Pregnancy Pronouncements: A Treasury of Tropes

Introduction

Many students of the Hebrew Bible are aware that circumstances found in certain narratives seem to repeat themselves. For example, there are connections between Genesis 12, 20, and 26: Abraham and then, later, Isaac both go to a foreign land (Egypt, then Gerar for Abraham, and then Gerar in the case of Isaac), and pretend that their wife is their sister. Their deception then is uncovered. Likewise, in the book of Judges there are recurring patterns: Israel turns from the paths of God, and some enemy comes and oppresses them. A charismatic leader (a warrior/judge) comes and fights off the enemy. Israel remains faithful for a time, but then again turns from the paths of God. Then another enemy comes and once again oppresses Israel for a period of time. Next, a new charismatic leader arises, fights off the enemy, and the cycle repeats itself. There are different details in each case, but one can see recurring patterns in broad outlines.

An example of the recurring pattern can be seen in certain tropes or motifs addressing the phenomenon of childlessness. Broadly speaking their function is to serve as a kind of basic list which focuses on some relevant questions like who/what/when/where/why/and how. Many of these motifs, although not necessarily all of them, are found in each of the various examples. A woman is not pregnant (or, in one variation there are problems with the pregnancy). This is followed by an “annunciation” – the technical term for a pronouncement about an existing or future pregnancy. This can be seen several times in Genesis with the matriarchs and patriarchs, and then again in the book of Judges with the birth of Samson.¹ What is less well known is that some of these selfsame tropes or motifs are also found in the book of Luke in the Christian Scriptures, and then in Surah 19 in the Qur’an. This article points out ten recurring tropes, and shows how they appear in Genesis, Judges, Luke, and the Qur’an.

When Sarah and Abraham (then still Sarai and Abram) are unable to have children, Sarai turns to Abram and offers her servant, the Egyptian woman Hagar, to become a kind of surrogate womb for Sarai. Hagar is to become Abram’s Secondary Wife. “Consort with my maid; perhaps I shall have a child through her” (Gen. 16:2).² When Hagar realizes that she is pregnant, Sarai was lowered in her esteem (v. 4). Sarai complains to Abram who defers to his primary wife. Then Sarai treated her harshly and she [Hagar] ran away from her. An angel of GOD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the road to Shur (Gen. 16:6-7). The angel confirms that Hagar is pregnant but also urges her to return to Sarai and to submit to her harsh treatment (v. 9). The angel promises Hagar that her offspring shall be numerous, they shall be too many to count . . . For GOD has paid heed to your suffering (Gen. 16:10-11). Hagar does return to the Abramic encampment and gives birth to Ishmael (v. 16).

In this short pericope of Genesis 16 there are several tropes, many elements of which will be repeated in the Tanakh, as well as in the Christian Scriptures (Luke 1:26-34) and the Qur’an (Surah 19:16-26, Maryam/Mary). Although not all of these components appear each time, it is clear that the later sources were aware of the narrative in Genesis 16. They reflect a kind of cross-cultural borrowing. Luke probably lived and wrote his Gospel in Antioch or Ephesus, towards the end of the 1st century CE, probably after the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE. In terms of the Qur’an, those narratives were familiar to large numbers in that society, simply as part of the shared cultural heritage of Jews, Christians, and Arabs living in the Hijaz (the Arabian peninsula). In the sixth and seventh centuries in the Common Era, Jews and Christians lived in organized communities throughout that area and “enjoyed a great deal of mercantile, social, and cultural interaction”³ with the local Arab polytheistic population. “Such important figures as . . . Abraham and Moses are mentioned hundreds of times in tens of chapters. These ‘biblical’ figures, however, tend to assume somewhat different characters and roles in the Qur’an, though they would be easily recognizable to anyone familiar with the Bible.”⁴ These broad parallels are similar to what Nahum Sarna addresses in his JPS Commentary to the book of Exodus, in his discussion of “The Abandoned Hero Motif.” As Sarna explains, Moses placed in a basket and abandoned to the Nile River “appears to conform to a widespread motif that is characteristic of tales about the birth of heroes.” Sarna compares the motif of Moses-placed-in-reeds-by-the-bank-of-the-Nile with the biographies of two Near Eastern heroes “Sargon of Accad, the great empire builder of Mesopotamia . . . [and] Cyrus, son of Cambyses, founder of the Achaemenid Persian empire.” In many of these narratives there are also statements about the mother of the child, and experiences she has either before her pregnancy, during her pregnancy, or after the child’s (children’s) birth.⁵ Similarly, in his excursus titled “Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Law,” Sarna explains that though “biblical law is the expression of the covenant between God and Israel” nonetheless there are “affinities and analogues that abound between the Israelite and other Near Eastern law collections.”⁶ It is the affinities and analogues of certain tropes that are addressed in this article.

