL this again?

Well, sorry to say, but that brand of Zionism is false,

It's Zionism. You may not like or agree with the concept, but that's what it it.

and is held by NON-believing Jews who still reject Jesus of Nazareth as The Christ.

Most Jews believe in God, so I'm not sure that using the term "non-believing" is exactly accurate.

But the false idea that Christ comes to gather His Church and takes them to Heaven, while the seed of Israel is gathered back to the holy land in final, is a belief of Dispentationalists that also hold to man's false Pre-trib Rapture theory. Thus there are Christian Churches which believe that, and therefore have no problem with the NON-believing Jews brand of Zionism. Some of those Christian Churches today even help... those NON-believing Jews with their future plans to build their 3rd temple in Jerusalem and startup Old Testamnent style worship again. I do not adhere to that at all, and I see that as an abomination.

You're going to have to take this up with them.

The reason why I am detailing the "Blessed are the barren..." metaphor of Isaiah 54:1

But the rest of the words don't fit the chapter, so I'm having difficulty seeing the connection.

is because of how The New Testament Scriptures uses it about those who will be deceived at the end, particularly un-believing Jews. For Jews today that believe on Lord Jesus as The Christ, they should actually be at the forefront of this type of warning from Scripture, for the sake of their deceived NON-believing Jews.

Nah, we're good.

So the metaphor switches in the middle of the chapter? I find this rather unconvincing.

God's Word, especially in the Old Testament Books of the prophets, often does that switch of topics. It's actually done in just about every Book of The Bible, so I'm surprised you are not aware of that fact. I'd also say that you have failed to spot how Jabez got added to the lineage of Judah given in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 when no linage info is given there about him. Now that is... an abrupt change of subject that God did in His Word that sadly, some have a hard time figuring out why. (1 Chronicles 2:55 reveals why, but some don't understand about those scribes mentioned there either, nor their connection with the blind Pharisees that wanted Jesus executed).

Zionism is the idea that the Jewish people deserve self determination, as other peoples do.  Since Jews don't believe in Jesus, it has nothing to do with "Christ's coming".

Well, sorry to say, but that brand of Zionism is false, and is held by NON-believing Jews who still reject Jesus of Nazareth as The Christ.

But the false idea that Christ comes to gather His Church and takes them to Heaven, while the seed of Israel is gathered back to the holy land in final, is a belief of Dispentationalists that also hold to man's false Pre-trib Rapture theory. Thus there are Christian Churches which believe that, and therefore have no problem with the NON-believing Jews brand of Zionism. Some of those Christian Churches today even help... those NON-believing Jews with their future plans to build their 3rd temple in Jerusalem and startup Old Testamnent style worship again. I do not adhere to that at all, and I see that as an abomination.

The reason why I am detailing the "Blessed are the barren..." metaphor of Isaiah 54:1 is because of how The New Testament Scriptures uses it about those who will be deceived at the end, particularly un-believing Jews. For Jews today that believe on Lord Jesus as The Christ, they should actually be at the forefront of this type of warning from Scripture, for the sake of their deceived NON-believing Jews.

(Continued... from my 2nd Post)

Lord Jesus when He was on His way to be crucified quoted that Isaiah 54 metaphor about the barren. He quoted it to the "daughters of Jerusalem" that were on the side weeping for Him as He went up to be crucified.

Luke 23:26-30
26 And as they led Him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus.

27 And there followed Him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him.

28 But Jesus turning unto them said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for Me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.

29 For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, 'Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.'

30 Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us'; and to the hills, 'Cover us.'"
KJV


Lord Jesus said to those Jewish women weeping for Him that the day would come when they and their children, will say that...

"Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck."

Why and when... will those daughters and children of the Jews be saying that "Blessed are the barren..." from Isaiah 54:1?

It's because of the meaning of the heart of that metaphor which God gave in Isaiah 54:1, and that Apostle Paul pulled from in 2 Cor.11 about Christ's Church when gathered to Christ.

Who is Lord Jesus pointing to that will be saying that "Blessed are the barren..."? Deceived Jews in Jerusalem at the end when Jesus finally appears to them, and then realize they have been deceived. And thus they will appear in shame when Jesus appears, and will wish for the mountains to "Fall on us", and for the hills to "Cover us". Those are metaphors for shame.

Thus the deceived Jews in Jerusalem when Jesus comes, those "Daughters of Jerusalem" and their "children", will be saying that "Blessed are the barren..." metaphor about the Faithful in Christ that wait for His coming "as a chaste virgin". Jesus Christ is our True Husband, "thy Maker" and "Husband" of the Isaiah 54:5 Scripture.

And another important part of that Isaiah 54:1 metaphor which is quoted in The New Testament is the idea of 'travailing with child'. That's simply about the idea of a woman who is pregnant and in labor pangs. That is part of the Isaiah 54:1 metaphor, "thou that didst not travail with child". That metaphor is used throughout The Old Testament, especially in the Book of Jeremiah because of the king of Babylon coming upon Jerusalem to destroy back in Israel's history.

