Barren Women/0
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Barren Women
Introduction
Content Parallels
There are many elements common to the various stories, although not all of them can be found in everyone of the stories:
- Old Husbands – Avraham (Bereshit 18:12), Yaakov (Bereshit 37:3), and the Shunamit's husband (Melakhim II 4:14) are all described as old. Avraham and the Shunamit's husband are described as old as a barrier to them having children, while Yaakov is just described as being old at the birth of his son.
- Loving Husbands – Yitzchak is described as loving Rivkah (Bereshit 24:67), Yaakov is described as loving Rachel (Bereshit 29:18,20,30), and Elkanah is described as loving Channah (Shemuel I 1:5).
- Replacement Maid – Both Sarah (Bereshit 16) and Rachel (Bereshit 30:1-8), despairing of giving birth, offer their maid to their husband as a wife ("וַתִּתֵּן... לְאִשָּׁה"), hoping to use them as a surrogate ("אִבָּנֶה מִמֶּנָּה"). The husband takes the maid as an additional wife, and the maid immediately proceeds to become pregnant and give birth. Interestingly, while the relationship between Sarah and her maid Hagar immediately sours, leaving the son to be named by Hagar, their is no conflict between Rachel and her maid Bilhah, and both of Bilhah's sons are named by Rachel.
- Second Wife – Both Rachel and Channah compete with a second, more fertile, wife, as does Sarah, once she gives Hagar to her husband. See Rachel and Channah for more details.
- Prayer – Yitzchak (Bereshit 25:21) prays for Rivkah to give birth, as does Channah (Shemuel I 1:10-11). Rachel may have prayed, as it is mentioned twice that God listened to her (Bereshit 30:6,22), but no actual prayer is mentioned.
- Prophetic Promise or Blessing –
- Divine Intervention –
- Name Calling –
Literary Allusions
- "לַמּוֹעֵד... כָּעֵת חַיָּה" – Both Sarah (Bereshit 18:10,14) and the Shunamit (Melakhim II 4:16) are promised that they will have a son "לַמּוֹעֵד... כָּעֵת חַיָּה".1
Analysis
- Degree of similarity –
- Distinctive phrases –
- כָּעֵת חַיָּה – The phrase "כָּעֵת חַיָּה" is only found by Sarah and the Shunamit.
- אִבָּנֶה מִמֶּנָּה –
Points of Contrast
- Description of Barrenness – The barrenness of the women is described using differing terminology. Sarah (Bereshit 11:30), Rivkah (Bereshit 25:21), Rachel (Bereshit 29:21), and Manoach's Wife (Shofetim 13:2) are described as barren ("עֲקָרָה"). Sarah (Bereshit 11:30), Channah (Shemuel I 1:2), and the Shunamit (Melakhim II 4:14) are described as not having children. Sarah (Bereshit 16:1), Rachel (Bereshit 30:1), and Manoach's Wife (Shofetim 13:2) are also described as not having given birth ("לֹא יָלְדָה"), while Channah (Shemuel I 1:5,6) is described as having a closed womb ("סָגַר רַחְמָהּ").
