Childbearing in Genesis

Understanding Genesis is crucial for understanding the rest of the Bible. Reading the Bible without Genesis is like trying to make sense out of The Lord of the Rings without knowing anything about the dark lord Sauron, the power of the one ring, and Mt. Doom. Genesis is foundational for understanding who we are as human beings, why the world is the way it is, and why the world needs saving. Interestingly, Genesis puts a significant emphasis on the importance of childbearing. The emphasis on childbearing is so great that anyone attempting to shape his/her life around Genesis should find the deliberate ending of a pregnancy to be both immoral and unthinkable…

Genesis 1:26-28

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” And God blessed them. And God said them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Notice that the very first command given to humankind has to do with abundantly bearing children. This command is considered a blessing, and it is connected with our dual responsibility of bearing God’s image and ruling over the earth.

Genesis 3:14-15

The LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you will go and dust you will eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between her offspring and your offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

This curse comes after the disobedience of the first humans through the influence of the serpent. However, it indicates that the defeat of the serpent (and the evil he represents) will come through childbearing, the offspring of the woman.

Genesis 3:16

To the woman he said, "I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you."

Because of the disobedience of the first humans, God cursed the most significant areas of life. He did not take away the privilege, but now it comes with pain…

Genesis 3:20

Then the man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was mother of all the living.

The fact that Eve gets her name based on her ability to reproduce shows how important childbearing is in God’s world.

Genesis 9:1

And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth…”

After the flood, God is still concerned for humankind to abundantly bear children. Notice also that this is still considered a blessing.

Genesis 12:1-3

Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

In the first 11 chapters of Genesis we learn how all of humanity is under God’s curse. Here we find that God is somehow going to “reverse the curse” through childbearing, through the offspring of Abraham.

Genesis 30:22-23

Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb. She conceived and bore a son and said, "God has taken away my reproach.”

Since Rachel considered her former inability to have children to be a reproach, this shows how important childbearing is.

In the book of Genesis then, childbearing is a huge blessing. Whenever God commands humans to reproduce he is simultaneously blessing them. The blessing of child bearing is connected with the human responsibility of bearing God’s image and being good stewards of the earth. This is also likely why woman who had trouble conceiving felt so terrible about it. Beyond this, childbearing is hugely significant in Genesis because somehow God plans to undo evil within his creation through childbearing. It is through the “offspring of the woman” and “offspring of Abraham” that God will undo evil and bless all the families of the earth. And while Genesis never mentions the practice of deliberate abortion, it is quite clear that for anyone wishing to adopt the worldview of Genesis, abortion would be utterly unthinkable.