In the context of the Bible, sterility, or barrenness, refers to the inability to conceive children. This condition is often depicted as a significant challenge and source of distress, particularly for women, as children were considered a blessing and a sign of divine favor. The Bible contains several narratives involving barren women, highlighting both the personal and societal implications of sterility.

Old Testament Instances

1. Sarah: One of the most notable examples of sterility in the Bible is Sarah, the wife of Abraham. Initially unable to bear children, Sarah's barrenness is a central theme in the narrative of God's covenant with Abraham. Genesis 11:30 states, "But Sarai was barren; she had no child." Despite her advanced age, God promised Abraham that Sarah would bear a son, Isaac, through whom the covenant would continue (Genesis 17:19). Sarah's eventual conception is seen as a miraculous act of God, demonstrating His power and faithfulness.

2. Rebekah: Isaac's wife, Rebekah, also experienced a period of 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 account emphasizes the importance of prayer and divine intervention in overcoming sterility.

3. Rachel: Rachel, the beloved wife of Jacob, struggled with sterility while her sister Leah bore several children. Rachel's distress is evident in Genesis 30:1, where she says to Jacob, "Give me children, or I shall die!" God eventually remembered Rachel, and she bore Joseph, who would play a crucial role in the history of Israel (Genesis 30:22-24).

4. Hannah: The account of Hannah, the mother of Samuel, is another poignant example. Deeply grieved by her inability to conceive, Hannah prayed earnestly to the Lord, vowing that if He granted her a son, she would dedicate him to the Lord's service. 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 have asked for him from the LORD.'"

New Testament Reference

In the New Testament, Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, is described as barren. Luke 1:7 notes, "But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were well along in years." Her eventual conception is announced by an angel and is seen as a fulfillment of God's plan, paralleling the miraculous births of the Old Testament.

Theological Implications

Sterility in the Bible is often portrayed as a condition that God can reverse, demonstrating His sovereignty and compassion. The narratives of barren women who eventually conceive underscore themes of hope, faith, and divine intervention. These accounts also highlight the cultural importance of offspring in biblical times, where children were seen as a continuation of one's lineage and a means of securing one's legacy.

Furthermore, the accounts of sterility and subsequent divine intervention serve to illustrate God's ability to bring life and blessing out of seemingly hopeless situations. They remind believers of the importance of trust in God's promises and the power of prayer in seeking His will.1. (a.) Producing little or no crop; barren; unfruitful; unproductive; not fertile; as, sterile land; a sterile desert; a sterile year.

2. (a.) Incapable of reproduction; unfitted for reproduction of offspring; not able to germinate or bear fruit; unfruitful; as, a sterile flower, which bears only stamens.

3. (a.) Free from reproductive spores or germs; as, a sterile fluid.

4. (a.) Fig.: Barren of ideas; destitute of sentiment; as, a sterile production or author.

4723. steira -- barren
... barren. A contraction from stereos (as stiff and unnatural); "sterile" -- barren.
see GREEK stereos. (steira) -- 4 Occurrences. (steirai) -- 1 Occurrence. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4723.htm - 6k6135. aqar -- barren
... sterile male or barren woman. From aqar; sterile (as if extirpated in the generative
organs) -- (X male or female) barren (woman). see HEBREW aqar. 6134, 6135 ...
/hebrew/6135.htm - 6k

1565. galmud -- hard, barren
... desolate, solitary. Probably by prolonged from galam; sterile (as wrapped up too
hard); figuratively, desolate -- desolate, solitary. see HEBREW galam. ...
/hebrew/1565.htm - 6k

6160. arabah -- a steppe or desert plain, also a desert valley ...
... From arab (in the sense of sterility); a desert; especially (with the article prefix)
the (generally) sterile valley of the Jordan and its continuation to the ...
/hebrew/6160.htm - 6k

3521. Kabul -- a city in Asher, also a region in Galilee
... Cabul. From the same as kebel in the sense of limitation; sterile; Cabul, the name
of two places in Palestine -- Cabul. see HEBREW kebel. 3520, 3521. ...
/hebrew/3521.htm - 6k

Whether it is Allowable for a Menstruous Wife to Ask for the ...
... Reply to Objection 3: As long as a woman is subject to the menses it cannot
be certain that she is sterile. For some are sterile ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether it is allowable for.htm

