Study Desk

To the woman He said, "I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth; In pain you will give birth to children; Yet your desire and longing will be for your husband, And he will rule [with authority] over you and be responsible for you."

There were Nephilim (men of stature, notorious men) on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God lived with the daughters of men, and they gave birth to their children. These were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown (great reputation, fame).

Also to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber [including the Hebrews], the older brother of Japheth, children were born.

Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had not borne him any children, and she had an Egyptian maid whose name was Hagar.

So Sarai said to Abram, "See here, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. I am asking you to go in to [the bed of] my maid [so that she may bear you a child]; perhaps I will obtain children by her." And Abram listened to Sarai and did as she said.

"For I have known (chosen, acknowledged) him [as My own], so that he may teach and command his children and [the sons of] his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is righteous and just, so that the LORD may bring upon Abraham what He has promised him."

The firstborn said to the younger, "Our father is aging, and there is not a man on earth [available] to be intimate with us in the customary way [so that we may have children].

So Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maids, and they again gave birth to children,

And she said, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have given birth to a son by him in his old age."

Now after these things Abraham was told, "Milcah has borne children to your brother Nahor:

Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. These eight [children] Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham's brother.

Isaac prayed to the LORD for his wife, because she was unable to conceive children; and the LORD granted his prayer and Rebekah his wife conceived [twins].

But the children struggled together within her [kicking and shoving one another]; and she said, "If it is so [that the LORD has heard our prayer], why then am I this way?" So she went to inquire of the LORD [praying for an answer].

Now when the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, He made her able to bear children, but Rachel was barren.

Again she conceived and gave birth to a [fourth] son, and she said, "Now I will praise the LORD." So she named him Judah; then [for a time] she stopped bearing [children].

When Rachel saw that she conceived no children for Jacob, she envied her sister, and said to Jacob, "Give me children, or else I will die."

Then Jacob became furious with Rachel, and he said, "Am I in the place of God, who has denied you children?"

She said, "Here, take my maid Bilhah and go in to her; and [when the baby comes] she shall deliver it [while sitting] on my knees, so that by her I may also have children [to count as my own]."

When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing [children], she took Zilpah her maid and gave her to Jacob as a [secondary] wife.

"Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you know the work which I have done for you."