Definition and Context:
Barrenness, in the biblical context, refers to the inability to conceive children. This condition is often depicted in the Bible as a significant personal and social challenge, particularly for women, as childbearing was considered a primary role and blessing. Barrenness is frequently mentioned in the Old Testament, where it is sometimes seen as a trial or a divine test, and at other times as a condition that God can reverse as a sign of His favor and power.

Biblical Instances:

1. Sarah (Sarai):
Sarah, the wife of Abraham, is one of the most notable examples of barrenness in the Bible. Despite God's promise to Abraham that he would be the father of many nations, Sarah remained childless for many years. Genesis 11:30 states, "Now Sarai was barren; she had no child." Her barrenness was a significant test of faith for both her and Abraham. Eventually, God fulfilled His promise, and Sarah bore Isaac in her old age (Genesis 21:1-3).

2. Rebekah:
Rebekah, the wife of Isaac, also experienced barrenness. Genesis 25:21 records, "Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. The LORD answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived." This instance highlights the power of prayer and God's intervention in overcoming barrenness.

3. Rachel:
Rachel, the beloved wife of Jacob, struggled with barrenness while her sister Leah bore several children. Rachel's plight is described in Genesis 30:1, "When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she envied her sister. 'Give me children, or I will die!' she said to Jacob." God eventually remembered Rachel, and she gave birth to Joseph (Genesis 30:22-24).

4. Hannah:
Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel, is another prominent figure who faced barrenness. Her account is found in 1 Samuel 1. Deeply distressed by her inability to conceive, Hannah prayed earnestly to the Lord, and He granted her request. 1 Samuel 1:20 states, "So in the course of time, Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, 'Because I asked the LORD for him.'"

5. Elizabeth:
In the New Testament, Elizabeth, the wife of Zechariah and mother of John the Baptist, was also barren. Luke 1:7 notes, "But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were well along in years." Her barrenness was ended by divine intervention, as an angel announced that she would bear a son who would prepare the way for the Lord (Luke 1:13-17).

Theological Significance:

Barrenness in the Bible often serves as a backdrop for demonstrating God's sovereignty and faithfulness. It underscores the belief that God is the giver of life and that He can overcome natural limitations to fulfill His purposes. The reversal of barrenness is frequently associated with divine promise and blessing, as seen in the lives of Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Hannah, and Elizabeth.

Symbolism and Metaphor:

Beyond its literal meaning, barrenness is sometimes used metaphorically in Scripture to describe spiritual desolation or unfruitfulness. For example, in Isaiah 54:1, the barren woman is called to rejoice because of the promise of future blessing and expansion: "Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband, says the LORD."

Cultural and Social Implications:

In ancient Israelite society, barrenness was often viewed as a source of shame and social stigma. Women who could not bear children were sometimes marginalized or seen as lacking divine favor. However, the biblical narratives consistently reveal God's compassion and intervention, emphasizing His ability to transform situations of despair into ones of hope and fulfillment.Barrenness

An affliction peculiarly lamented throughout the East, Genesis 16:1 30:1-23 1 Samuel 1:6,19 Isaiah 47:9 49:21 Luke 1:25, especially by the Jewish women, who remembered the promised Messiah, Genesis 3:15, and hoped for the honor of his parentage. The strength of this feeling is evinced by the extraordinary and often unjustifiable measures it led them to adopt, Genesis 16:2 19:31 38:14 De 25:5-10. Professed Christians are charged with barrenness, if they are destitute of the fruits of the Spirit, and do not abound in good works, Luke 13:6-9 2 Peter 1:8.

(n.) The condition of being barren; sterility; unproductiveness.BARREN; BARRENNESS

bar'-en, (bar'-en-nes tsiyah; melehah; shakhol; `aqar; steiros; argos):

(1) Of land that bears no crop, either

(a) because it is naturally poor and sterile: tsiyah "dry" (Joel 2:20), melechah, "salt" (Job 39:6 the King James Version), shakhol, "miscarrying" (2 Kings 2:19, 21), or

(b) because it is, under God's curse, turned into a melechah or salt desert, for the wickedness of the people that dwell therein (Psalm 107:34 the King James Version; compare Genesis 3:17, 18).

(2) Of females that bear no issue: `aqar: Sarah (Genesis 11:30); Rebekah (Genesis 25:21); Rachel (Genesis 29:31); Manoah's wife (Judges 13:2, 3); Hannah (1 Samuel 2:5); steiros: Elisabeth (Luke 1:7, 36).

In Israel and among oriental peoples generally barrenness was a woman's and a family's greatest misfortune. The highest sanctions of religion and patriotism blessed the fruitful woman, because children were necessary for the perpetuation of the tribe and its religion. It is significant that the mothers of the Hebrew race, Sarah, Rebekah and Rachel, were by nature sterile, and therefore God's special intervention shows His particular favor to Israel. Fruitfulness was God's special blessing to His people (Exodus 23:26 Deuteronomy 7:14 Psalm 113:9). A complete family is an emblem of beauty (Songs 4:2; Songs 6:6). Metaphorically, Israel, in her days of adversity, when her children were exiled, was barren, but in her restoration she shall rejoice in many children (Isaiah 54:1 Galatians 4:27). The utter despair and terror of the destruction of Jerusalem could go no farther than that the barren should be called blessed (Luke 23:29).

