Why doesn't the Bible seem to acknowledge male infertility?

[tryphena rose]

All the lingo that addresses infertility in scripture is aimed solely towards the woman, from what I can see. But today, with science and medicine, we can prove and identity if the cause of infertility is not with the woman, but instead is with the man. Surely there had to be infertile men all throughout history, yet in scripture it's as if this does not exist. All the shame and blame is cast on the woman for being "barren" and "God not opening the womb". Which has led to much hurt, pain and sorrow for many women throughout history.

God allowed for men to have multiple women throughout the scriptures, so I can see how through that, you'd obviously know who is infertile. But plenty of men as well with only one wife, yet the issue still seems to stand. I acknowledge that the Bible doesn't have answers for everything, and that's not what I'm looking for here. Though am interested in seeing people's thoughts and beliefs on this subject, since I don't really see it being discussed.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

All the lingo that addresses infertility in scripture is aimed solely towards the woman, from what I can see. But today, with science and medicine, we can prove and identity if the cause of infertility is not with the woman, but instead is with the man. Surely there had to be infertile men all throughout history, yet in scripture it's as if this does not exist. All the shame and blame is cast on the woman for being "barren" and "God not opening the womb". Which has led to much hurt, pain and sorrow for many women throughout history.

God allowed for men to have multiple women throughout the scriptures, so I can see how through that, you'd obviously know who is infertile. But plenty of men as well with only one wife, yet the issue still seems to stand. I acknowledge that the Bible doesn't have answers for everything, and that's not what I'm looking for here. Though am interested in seeing people's thoughts and beliefs on this subject, since I don't really see it being discussed.

Honestly, this trope is one I haven't done much research on. I'm aware that some folks interpret this topic in the way that you do here, Tryphena. But tell me, from where are you getting the implication that "barrenness" among women in the Bible was always seen as a state of shame and blame upon those very same women? The way I've read the Old Testament up to now, I've simply seen barrennes as a problem, as physical problem with social complications, yet still just a physical problem rather than a major social problem.

Now, as for the subject of infertility of men not being mentioned in the bible, I think you've answered your own question in your post. They didn't know and they didn't have science to help them out. And who knows what the actual circumstances were in all of those ancient cases? Maybe some of the barrenness among women, such as was apparently experienced by Rebekah, Rachel and Hannah, were due to their husbands not having the sexual health to do so. It'd be interesting if we somehow had a way to find out that ----what "really" happened----was that some of the husbands were impotent and God stepped in put some extra punch into the men's reproductive systems to overcome their seminal deficiences. To our chagrin, I suppose we'll never know.

Your inquiry here is an interesting and thoughtful one to have. I could be for any of us today, especially in the light which modern science has shed upon the various complexities and complications of human fertility. I agree with you that it's definitely one in need of some philosophical investigation. I'm just guessing that the Bible doesn't mention it because the biblical writers didn't know that infertility among men "was a thing."

I wouldn't want to be the one to insinuate that there should somehow be needless limits on this kind of questiong. But personally, I think we can treat ancient narratives in the Bible as being just that: narratives to tell us the highlights about the lives of those people from that time who made their way through life, encountered problems, some like we have today, and how they did so in reflection and in relation to their worship of God. I don't really see much, if any, shame and blame upon women for their own barrenness, particularly upon women who are generally portrayed in the Old Testament as righteous women. Some of what we do see, like the implication in Elizabeth's language in the New Testament, seems to be one where false inferences were made from the Old Testament, ie. from passages like Exodus 23:24-26, Deuteronomy 7:12-15 or Numbers 5:11-31, even by God's own people.

see Why was it a public disgrace for Elizabeth to be barren? (Luke 1:25)

However, whatever the case may been back in "the day," here's an interesting article by Prof. Rabbi Rachel Adelman which may indirectly provide some additional potential consideration for your inquiry here.

