Topic
Barren; Barrenness
24 passages cited, from 1 classic reference work.
These works date from 1915 and are in the public domain. They reflect the Protestant scholarship of their time: their history, archaeology and dates can be out of date, and where they interpret, other traditions read the text differently. The verses are shown in the King James Version, the wording these works were written against.
The verses
The passages the works cite, those cited by more of them first.
- Genesis 3:17ISBE
And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
- Genesis 3:18ISBE
Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
- Genesis 11:30ISBE
But Sarai was barren; she had no child.
- Genesis 25:21ISBE
And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
- Genesis 29:31ISBE
¶ And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren.
- Exodus 23:26ISBE
¶ There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil.
- Deuteronomy 7:14ISBE
Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle.
- Judges 13:2ISBE
¶ And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not.
- Judges 13:3ISBE
And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.
- 1 Samuel 2:5ISBE
They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble.
- 2 Kings 2:19ISBE
¶ And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is naught, and the ground barren.
- 2 Kings 2:21ISBE
And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the LORD, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land.
Show 12 more
- Job 39:6 ISBE
- Psalms 107:34 ISBE
- Psalms 113:9 ISBE
- Song of Songs 4:2 ISBE
- Song of Songs 6:6 ISBE
- Isaiah 54:1 ISBE
- Joel 2:20 ISBE
- Luke 1:7 ISBE
- Luke 1:36 ISBE
- Luke 23:29 ISBE
- Galatians 4:27 ISBE
- 2 Peter 1:8 ISBE
In the reference works
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915) · 24 references
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" (Joe 2:20), melechah, "salt" (Job 39:6 the King James Version), shakhol, "miscarrying" (2Ki 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 (Ps 107:34 the King James Version; compare Ge 3:17,18).
(2) Of females that bear no issue: `aqar: Sarah (Ge 11:30); Rebekah (Ge 25:21); Rachel (Ge 29:31); Manoah's wife (Jud 13:2,3); Hannah (1Sa 2:5); steiros: Elisabeth (Lu 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 (Ex 23:26; De 7:14; Ps 113:9). A complete family is an emblem of beauty (So 4:2; 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 (Isa 54:1; Ga 4:27). The utter despair and terror of the destruction of Jerusalem could go no farther than that the barren should be called blessed (Lu 23:29).
(3) Argos is translated in the King James Version "barren," but in the Revised Version (British and American) more accurately "idle" (2Pe 1:8).
T. Rees
Texts: International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915), from the CrossWire SWORD modules (public domain). Verse references were parsed from the works' own markup and checked against the KJV verse list.