(3) Argos is translated in the King James Version "barren," but in the Revised Version (British and American) more accurately "idle" (2 Peter 1:8).

T. Rees

2048. eremos -- solitary, desolate
... vegetation"). This root () does "not suggest absolute barrenness but territory
affording free range for shepherds and their flocks. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2048.htm - 8k4420. melechah -- saltiness, barrenness
... 4419, 4420. melechah. 4421 . saltiness, barrenness. Transliteration: melechah
Phonetic Spelling: (mel-ay-khaw') Short Definition: salt. ...
/hebrew/4420.htm - 6k

That Sarah's Barrenness was Made Productive by God's Grace.
... Book XV. Chapter 3."That Sarah's Barrenness was Made Productive by God's
Grace. Sarah, in fact, was barren; and, despairing of ...
/.../augustine/city of god/chapter 3 that sarahs barrenness was.htm

Of the Change of Name in Abraham and Sarah, who Received the Gift ...
... 28."Of the Change of Name in Abraham and Sarah, Who Received the Gift of Fecundity
When They Were Incapable of Regeneration Owing to the Barrenness of One ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/city of god/chapter 28 of the change of.htm

Whether the Reason for Divorce was Hatred for the Wife?
... Therefore the same conclusion follows as before. Objection 3: On the contrary,
Barrenness and fornication are more opposed to marriage than hatred. ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether the reason for divorce.htm

Answer to Objections: Signal Instances of Prayer
... Souls that have long been barren but have become conscious of their intellects'
sterility and the barrenness of their mind, through persevering prayer have ...
/.../origen/origen on prayer/chapter viii answer to objections .htm

Death to Sin is the Way Out into a Life of Holiness.
... hidden power within, and the old outlets of growth shut off"the sun will do the
rest; out of the midst of apparent lifelessness, of barrenness, of difficulty ...
//christianbookshelf.org/trotter/parables of the cross/death to sin is the.htm

On the Feast of Martyrs
... concupiscences.". The second kind of suffering consists of spiritual
perplexity, barrenness, or the deprivation of visible grace. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/tauler/the inner way/sermon xxx on the feast.htm

Kadesh. Rekam, and that Double. Inquiry is Made, Whether the ...
... arose among them, not so much of the place itself, as of the ill boding and prejudice,
as I may so say, of the place; because, from the barrenness of this place ...
/.../lightfoot/from the talmud and hebraica/chapter 7 kadesh rekam and.htm

By this Patience of Christian Love He not Only Endured the ...
... and without, share the rain with the wheat itself, which rain is in itself heavenly
and sweet, even though under its influence the tares grow up in barrenness. ...
/.../writings in connection with the donatist controversy /chapter 9 13 by.htm

And Besides This, one May Well Wonder How it Happened that the ...
... of the human race,"that this was analogous to the case of those who have died for
their country in order to remove pestilence, or barrenness, or tempests? ...
/.../origen/origen against celsus/chapter xxxi and besides this.htm

Nothing but Leaves
... of this strange and anomalous miracle is that it is an acted parable, a symbol of
Israel in its fruitlessness and in its consequent barrenness to all coming ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture d/nothing but leaves.htm

Barrenness (3 Occurrences)
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. BARREN; BARRENNESS. ... In Israel and among oriental
peoples generally barrenness was a woman's and a family's greatest misfortune. ...
/b/barrenness.htm - 10k

Barren (44 Occurrences)
... Instances of barrenness are noticed (Genesis 11:30; 25:21; 29:31; Judges 13:2,
3; Luke 1:7, 36). Noah Webster's Dictionary. ... BARREN; BARRENNESS. ...
/b/barren.htm - 23k

Barricade (5 Occurrences)

/b/barricade.htm - 8k

Vital (2 Occurrences)
... 19 And, without growing weak in faith, he could contemplate his own vital powers
which had now decayed--for he was nearly 100 years old--and Sarah's barrenness...
/v/vital.htm - 7k

Nearly (13 Occurrences)
... 19 And, without growing weak in faith, he could contemplate his own vital powers
which had now decayed--for he was nearly 100 years old--and Sarah's barrenness...
/n/nearly.htm - 10k

Growing (31 Occurrences)
... 19 And, without growing weak in faith, he could contemplate his own vital powers
which had now decayed--for he was nearly 100 years old--and Sarah's barrenness...
/g/growing.htm - 15k

Ishmael (44 Occurrences)
... strange practice. It was customary among ancient peoples to correct the natural
defect of barrenness by substituting a slave woman. In ...
/i/ishmael.htm - 38k

Tribe (250 Occurrences)
... he legally belonged. At his birth Rachel, whose barrenness had been a sore
trial to her, exclaimed "God hath judged me. and hath ...
/t/tribe.htm - 45k

Decayed (7 Occurrences)
... 19 And, without growing weak in faith, he could contemplate his own vital powers
which had now decayed--for he was nearly 100 years old--and Sarah's barrenness...
/d/decayed.htm - 8k

Dan (71 Occurrences)
... he legally belonged. At his birth Rachel, whose barrenness had been a sore
trial to her, exclaimed "God hath judged me. and hath ...
/d/dan.htm - 41k

How should a Christian deal with infertility? | GotQuestions.org

Who was Hannah in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

Who was Dan in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

Barrenness: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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