The Paradigm of the Barren Woman: How God 'Remembers' on Rosh Hashanah - TheTorah.com

The liturgical readings of Rosh Hashanah tell of Sarah, Rachel, and Hannah being “remembered” by God, making barrenness and conception the locus of divine providence. | Prof. Rabbi Rachel Adelman

www.thetorah.com

Prof. Rabbi Rachel Adelman | TheTorah.com​

 

[zippy2006]

But today, with science and medicine...

They didn't have the scientific means to understand when a man's sperm was impotent in that day and age, and therefore there were inevitably cases where the infertility was falsely attributed to the woman rather than the man.

Our science today isn't perfect either, and future generations may have similar questions about our own false beliefs. Isn't this just the way it goes?

 

[Aaron112]

I'm just guessing that the Bible doesn't mention it because the biblical writers didn't know that infertility among men "was a thing."

Those "biblical writers" spoke / wrote God's Word - Scripture / not of their own volition, nor their own thinking processes, nor even from their own personal knowledge,
but rather directly inspired by the Creator, as He Himself Says in His Word.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

Those "biblical writers" spoke / wrote God's Word - Scripture / not of their own volition, nor their own thinking processes, nor even from their own personal knowledge,
but rather directly inspired by the Creator, as He Himself Says in His Word.

Your view on "biblical inspiration" is but one of a dozen.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

I take God's View as Truth.
Context
Eyewitnesses of His Majesty
…19We also have the word of the prophets as confirmed beyond doubt.

And you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture comes from one’s own interpretation.

For no such prophecy was ever brought forth by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.…
Berean Standard Bible · Download

Hey. Aaron. Don't derail this thread ... ! Because, that is what you're doing.

Besides, if you press your position with ME, you will lose. So, bro, don't.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

I deleted one post simply because of the site rules.
Likewise, you are already defeated (by your own words/posts) but because of the site rules I cannot continue to show this now....

Remember that famous line from the end of the first Star Wars movie:

 

[Diamond7]

All the lingo that addresses infertility in scripture is aimed solely towards the woman,

Men live high risk lives compared to women. So there are more women then men. It is very common for a man to have fifteen or sixteen kids while women usually only have five or six. Before the Civil war women were expected to have five or six babies by the time they were 20. I was a single parent for 12 years so I am able to relate to women having to raise the children by themselves. The Bible has provision for a kinsman redeemer if a man dies before he is abler to produce children. This is the case with Ruth.

We can look at Eve and how having having pain in child delivery was a part of the curse. In first timothy 2:5 we see that in Christ women are delivered from this. "However, she [and all women] will be saved through the birth of the child, if they lead respectable lives in faith, love, and holiness"

The idea that men can have more wifes was never a part of God's plan for Adam and Eve. Why did God even make us male and female, man and women. Because we can only be joined together as one in Him. Apart from God we can not create the man women relationship that we hear about.

Rabbi Friedman wrote a book: "The Joy of Intimacy". This is God's plan for a man and women to become one. But apart from God you have inappropriate content and that sort of relationship is doomed from the beginning and we see them running from person to person never finding what they are looking for. In the Hebrew wedding their is a canopy that represents God shelter and protection in their life together.

Canopy beds represent that outside of the Hebrew faith. This is how God protects and shelters to provide children with a healthy home along with BOTH a mother and a father working together to raise the children. In fact my son tells me that 85% of the people who come from parents who have a successful marriage go on to get a good job and become healthy productive members of society.

The children pay the price for broken homes. Look at the situation with David. His first child with Bathsheba dies. He has a son that rapes his sister and the other brothers avenge the wrong done to her. David has a son that rebelled and tried to take over the kingdom and ended up dyeing in his attempt.

Matthew 19:8 "Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning." Jesus tried to explain God's plan but the disciples did not seem to get it. Even Jesus agreed that if a marriage is not the union that God plans and intends then people are better off to remain single.

There are churches today that believe a divorced pastor is not qualified to be a pastor because he does not set the right example.

