Topical Bible: Children were Named: Sometimes Born when Parents Were Old

Bible > Topical > Children were Named

◄ Children were Named: Sometimes Born when Parents Were Old ►

Jump to: Torrey's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

In the biblical narrative, the birth of children to parents of advanced age is a recurring theme that underscores the miraculous intervention of God in the lives of His people. These accounts often highlight themes of faith, promise, and divine purpose, serving as pivotal moments in the unfolding of God's redemptive plan.

Abraham and Sarah:

One of the most notable examples is the birth of Isaac to Abraham and Sarah. Despite their advanced age—Abraham being 100 years old and Sarah 90—God fulfilled His promise to give them a son. This event is recorded in Genesis 21:1-3 : "Now the LORD attended to Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what He had promised. So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him. And Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore to him." Isaac's birth was a testament to God's faithfulness and power, and his name, meaning "he laughs," reflects the joy and surprise of his parents at God's miraculous provision.

Zechariah and Elizabeth:

In the New Testament, the birth of John the Baptist to Zechariah and Elizabeth is another significant instance of a child born to elderly parents. Luke 1:7 notes, "But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both of them were well along in years." The angel Gabriel announced to Zechariah that they would have a son, who would be named John, and he would play a crucial role in preparing the way for the Lord. This miraculous birth is a powerful example of God's intervention and the fulfillment of His promises, as seen in Luke 1:13 : "But the angel said to him, 'Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.'"

Manoah and His Wife:

The birth of Samson to Manoah and his wife, who was barren, is another example of divine intervention. Judges 13:2-3 states, "Now there was a man from Zorah named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, whose wife was barren and had no children. The Angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, 'Behold, you are barren and have no children, but you will conceive and give birth to a son.'" Samson's birth was accompanied by specific instructions and a divine purpose, as he was to begin the deliverance of Israel from the Philistines.

Significance:

These accounts emphasize the sovereignty of God in the timing and circumstances of birth. The births of Isaac, John the Baptist, and Samson were not only miraculous but also integral to God's covenantal promises and His unfolding plan of salvation. The advanced age of the parents in these accounts serves to highlight the miraculous nature of these births and the faith required to trust in God's promises despite seemingly impossible circumstances. These narratives encourage believers to trust in God's timing and His ability to fulfill His promises, regardless of human limitations.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Genesis 15:3,6
And Abram said, Behold, to me you have given no seed: and, see, one born in my house is my heir.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Genesis 17:17
Then Abraham fell on his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born to him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Luke 1:18
And Zacharias said to the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Child Samuel.
... wife Hannah had a little boy named Samuel ... olive oil into a flickering lamp; sometimes
he would ... Other little children were born to her, but still she remembered ...
/.../anonymous/children of the old testament/the child samuel.htm

The Doctrine of the Church.
... hearth; [447:2] and children were accustomed to ... Some time afterwards, his sentiments
were adopted by Artemon, whose disciples, named Artemonites, elected a ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/killen/the ancient church/chapter v the doctrine of.htm

Christ and the Little Children
... in one of the upper counties of New York, there was a little girl named Margaret. ...
In a single generation of her descendants there were twenty children. ...
/.../the life of jesus christ for the young/christ and the little children.htm

On the Incarnation and Redemption
... days, the ark rested on the top of a mountain named Ararat. ... little Infant Jesus,
he had all the infants or children in or near Bethlehem who were not over ...
/.../kinkead/baltimore catechism no 4/lesson 7 on the incarnation.htm

The British Advance, 1801-1856.
... in with an old Moravian named William Kirkland ... of eternal punishment, that the parents
were neglecting the religious education of their children, that the ...
/.../hutton/history of the moravian church/chapter v the british advance.htm

Book 1 Footnotes:
... domestic animals than the three here named, as Reland ... I shall add, that it is sometimes,
as it ... answered her inquiry, "before the children were born," Genesis 25 ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/book 1 footnotes .htm

Narrative of Events at Alexandria in the Time of Lucius the Arian ...
... an interval of delay the afore-named Magnus, inseparable ... The male children of the
Hebrews were indeed once ... Only begotten, and infected as they were with the ...
/.../the ecclesiastical history of theodoret/chapter xix narrative of events at.htm

The Upbringing of Jewish Children
... at the time of Christ also, there were little parchment rolls specially for the
use of children, containing such ... that Jesus went on the occasion named to the ...
/.../edersheim/sketches of jewish social life/chapter 7 the upbringing of.htm

The Blessing of God on Filial Piety.
... the house of Hobab; who had a son, or descendant, named Jonadab, or ... down with Abraham
in the kingdom of God, and the children of the kingdom were cast out ...
/.../lee/sermons on various important subjects/sermon xxiii the blessing of.htm

Ancestors of the Blessed virgin
... help of this holy thing, which seemed sometimes to put ... A second daughter was named
Enue like her mother's ... must be bad people since no children were born to them ...
/.../emmerich/the life of the blessed virgin mary/i ancestors of the blessed.htm