(i) Barren Woman Gives Birth Introduction
Barren Woman Gives Birth discusses the mystical meaning behind the barren woman giving birth to a child in the bible. We will discuss the examples below, with special reference to the first one, as the meanings of the others follow suit. It is no coincidence that the story repeats throughout the bible as it is trying to convey a spiritual truth. We will see it has nothing to do with physical birth.
(ii) Barren Woman Gives Birth Biblical Examples
- Sarai gives birth to Issac
- Rebekah gives birth to Jacob
- Rachel gives birth to Joseph (of the Coat of Many Colours)
- Zlelponi gives birth to Samson
- Elizebeth gives birth to (John the Baptist)
1. Sarai gives birth to Issac
Galatians 4: 22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
Abram = father/spirit within you
Sarai = princess = freewoman = divine seed of the right side of the brain or spiritual side
Hagar = stranger, bondmaid = slavery of the mind and its duality
These characterize different parts of us.
Next we come to the ‘wounded child’ and this is a part of us and is called Ishmael. From the Hebrew name יִשְׁמָעֵאל (Yishma’el) meaning “God will hear”. In the Old Testament this is the name of a son of Abraham. He is the traditional ancestor of the Arabs.This was the child between Hagar and Abram and it represents the thoughts of the ‘lower mind’
When we ‘intercourse’ or interact with Hagar, we are associating with the mind or our carnal side. Ishmael represents the ideas or thoughts which are born out of the slavery of the mind. This is an inevitable as its part of human nature and some things from the mind are good and some bad. It is part of the duality of man. However, the child of promise that can lead us out of slavery can only be born from Sarai, or from spirit (through meditation or spiritual practice that will take one beyond the mind).
We must allow Sarai to give birth, we cannot intercourse or interact with her. She represents spirit, what the text is saying is that we can only make ourselves open to receive spirit and allow it to enter us and so the mind can never know spirit, the drop can never comprehend the ocean.
In summary, The left side Hagar represents BOTH sides of mans duality. It does not represent his spiritual side, just the good and bad of his personality.
Proverbs 2: 16 To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;
This refers to the part of the mind that deceives us and does not refer literally to women.
Proverbs 5: 20 And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?
Again illustrating the point of seduction of the left carnal side.
The premise of the story is that Sarai can have no children and is barren. No children (by physical contact). Spirit produces no children or thoughts. It has nothing to do with the intellect and is way beyond the limited vista of the mind and is barren of thought
She gives up her left side (Hagar) to have intercourse with Abram (our ego) so they can have a child
Sarai only produces a child when she is opened by meditation on spiritual energies such as kundalini or light and sound. Then there is a new child ‘of promise’ born with us. The child of promise is not the same as the thoughts of the mind. It represents the seed of spirit being born within us and the realisations that comes from being able to meditate on spirit free from thought.
Sarah becomes Sarah and receives the ‘H’. This letter means breath or aspirate and is associated with the spirit. In other words that part of us that was previously dormant and barren (Sarai) now gives virgin birth and becomes Sarah which the breath of divine spirit has touched us within through spiritual practise.
We have seen that the birth of Ishmael represents the lower thoughts, and we will now turn to Galatians to introduce concepts relating to the birth of Isaac.
Galatians 4 : 24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
Mount Sinai = rules, regulation, religion.
4: 25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
The worldly Jerusalem we see now, fighting bombs and bullets. Of the mind.
4: 26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
The Jerusalem representing spirit or higher consciousness which is the source of us and has given birth to us all.
4: 27 For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath a husband.
Bearest not = she bearest not negative things like hate, guilt and fear.
desolate hath many more children than she which hath a husband = spirit has many more gifts to give than anything we can receive in the world. We just need to sit still enough in meditation to allow this process to happen.
The children born from Agar, some will be good, some bad as reflects the nature of reality.
4: 28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
There is no intercourse between you (Abram) and your mind (Hagar) that can produce the children of promise which are spiritual realisation being born.
4: 29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
Religion teaches that meditation is evil and is the work of the devil.
4: 30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.
Cast out the bondwoman = cast out the bondage of the thoughts of the bondage of the mind for the mind can never know spirit which is the free woman. This is what the Cain and Abel, Abram and Lot stories are about which have already been discussed.
Going back to the story in Genesis 16, after Abram intercourses or interacts with Hagar a child is delivered and there is resentment between Hagar and Sarai. This is the conflict between spirit and matter, spirit and the carnal side of us.
Genesis 16: 6 But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.
7 And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.
Take the wounded child into the wilderness (of meditation).
Fountain = the place where the truth comes.
16: 11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
So we must take the wounded part of our self up into meditation for there to be resolution of the conflicts within us as they are dissolved in spirit.
Later in Genesis chapter 21, the same battle emerges between our right and left side. The following verses show us turning up surrendering the child in meditation (the wilderness) and us being rewarded with the water of spirit so that we may go back out into the world as a ‘great nation’ and be a conduit for God and the truth of spiritual life:
21: 14 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.
wilderness of Beersheba = wilderness and isolation of meditation. Beersheba means “well of the oath” where we take our oath to know what our true spiritual nature is.
21: 15 And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.
Spent water = we are once again cut off from our spiritual source.
21: 16 And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.
21: 17 And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.
Communication of God when we surrender completely in meditation
21: 18 Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.
Great nation = whole again but supported by spiritual realisations and insights
21: 19 And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.
Well of water = spiritual waters inside heard in meditation.
So in both of the above stories, the mother gives birth to the child and takes them into the wilderness of meditation to be touched by the holy waters of God through meditation.
Sarai becomes Sarah = when we have received the spirit breath of God through meditation and the child of promise will be born.
Isaac = child of promise delivered by Sarai
2. Rebekah gives birth to Jacob
Genesis 25: 21 And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
So barren Rebekah gave birth to the child of promise Jacob.
3. Rachel gives birth to Joseph (Coat of Many Colours)
In Genesis chapter 30, Jacob and Rachel are married:
Genesis 30: 1 And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die.
2 And Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God’s stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?
3 And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her.
This is exactly the same story as above .
Bilhah = Hagar = carnal side (lower consciousness)
30: 22 And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb.
Genesis 30 : 23 And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach:
Genesis 30: 24 And she called his name Joseph; and said, The LORD shall add to me another son.
The barren Rachel gives birth to JOSEPH of the coat of many colours. This has given rise to many a musical interpretation which misses the whole meaning behind the story of Joseph which we will discuss in future articles.
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Zlelponi gives birth to Samson
Samsons mother is often referred to as Manoah’s wife. The Babylonian Rabbis knew Manoah’s wife as “Zlelponi” or “Zlelponith”
Judges 13: 2 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.
3 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.
24 And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.
So Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Samson = all born of a barren woman
Born without intercourse = the intercourse between the left and right side of ourselves. No conflict within them as their higher and mower consciousness are not in conflict.
Luke chapter 1 talks about Zacharias and Elizabeth:
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Elizabeth gives birth to John (The Baptist)
1: 7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.
1: 13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
As of John the Baptist
Next we will look at circumcision and how it has been subjected to misinterpretation causing the unnecessary mutilation of many infants.
(iii) Barren Woman Gives Birth YouTube Video Links
The following are YouTube links to videos by Bill Donahue on which this article is based :
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First Book of Samuel.
Hannah and Peninnah, the two wives of Elkanah. Hannah remained childless…
In the end Hannah gave birth to Samuel.