In those days a man named Manoah from the tribe of Dan lived in the town of Zorah. His wife was unable to become pregnant, and they had no children.
Parallel translations
- WEB There was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and childless.
- KJV And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not.
- BSB Now there was a man from Zorah named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, whose wife was barren and had no children.
- NKJV Now there was a certain man from Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and had no children.
- NASB And there was a man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was infertile and had not given birth to any children.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
A Danite named Manoah has a barren, childless wife. Their situation sets the stage for a miraculous birth.
Overview
Barrenness, a recurring biblical theme (Sarah, Hannah), highlights human helplessness before God's power to give life. By introducing this couple, the narrative prepares for a divinely promised child. Such miraculous births anticipate the ultimate miraculous birth of Christ, the true Deliverer of God's people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Josh 19:41The border of their inheritance was Zorah, Eshtaol, Irshemesh,
- Luke 1:7But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they both were well advanced in years.
- Josh 15:33In the lowland, Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah,
- Gen 25:21Isaac entreated Yahweh for his wife, because she was barren. Yahweh was entreated by him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
- Gen 16:1Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, bore him no children. She had a servant, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.
- 1 Sam 1:2–6He had two wives. The name of one was Hannah, and the name of other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Israel's cycle of sin and rescue through flawed deliverers cries out for a Savior who never fails — the true and final Judge and Deliverer who saves his people not for a season but forever.
How Judges 13:2 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.