In the context of the Bible, "sucking" generally refers to the act of nursing or breastfeeding, a natural and essential process for the nourishment and growth of infants. This term is often used to describe young children who are still dependent on their mothers for sustenance. The imagery of a nursing child is employed in various scriptural passages to convey innocence, dependence, and the nurturing aspect of God's care for His people.

Old Testament References

1. Genesis 21:7 · In the account of Isaac, Sarah expresses her amazement at bearing a child in her old age, saying, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age." This highlights the miraculous nature of Isaac's birth and the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham and Sarah.

2. Exodus 2:7-9 · The account of Moses as a baby includes his sister suggesting to Pharaoh's daughter that a Hebrew woman could nurse the child. This passage underscores the cultural practice of breastfeeding and the providential care of God in preserving Moses for his future role as a leader of Israel.

3. 1 Samuel 1:23 · Hannah, the mother of Samuel, decides to wean her son before presenting him to the Lord, indicating the customary period of nursing before a child was considered ready for more independent life. Elkanah, her husband, supports her decision, saying, "Do what seems best to you. Stay here until you have weaned him; only may the LORD confirm His word."

New Testament References

1. Matthew 24:19 · In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus speaks of the difficulties that will come upon nursing mothers during times of tribulation: "How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers!" This statement reflects the vulnerability and challenges faced by those caring for infants in times of crisis.

2. Luke 11:27 · A woman in the crowd calls out to Jesus, saying, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and blessed are the breasts that nursed You!" This exclamation acknowledges the honor of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the blessedness of her role in nurturing the Savior.

Symbolic and Theological Implications

The act of nursing is often used metaphorically in Scripture to describe spiritual truths. For instance, the prophet Isaiah uses the imagery of a nursing child to depict the comfort and sustenance provided by God to His people. In Isaiah 66:11, it is written, "So that you may nurse and be satisfied at her comforting breasts; you may drink deeply and delight in her glorious abundance."

Furthermore, the Apostle Peter encourages believers to crave pure spiritual milk, akin to newborn infants, so that they may grow in their salvation (1 Peter 2:2). This metaphor emphasizes the importance of spiritual nourishment and growth in the Christian life.

Cultural Context

In biblical times, breastfeeding was the primary means of feeding infants, and it was a practice deeply embedded in the family and community life. The weaning of a child was often marked by celebration, as it signified a new stage in the child's development. The nurturing role of mothers was highly valued, and the ability to nurse was seen as a blessing from God.

Overall, the concept of "sucking" in the Bible serves as a powerful symbol of dependence, care, and the sustaining grace of God, both in the physical and spiritual realms.1. (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Suck.

2. (a.) Drawing milk from the mother or dam; hence, colloquially, young, inexperienced, as, a sucking infant; a sucking calf.

5764. ul -- a sucking child, suckling
... 5763, 5764. ul. 5765 . a sucking child, suckling. Transliteration: ul Phonetic
Spelling: (ool) Short Definition: infant. ... sucking child, infant. ...
/hebrew/5764.htm - 6k

2461. chalab -- milk
... cheese, milk, sucking. From the same as cheleb; milk (as the richness of kine) -- +
cheese, milk, sucking. see HEBREW cheleb. 2460, 2461. chalab. 2462 . ...
/hebrew/2461.htm - 6k

3243. yanaq -- to suck
... nursling (1), suck (4), sucks (1). give milk, nursing mother, give, make
to sucking child,. A primitive root; to suck; causatively ...
/hebrew/3243.htm - 6k

Verse 1. Who Will Give Thee to Me for a Brother, Sucking the ...
... CHAPTER VIII. VERSE 1. Who will give thee to me for a brother, sucking
the breasts of. my mother! that I might find thee without ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/guyon/song of songs of solomon/verse 1 who will give.htm

How this Sacred Repose is Practised.
... You will see them, with a deep soft murmur, hold and squeeze it with their mouths,
sucking so eagerly that they even put their mother to pain; but after the ...
/.../francis/treatise on the love of god/chapter ix how this sacred.htm

Flee Away, My Beloved, and be Thou Like to a Roe or to a Young ...
... When, she says, sucking the breasts of my mother, she means sucking out, drying
up and extinguishing in me the appetites and passions, which are the breasts ...
/.../guyon/song of songs of solomon/14 flee away my beloved.htm

