Topical Bible: Children: Fondness and Care of Mothers For

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The Bible frequently highlights the deep affection and care that mothers have for their children, portraying this bond as a fundamental aspect of God's design for family life. This maternal love is often used as a metaphor for God's own love and care for His people.

One of the most poignant examples of a mother's love is found in the account of Hannah, the mother of Samuel. In 1 Samuel 1:27-28 , Hannah prays earnestly for a child and, upon receiving her son, dedicates him to the Lord: "I prayed for this boy, and since the LORD has granted me what I asked of Him, I now dedicate the boy to the LORD. For as long as he lives, he is dedicated to the LORD." Hannah's devotion and willingness to entrust her beloved child to God's service exemplify the depth of a mother's love and her desire for her child's spiritual well-being.

The prophet Isaiah uses the imagery of a mother's compassion to describe God's unfailing love for His people. In Isaiah 49:15 , it is written, "Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the son of her womb? Even if she could forget, I will not forget you!" This verse underscores the natural, instinctive care a mother has for her child, suggesting that such love is enduring and profound.

In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul acknowledges the nurturing role of mothers in his letter to the Thessalonians. He writes in 1 Thessalonians 2:7 , "On the contrary, we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother caring for her children." Here, Paul uses the image of a mother's gentle care to describe the manner in which he and his companions ministered to the Thessalonian believers, highlighting the tenderness and dedication inherent in a mother's love.

The Proverbs also speak to the wisdom and guidance that a mother imparts to her children. Proverbs 31:26-28 describes the virtuous woman, stating, "She opens her mouth with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband praises her as well." This passage reflects the respect and honor that children have for a mother who diligently cares for and instructs them.

Throughout Scripture, the fondness and care of mothers for their children are depicted as a reflection of God's own nurturing and compassionate nature. This maternal love is celebrated as a vital component of family life, providing children with a foundation of security, wisdom, and spiritual guidance.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Exodus 2:2-10
And the woman conceived, and bore a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months.
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1 Samuel 2:19
Moreover his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.
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1 Kings 3:27
Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.
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Isaiah 49:15
Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yes, they may forget, yet will I not forget you.
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1 Thessalonians 2:7,8
But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherishes her children:
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Library

Monos
... look of all, speaking well for the care and good ... fondness for their children; of
their fondness also"an ... Creole wife, and lovely brownish children, with no ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/at last/chapter vi monos.htm

On Obedience to Parents
... totally disapprove what he does not care flatly to ... to indolence, to cowardice, to
foolish fondness, and at ... Never take the part of the children against their ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 96 on obedience to.htm

The Wail of a Broken Heart
... and has killed too many men to care much about ... the wood might teach parents how their
fatal fondness may end ... Children, too, may learn from David's grief what an ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/the wail of a broken.htm

Trials to be Met.
... which peculiarly fit them to take care of their ... are quite ready to consecrate their
children before they ... of our tenderer feelings of love and fondness must be ...
/.../dibble/thoughts on missions/chapter viii trials to be.htm

The Cocal
... You take good care of your four-legged mules: we of ... up whites made fools' caps too,
for children on the ... Have they a fondness for carbonate of lime, as well as ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/at last/chapter xiii the cocal.htm

Homilies on Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians.
... Care, undue, takes away the native force of the soul, [898]229 ... Children, term used
by St ... Paul when he would correct or show fondness for, [926]229; loss of, too ...
/.../homilies on philippians colossians and.htm

This HomilyIs Intended to Shew that the Fear of Magistrates is ...
... if there was so much of providential care in the ... a pious woman praying for her children,
the return ... for his rich imagination, and his fondness for apostrophe. ...
/.../chrysostom/on the priesthood/homily vi this homily is.htm

A Further Thanksgiving to God for the Change in the Late ...
... 1565] we entertain nevertheless a common fondness for each ... for us besides conscience;
viz., fathers for children, masters for ... "Lord, with what care hast Thou ...
/.../chrysostom/on the priesthood/homily xiii a further thanksgiving.htm

Homilies on the Statues.
... Ass, fondness to its master, [590]420. ... Merchants, labour in hope, [1569]450; cargo
not distance their care, [1570]451 ... Milk, for children a simile, [1577]401. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/chrysostom/on the priesthood/homilies on the statues.htm

Women who Witnessed the Fall of Rome
... as his dress is composed with becoming care and elegance ... of Honorius to signs of
a fondness warmer than ... caused Placidia to go with her children to Constantinople ...
/.../brittain/women of early christianity/vii women who witnessed the.htm