Oecumenius, on Rev 12:2

“And being with child, she cried travailing in birth, and was in pain to be delivered.”

“And it says she was pregnant, and crying out in labor pains and anguish to give birth; and Isaiah speaks about her before she begins to labor and before the pains of childbirth come, saying she escaped and gave birth to a male child (Isa. 66:7). Gregory, in the thirteenth discourse of his Commentary on the Song of Songs concerning the Lord, says that her pregnancy remains without intercourse, and her delivery is without defilement. The birth was painless. Therefore if, according to such a great prophet and teacher of the church, the Virgin escaped the pain of labor, how then does she cry out in labor and give birth while being in anguish here? The statement is not a contradiction, far from it; for nothing could be contrary to the one and the same speaker addressing both sides. Rather, what is expressed here cries out and is troubled as you might understand. Until the divine angel spoke to Joseph about her, saying that the one conceived is from the Holy Spirit (Matt. 1:20), the Virgin was understandably distressed, having blushed [ἐρυθριῶσα] toward the one betrothed, and she was considering whether perhaps he might suspect her of secret unions causing her labor pains. Her distress and sorrow, he called, according to the laws of allegory, crying out and anguish, which is not surprising. For even the divine Moses, when he was spiritually encountering God and feeling disheartened, saw Israel in the wilderness surrounded by sea and enemies. It is said by God, "Why do you cry out to me?" (Ex. 14:15) Likewise, now the vision declares a cry concerning the sorrowful disposition in the mind and heart of the Virgin. But you, who are the pure servant and mother according to the flesh, of my Lady, the holy Mother of God [θεοτόκου], having relieved your distress through your ineffable birth, also relieve my sins; for glory belongs to you forever. Amen.”

Imported from an open dataset — not yet checked against the printed edition.