Barrenness(sterility)
Summary
The inability to bear children, considered the greatest misfortune that could befall an Israelite woman and sometimes sent as divine judgment.
☩The Reproach of Childlessness
In the East, barrenness was the hardest lot that could befall a woman, considered among the Israelites as the heaviest punishment from the Lord. The constant expectation of the Messiah intensified this reproach, as every woman hoped she might be the mother of the promised Seed. The Talmud required a man to marry another woman after ten years of childless marriage.
☩Notable Examples
Scripture records several notable women whose barrenness was relieved by divine intervention: Sarah the wife of Abraham, Rebekah, Rachel, the wife of Manoah (mother of Samson), Hannah (mother of Samuel), and Elisabeth (mother of John the Baptist). That the mothers of the Hebrew race were naturally sterile yet bore children shows God's special favor and intervention on behalf of Israel.
Related Verses17 mentions
See Also
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Barren," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. I (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Barren; Barrenness," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. I (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.Richard Watson, "Barrenness," in A Biblical and Theological Dictionary (John Mason, 1831).