 

[Diamond7]

some of the husbands were impotent

This is not the case with Abraham because he had a child with Hagar his wife handmaiden. Even today in the news we hear about the conflict between Sarah's child and Hagar's child.

 

[biblelesson]

All the lingo that addresses infertility in scripture is aimed solely towards the woman, from what I can see. But today, with science and medicine, we can prove and identity if the cause of infertility is not with the woman, but instead is with the man. Surely there had to be infertile men all throughout history, yet in scripture it's as if this does not exist. All the shame and blame is cast on the woman for being "barren" and "God not opening the womb". Which has led to much hurt, pain and sorrow for many women throughout history.

Genesis 3:16 KJV, “Unto the woman he said, 1) I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; 2) in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and 3) thy desire shall be to thy husband, and 4) he shall rule over thee.”

There are four things the woman was cursed with because of Eve’s sin and #1 seems to include barrenness. Because difficulty in conception- bareness - increased a woman’s sorry: she was shamed by others and she herself was ashamed, she envied other women, and in some cases her barrenness was the reason the spouse sought another wife or maiden, such a Abraham’s wife Sarah.

However, there may not have been many infertile men during those days, but there were a lot of eunuchs. Those born as Eunuchs from birth would be considered infertile. These men suffered shame because they could not father children, they were looked down on, outcasts, and put out of the congregation. A percentage of captured Israelites and other nations were castrated for the Kings service. And some decided to become Eunuchs for the Kingdom of God.

Matthew 19:12 KJV, explains the various reasons men are Eunuchs.

“The term eunuch has sometimes figuratively been used for a wide range of men who were seen to be physically unable to procreate. Hippocrates describes the Scythians as being afflicted with high rates of erectile dysfunction and thus "the most eunuchoid of all nations" (Airs Waters Places 22). In the Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary, the term literally used for impotent males is spadobut may also be used for eunuchs.” Eunuch - Wikipedia

 

[JimR-OCDS]

Before scientific knowledge was made, it was thought that the female determined if
she would have a boy or girl. Some women were punished for not providing a male
child, especially in the noble classes.

Science showed that the gender is determined by the male, not the female.

 

[Stephen3141]

The Bible does recognize that Abraham was not able to beget children, at the time when Issac was conceived.

I don't think that the Bible is completely one-sided, on this topic.

 

[oikonomia]

All the lingo that addresses infertility in scripture is aimed solely towards the woman, from what I can see. But today, with science and medicine, we can prove and identity if the cause of infertility is not with the woman, but instead is with the man. Surely there had to be infertile men all throughout history, yet in scripture it's as if this does not exist. All the shame and blame is cast on the woman for being "barren" and "God not opening the womb". Which has led to much hurt, pain and sorrow for many women throughout history.

God allowed for men to have multiple women throughout the scriptures, so I can see how through that, you'd obviously know who is infertile. But plenty of men as well with only one wife, yet the issue still seems to stand. I acknowledge that the Bible doesn't have answers for everything, and that's not what I'm looking for here. Though am interested in seeing people's thoughts and beliefs on this subject, since I don't really see it being discussed.

Doesn't Isaiah 56:3-5 speak to male inferitilty?

And let not the son of a foreigner / Who has joined himself to Jehovah speak, saying, / Jehovah will surely separate me from His people; / Nor let the eunuch say, / Now I am a dry tree.
IFor thus says Jehovah, / To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths / And choose what pleases Me, / And hold fast My covenant,
To them I will give in My house and within My walls a memorial and a name / Better than that of sons and daughters; / I will give them an eternal name / Which will not be cut off.

 

[oikonomia]

I don't trust anyone who likes everything written in the Bible.
If the Bible doesn't step on your toes somewhere, I don't know how that can be.

I have learned to enjoy it when there are passages in the Bible that my natural reaction is "How I wish that wasn't written there."
I know by this I still need to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. I still need to see everything through the eyes of the Son of God.