One motif that appears over and over again in the Bible is the image of the barren woman. All the matriarchs of Genesis had problems having children: Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel; and
 the motif appears again in the New Testament: St. John’s mother had a hard to time having children too. Why would this motif appear so often in scripture? What literary purpose does it serve for the authors of scripture? What’s the spiritual meaning? The Bottom Line: The motif of the barren woman reminds us that it’s God who bestows life.