The tropes are:

1. A visitation/communication takes place.
2. God, or an angel (as God’s representative) speaks to a woman, or about a woman.
3. The woman’s personal name is mentioned, or her being married to her husband.
4. In most cases the woman is stated to be childless at the time of this encounter. Alternatively, there is a threat to the viability of the pregnancy, or the viability of an existing child.
5. The woman is told she will be pregnant (or the visitor confirms that she is pregnant, or remarks something about the pregnancy).
6. This telling is an annunciation.
7. Someone is upset, or at the very least surprised about the pregnancy or with the announcement.
8. In each case a specific locale is mentioned as part of the pericope.
9. Food/water is mentioned as part of the narrative.
10. A statement is made about the special future of the forthcoming child.

The Cases

A. Genesis 16: Hagar (1)

An angel of God visits and speaks to Hagar (v. 8) trope #1, trope #2, mentioning her name, trope #3. He confirms Hagar’s pregnancy, saying, “you are pregnant and shall bear a son” (v. 11),⁷ trope #5. It is an annunciation, trope #6. Hagar is surprised that she has had this encounter (v. 13) trope #7. Hagar is by an oasis in the wilderness on the road to Shur (v. 7) trope #8. In chapter 16 the angel finds Hagar by a spring of water (v. 7) trope #9. Her son will be named Ishmael, and one learns about his future life (vv. 11-12) trope #10.

B. Genesis 18: Sarah

Three figures/agents/men visit the Abrahamic encampment and inquire about Sarah (vv. 2, 9) #1, #2, #3. Sarah is childless at the moment (vv. 11-12) #4. Sarah is told she will be pregnant, although at least initially she is doubtful and dismissive (vv. 11-14) #5, #6, #7. This takes place at the terebinths of Mamre (v. 1) #8.

C. Genesis 21: Abraham

God speaks to Abraham about Sarah’s demand that Hagar and Ishmael are to be separated from the Abrahamic encampment (vv. 9-13) #1, #2, #3. There is a threat to the viability of Ishmael since he is being sent away (v. 10) #4. Abraham is upset (v. 11) #7. This takes place at the Abrahamic encampment #8. God tells Abraham that Ishmael will prosper and become a great nation (v. 13) #10.

D. Genesis 21: Hagar (2)

An angel calls to Hagar when she has lost her way in the wilderness around Beer-sheba (vv. 17-18) #1, #2, #3. There is a threat to Ishmael’s life (vv. 15-16) #4. A specific place is mentioned, the wilderness around Beer-sheba, and proximity to a well of water (vv. 14, 19) #8. God opens Hagar’s eyes, and she sees a well of water (v. 19) #9. An angel of God tells Hagar that Ishmael will be a great nation (v. 18) #10.

E. Genesis 25: Rebekah

God speaks to Rebekah (v. 23) #1, #2. Rebekah is technically childless in that she has yet to give birth (v. 21) #4. God addresses the fact that Rebekah is pregnant (v. 23) #5. Rebekah’s name is mentioned in the pericope (v. 21) #3. Rebekah is upset about the children struggling in her womb. She says, “If so, why do I exist?”⁸ (v. 22) #7. Rebekah goes to a certain place, in the words of Genesis 25:22 She went to inquire of God⁹ #8. Rebekah is told that “two separate peoples will issue from [her] body” (v. 23) #10 (in this case, children).

F. Judges 13: Manoah’s Wife

An angel of GOD appeared to Manoah’s wife and speaks to her (v. 3) #1, #2. That she is married to Manoah is stated (v. 2) #3. She is childless at this point (v. 2) #4. The angel . . . said to her, “You are infertile and have borne no children; but you shall conceive and bear a son” (v. 3) #5; it is an annunciation #6. Manoah’s wife is surprised about this promised pregnancy (vv. 5-7) #7. At the second visit of the angel, Manoah’s wife was sitting in the field (v. 9) #8. Food is mentioned (a special diet for Manoah’s wife (vv. 4, 7, 14) #9; food is offered to the angel, vv. 15, 16, #9). Manoah’s wife is told that her son “shall be the first to deliver Israel from the Philistines” (v. 5) #10.

