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Whenever the biblical authors describe a woman as barren, you can rest assured she won’t be barren for long. The reason for this confidence is the pattern of God’s reversal of the state of barrenness.
The Old Testament authors describe five women as barren. Let’s zoom in and see who they are.
Five Barren Women
First is Sarah. She’s Abraham’s wife. Genesis 11:30 tells us, “Now Sarai was barren; she had no child.”
Second is Rebekah. She’s Isaac’s wife. In Genesis 25:21 we read, “And Isaac prayed to the LORD for his wife, because she was barren.”
Third is Rachel. She’s Jacob’s wife. According to Genesis 29:31, “Rachel was barren.”
Fourth is Manoah’s wife. She’s unnamed. The writer says in Judges 13:2, “And his wife was barren and had no children.”
Fifth is Hannah. She’s Elkanah’s wife. The writer says in 1 Samuel 1:2 that “Hannah had no children,” and the reason is in 1 Samuel 1:5: “the LORD had closed her womb.”
Sometimes interpreters have suggested that Ruth was barren. Ruth 4:13 says, “So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son.” I don’t think the language is clear enough about barrenness to include Ruth in the list, so I’m contending that five—not six—barren women are identified in the Old Testament.
Barrenness Overcome
There were certainly barren women before and after the ones named above. So why do the biblical authors draw attention to the barrenness of these five women?
In every case where a barren state is identified, the Lord overcomes the woman’s barrenness.
The Lord had promised that “Sarah shall have a son” (Gen. 18:14). And the Lord “visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had promised. And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him” (Gen. 21:1–2).
Though Rebekah was barren, the Lord granted Isaac’s prayer, “and Rebekah his wife conceived” (Gen. 25:21).
Rachel wasn’t Jacob’s only wife, but she was his barren wife. Nevertheless, “God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb. She conceived and bore a son” (Gen. 30:22–23).
An angel came to Manoah’s wife and promised her that she’d bear a son (Judg. 13:3). “And the woman bore a son and called his name Samson” (Judg. 13:24).
Hannah’s womb was closed (1 Sam. 1:5–6), but “the LORD remembered her. And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son” (1 Sam. 1:19–20).
The biblical authors take the time to identify cases of barrenness and then to note the reversal of that state.
Significant Children and Contexts
The birth of children from these formerly barren women is significant for at least two reasons. First, it showcases the power of God. He can overcome what man cannot overcome. He can reverse what seems like a permanent condition. Second, it showcases the promise-keeping character of God. He had promised offspring to Abraham, and a barren wife seemed to thwart the fulfillment of that promise. The reversal of barrenness shows that God is keeping his promises.
The children born from these formerly barren women are significant. Abraham begets Isaac, Isaac begets Jacob, and Jacob will have sons as well. The first three barren women in the Old Testament (Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel) are all wives of patriarchs—three generations in a row! In other words, the generations of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all face the obstacle of barrenness, an obstacle the Lord overcomes by his promise-keeping power. It is the Lord’s power that sustains and advances his covenant promises.
After the wives of the patriarchs in the Torah, the story of Manoah’s wife takes us to the book of Judges. When the reader comes to Judges 13, the Israelites have already gone through the exodus, the wilderness, and the conquest. We find ourselves in the period of time between the conquest and the monarchy—the period of Israel’s judges. When Manoah’s wife gives birth to Samson, Samson is the final judge in the book. And in 1 Samuel, when Hannah gives birth to her son, Samuel is a judge as well.
Looking Ahead to the New Testament
Though a reference to a barren women in the Old Testament is not frequent, the pattern is clear: the biblical author identifies her barrenness and then reports its reversal. The promise-keeping power of God is on display.
When we go to the New Testament, we read an interesting remark at the beginning of Luke’s Gospel. There was a priest named Zechariah, and his wife was Elizabeth. “But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren” (Luke 1:7).
If the reader of the New Testament is informed by the Old Testament pattern, we already know what’s coming. Elizabeth is barren. But not for long.