How by Holy Complacency we are Made as Little Infants at Our ...
... her breasts like two cabinets rich in the treasures of sweet milk, armed with as
many weapons to conquer the dear little baby as it makes its attacks in sucking ...
/.../francis/treatise on the love of god/chapter ii how by holy.htm

Perfect in Parts, Imperfect in Degrees.
... It is the great mistake of many Sunday-schools to make sucking lambs do the work
of ewes; of neglecting to feed the new-born babes with spiritual knowledge and ...
/.../kuyper/the work of the holy spirit/x perfect in parts imperfect.htm

They Shall be Called the Children of God
... In the body there are sucking veins, which draw the meat into the stomach
and concoct it there. So faith is the sucking vein which ...
/.../the beatitudes an exposition of matthew 51-12/19 they shall be called.htm

The Arabic Gospel of the Infancy of the Saviour (Nt Apocrypha)
... sun. The child, enwrapped in swaddling clothes, was sucking the breast
of the Lady Mary His mother, being placed in a stall. And ...
/.../the arabic gospel of the infancy of the saviour/the arabic gospel of the.htm

V. ...
... These words are, indeed, figurative; for he did not mean literal milk, or
literal sucking, as he does not speak of a literal birth. ...
/.../the epistles of st peter and st jude preached and explained/chapter ii v .htm

Semi-Parasitism.
... But after supporting themselves for a brief period they fix curious sucking discs
into the stem and branches of adjacent plants And after a little experimenting ...
/.../drummond/natural law in the spiritual world/semi-parasitism.htm

The Upbringing of Jewish Children
... As the word implies, the "olel" is still "sucking"; but it is no longer satisfied
with only this nourishment, and is "asking bread," as in Lamentations 4:4 ...
/.../edersheim/sketches of jewish social life/chapter 7 the upbringing of.htm

Sucking (7 Occurrences)
... 2. (a.) Drawing milk from the mother or dam; hence, colloquially, young, inexperienced,
as, a sucking infant; a sucking calf. ...Sucking (7 Occurrences). ...
/s/sucking.htm - 8k

Sucking-lamb (1 Occurrence)
Sucking-lamb. Sucking, Sucking-lamb. Suckle . Multi-Version
Concordance Sucking-lamb (1 Occurrence). 1 Samuel 7:9 And ...
/s/sucking-lamb.htm - 6k

Vampire
... 1. (n.) A blood-sucking ghost; a soul of a dead person superstitiously believed
to come from the grave and wander about by night sucking the blood of persons ...
/v/vampire.htm - 7k

Suck (22 Occurrences)
... 3. (vt) To draw in, or imbibe, by any process resembles sucking; to inhale; to absorb;
as, to suck in air; the roots of plants suck water from the ground. ...
/s/suck.htm - 14k

Horse-leech (1 Occurrence)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Occurs only in Proverbs 30:15 (Hebrews `alukah);
the generic name for any blood-sucking annelid. There ...
/h/horse-leech.htm - 7k

Nurse (23 Occurrences)
... In Numbers 11:12 Moses asks whether he has to take charge of the Israelites "as
a nursing-father carrieth the sucking child." The same word is found in 2 Kings ...
/n/nurse.htm - 17k

Nursling (3 Occurrences)
... Lamentations 4:4 The tongue of the sucking child cleaves to the roof of his mouth
for thirst: The young children ask bread, and no man breaks it to them. ...
/n/nursling.htm - 7k

Nursing (14 Occurrences)
... In Numbers 11:12 Moses asks whether he has to take charge of the Israelites "as
a nursing-father carrieth the sucking child." The same word is found in 2 Kings ...
/n/nursing.htm - 13k

Nursing-father (2 Occurrences)
... have I brought them forth, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom,
as a nursing-father carrieth the sucking child, unto the land which thou ...
/n/nursing-father.htm - 7k

Lamb (124 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 9:3; 14:10-25). (2.) Hebrews taleh, a young sucking lamb (1 Samuel
7:9; Isaiah 65:25). In the symbolical language of Scripture ...
/l/lamb.htm - 50k

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