Whether the Reason Can be Overcome by a Passion, against Its ...
... whoever knows the universal, knows also the particular which he knows to be contained
in the universal: thus who knows that every mule is sterile, knows that ...
//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether the reason can be.htm

To Daniella of Orvieto Clothed with the Habit of St. Dominic
... those for whom we were praying, and none in another, who was also a servant of God"
but thou didst seem to see him with his mind abased and sterile"do not ...
/.../benincasa/letters of catherine benincasa/to daniella of orvieto clothed.htm

Thoughts on Mind and on Style
... when they are presented with propositions of which they understand nothing, and
the way to which is through definitions and axioms so sterile, and which they ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pascal/pensees/section i thoughts on mind.htm

Following Hard after God
... The doctrine of justification by faith"a Biblical truth, and a blessed relief from
sterile legalism and unavailing self-effort"has in our time fallen into ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/tozer/the pursuit of god/i following hard after god.htm

Jesus Christ, the Divine Teacher of Prayer (Continued)
... In Christ's teaching, prayer isno sterile, vain performance, not a mere rite, a
form, but a request for an answer, a plea to gain, the seeking of a great good ...
/.../bounds/the reality of prayer/vi jesus christ the divine.htm

Trinidad
... He was surprised, says Washington Irving, at the verdure and fertility of the country,
having expected to find it more parched and sterile as he approached the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/at last/chapter iii trinidad.htm

The Holy Spirit and Prayer
... The marvelous facts of Christ's life told by hearts unanointed by the Holy Spirit
will be dry and sterile, or "like a story told by an idiot, full of sound and ...
/.../bounds/the reality of prayer/xiii the holy spirit and.htm

A New Venture
... The effort was, however, sterile so far as women were concerned, and Pastor Hsi
knew the impossibility of establishing upon a solid basis a work which left ...
/.../cable/the fulfilment of a dream of pastor hsis/chapter iii a new venture.htm

The Silence of God
... Augustin was going to live nine years at Carthage"nine years that he squandered
in obscure tasks, in disputes sterile or unfortunate for himself and others ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bertrand/saint augustin/v the silence of god.htm

Sterile (3 Occurrences)
... 1. (a.) Producing little or no crop; barren; unfruitful; unproductive; not
fertile; as, sterile land; a sterile desert; a sterile year. ...
/s/sterile.htm - 7k

Barren (44 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary. 1. (a.) Incapable of producing offspring; producing
no young; sterile; -- said of women and female animals. ...
/b/barren.htm - 23k

Sterility (1 Occurrence)
... 1. (n.) The quality or condition of being sterile. 2. (n.) Quality of being sterile;
infecundity; also, the state of being free from germs or spores. ...
/s/sterility.htm - 7k

Jeshimon (6 Occurrences)
... This is the bare and sterile land, saturated with salt, lying on each side of the
Jordan North of the Dead Sea, where for miles practically no vegetable life ...
/j/jeshimon.htm - 11k

Barrenness (3 Occurrences)
... 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 ...
/b/barrenness.htm - 10k

Unfruitful (8 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (a.) Not producing fruit or offspring; unproductive;
infertile; barren; sterile; as, an unfruitful tree or animal; unfruitful soil ...
/u/unfruitful.htm - 9k

Worker (36 Occurrences)
... worker in brass. 2. (n.) One of the neuter, or sterile, individuals of the
social ants, bees, and white ants. The workers are generally ...
/w/worker.htm - 20k

Impoverish (3 Occurrences)
... 2. (vt) To exhaust the strength, richness, or fertility of; to make sterile; as,
to impoverish land. Multi-Version Concordance Impoverish (3 Occurrences). ...
/i/impoverish.htm - 7k

Impotent (5 Occurrences)
... 3. (a.) Wanting the power of procreation; unable to copulate; also, sometimes, sterile;
barren. 4. (n.) One who is impotent. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. ...
/i/impotent.htm - 9k

Poor (276 Occurrences)
... poor lodgings. 7. (superl.) Destitute of fertility; exhausted; barren; sterile; --
said of land; as, poor soil. 8. (superl.) Destitute ...
/p/poor.htm - 60k

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