In 1 Thessalonians 5, Apostle Paul uses the "travail with child" metaphor about the deceived at the end of this world that will be claiming, "Peace and safety", but then in final "sudden destruction" will come upon them...

1 Thess 5:2-4
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

3 For when they shall say, "Peace and safety"; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child[/u]; and they shall not escape.

4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
KJV

That "day of the Lord" that will come "as a thief in the night" is the last day of this present world when Christ Jesus' 2nd coming to gather His saints will happen. On that same 'day', the deceived will be surprised and shocked when they see Jesus coming in the clouds, and thus their shame will be like a woman travailing with child. Paul is therefore using that travail with child idea as a symbol for the 'deceived' just prior to Christ's future return.

Lord Jesus in The Gospel of Matthew and of Luke also used a portion of that "thou that didst travail with child" idea from the Isaiah 54:1 "Blessed are the barre..." metaphor. He used about those "with child" for the coming time of "great tribulation" at the end of this world just prior to His return...

Matt 24:18-21
18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
KJV

Now it is very simple to interpret the above "... woe unto them that are with child" idea being literally about a pregnant woman struggling in that future time of the "great tribulation", not being able to prepare to be caught up by Christ, or escape the city. But child birth is a Blessing per The LORD. So how is Lord Jesus using this "... woe unto them that are with child" at this point in time for the end? There's another example He gives in Luke 21 about the end...

Luke 21:22-23
22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.

23 But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.
KJV

Why will there be "... wrath upon this people" who are "with child"? Is that literally just about pregnant women in that time? And what timing exactly is that "days of vengeance, that all things are written may be fulfilled"? That "days of vengeance" is actually a reference to Jesus' future 2nd coming to gather His faithful Church on the last day of this world. (And yeah I know that some interpret this being about the 70 A.D. destruction of Jerusalem because of the next 24th verse. But recall that Jesus' mention of not one stone atop another prophecy is a dual-fulfillment type prophecy, once as a partial-fulfillment for 70 A.D. by the Romans, and the second time as a complete-fulfillment on the day of Christ's future coming.)

At the middle of the Luke 21:24 verse, it mentions Jerusalem being trodden down by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles is fulfilled. That's a last days event, not a 70 A.D. event. It is pointing to our near future of Revelation 11:1-3 about the future Jewish 3rd temple in Jerusalem to be built for the coming "great tribulation", with the outer court left for the Gentiles, and they shall tread the city for 42 months (i.e., the 3.5 years, or 1260 days of the Book of Daniel about the last days "great tribulation".)

in reality then, that "wrath" upon those "with child" at the end just prior to Christ's future return, is being used as a warning, because Apostle Paul says in 1 Thess.5:9 that those in Christ are not appointed to God's wrath.

(Continued...)

The barren mother in Is. 54 is an obvious metaphor for Zion, that is to say, Jerusalem. It's a common theme that Isaiha uses. Some examples:
....

Yes, the Isaiah 54:10-13 section in particular is about Jerusalem.

But the previous Isaiah 54:1-5 section is especially about the new Jerusalem regarding Christ's Church there in final, and is where Apostle Paul is quoting from in 2 Corinthians 11.

Isa 54:1-5
1 Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD.

2 Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;

3 For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.

4 Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.

5 For thy Maker is thine Husband; the LORD of hosts is His name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall He be called.
KJV


Some believe men's doctrines that when Jesus Christ comes to gather His Church, that He takes them to Heaven while the Jews are gathered back to the holy land. I do not hold to that tradition of men. And that is kind of what Zionism is about that some Jews believe, the idea that only the seed of Israel is gathered back to the holy land at Christ's coming.

That Isaiah 54:2-3 Scripture is about the believing seed of Israel inheriting the believing Gentiles, and both together make the desolate cities in the holy land inhabited. This is why Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 11:2 desired to present the Church as "a chaste virgin" to their Husband Jesus Christ. Paul was pulling those ideas from the Isaiah 54:1-5 Scripture.

The barren mother in Is. 54 is an obvious metaphor for Zion, that is to say, Jerusalem. It's a common theme that Isaiha uses. Some examples:

Is. 49: Yet the children of your bereavement will say in your hearing, ‘This place is too small for us; make room for us to live here.’  Then you will say in your heart, ‘Who has begotten these for me? I was bereaved and barren; I was exiled and rejected. So who has reared them? Look, I was left all alone, so where did they come from?’”

The whole chapter of Is. 62.

Is. 66 “Before she was in labor, she gave birth; before she was in pain, she delivered a boy.  Who has heard of such as this? Who has seen such things? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be delivered in an instant? Yet as soon as Zion was in labor, she gave birth to her children."

etc