G. The Christian Scriptures. Luke 1:26-34: The Angel Gabriel and Mary

In the Christian Scripture the Gospel of Luke, many of these tropes appear. “In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth” (v. 26) #8, #1, #2. Mary’s name is mentioned (v. 27) #3. Mary is a childless virgin at this moment, although engaged to Joseph (v. 27) #4. Gabriel tells Mary that she will be pregnant (v. 31) #5. This is an annunciation #6. Mary is surprised at this news – (Mary) “was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be” v. 29, and also v. 34 “Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’” #7. Mary is told that her son “will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High … He will reign over the house of Jacob …” (vv. 32-33) #10.

H. The Qur’an. Surah 19:16-26: Maryam/Mary. The Angel and Mary

In the Qur’an, the nineteenth chapter is titled Maryam/Mary. (See the attached Appendix for a copy of Surah 19:16-26.) Mary “withdrew from her people to an eastern location” (v. 16) #8. A representative of God (Allah) visits and speaks to Mary (vv. 17, 19, 21) #1, #2. Mary is childless at this moment (v. 20) #4. Mary is told that she will be pregnant, “I am only the messenger of your Lord, to give you the gift of a pure son.” (v. 19) #5. This is an annunciation #6. Mary is upset/perplexed. “She said, ‘How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, and I was never unchaste?’” (v. 20) #7. She is upset about the pains of her pregnancy (v. 23), similar to what some consider Rebekah’s comments (see note 8) #7. Mary goes to a certain location. She “secluded herself . . . in a remote place” (v. 22) #8. Water and food (dates) for nourishment are mentioned (vv. 24-26) #9. Through the angelic visitor Mary is told that God will “make him a sign to men and mercy from Us” (v. 21) #10.

Conclusion

There are a number of examples in the Tanakh of announcements – “annunciations” – related to a future birth of a special person. The recurrence of these ten tropes across Genesis, Judges, Luke, and Surah 19 demonstrates that pregnancy annunciation narratives function not merely as isolated theological claims, but as deeply embedded literary forms within a shared Near Eastern and Mediterranean narrative world. In each corpus, the pattern of divine visitation, the naming of the woman, the condition of childlessness or threatened fertility, the annunciation itself, the expression of astonishment or distress, the specification of a locale, the provision of sustenance, and the prediction of a remarkable future collectively shape a recognizable template. Yet these parallels do not erase theological distinctiveness. Rather, they reveal how later traditions appropriate and recalibrate inherited motifs to articulate their own religious claims. Luke frames Mary’s annunciation within Davidic and messianic expectations; the Qur’an emphasizes divine omnipotence and mercy; the Hebrew Bible situates these births within covenantal and national destiny. The similarities thus point to literary continuity and cultural interaction, while the differences underscore evolving theological emphases. What emerges is not simple borrowing, but a dynamic process of adaptation in which shared narrative structures become vehicles for distinct communal identities and sacred histories.

Appendix

Luke 1:26-34

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greetings this might be. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever … “ 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” (NRSV Updated Edition).

Surah Maryam (Mary) 19:16-26

16 And mention in the Scripture Mary, [an alternate translation: Relate in the Book – i.e. the Qur’an – (The story of) Mary,] when she withdrew from her people to an eastern location. 17 She screened herself away from them, and We [Allah] sent to her Our spirit, and He appeared to her as an immaculate human. 18 She said, “I take refuge from you in the Most Merciful, should you be righteous.” 19 He said, “I am only the messenger of your Lord, to give you the gift of a pure son.” 20 She said, “How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, and I was never unchaste?” 21 He said, “Thus said your Lord, ‘It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign for humanity, and a mercy from Us. It is a matter already decided.’” 22 So she carried him, and secluded herself with him in a remote place. 23 The labor-pains came upon her, by the trunk of a palm-tree. She said, “I wish I had died before this, and been completely forgotten.” 24 Whereupon he called her from beneath her: “Do not worry; your Lord has placed a stream beneath you. 25 And shake the trunk of the palm-tree towards you, and it will drop ripe dates by you.” 26 “So eat, and drink, and be consoled. And if you see any human, say, ‘I have vowed a fast to the Most Gracious, so I will not speak to any human today.’”¹⁰