Big Ideas · 22 · The Matriarch
Barrenness tests the men too
Sarah laughs at the idea of pleasure with her old husband. Rachel implies Jacob is the problem. The Bible doesn't simply blame women for infertility.
Loyal husbands love beyond childbearing.
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Isaac prays for Rebekah. Jacob loves Rachel regardless. Hannah's husband asks, 'Am I not more to you than ten sons?' Scholar J. Cheryl Exum notes the paradox: men experience Israel's great events, but women set them in motion.
Bible reference: Genesis 18:12; 30:2
Source: Why the Bible Began, pp. 363–364
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