Bible Encyclopedia: Barrenness

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International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

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

Greek

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 - 8k

Strong's Hebrew

4420. melechah -- saltiness, barrenness
... 4419, 4420. melechah. 4421 . saltiness, barrenness. Transliteration: melechah
Phonetic Spelling: (mel-ay-khaw') Short Definition: salt. ...
/hebrew/4420.htm - 6k

Library

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

ATS Bible Dictionary

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.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

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

Thesaurus

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

Bible Concordance

Barrenness (3 Occurrences)

Romans 4:19 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.
(WEY RSV)

2 Kings 2:21 And he went forth to the source of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith Jehovah: I have healed these waters: there shall not be from thence any more death or barrenness.
(DBY)

Psalms 107:34 A fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein.
(KJV WBS)

Subtopics

Barrenness

Barrenness: A Reproach

Barrenness: Miraculously Removed: Elisabeth

Barrenness: Miraculously Removed: Hannah

Barrenness: Miraculously Removed: Manoah's Wife

Barrenness: Miraculously Removed: Rebecca

Barrenness: Miraculously Removed: Sarai

Barrenness: Sent As a Judgment

Related Terms

Barren (44 Occurrences)