“Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.”
The Lord has done this for me, she said. In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people — Elizabeth's interpretation of her pregnancy is entirely theological: the Lord has done this. The disgrace (oneidos) of barrenness in the ancient world was real — the social and spiritual stigma of a woman without children. The Lord has taken away my disgrace echoes Rachel's cry at Joseph's birth (Genesis 30:23: God has taken away my disgrace). Elizabeth recognizes the pattern: she is in the company of Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, and Hannah.
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
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