Sarai is barren - the text says 'the Lord had prevented her from bearing.' It's not just that she can't conceive naturally; God has specifically closed her womb.
I work with infertile couples, and sometimes there's a spiritual layer to the pain - a sense that God is withholding. This verse is troubling because it's explicit: God closed the womb. It raises questions about why, about justice, about God's intention.
I don't have easy answers. But the verse is honest about the pain in a way I respect. It doesn't pretend infertility is neutral. It attributes it to God and lets that sit uncomfortably. Maybe that honesty is a kind of faithfulness.
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