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Verse

Judges 13:3

ESV And the angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son.
NIV The angel of the LORD appeared to her and said, 'You are barren and childless, but you are going to become pregnant and give birth to a son.
NASB Then the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, 'Behold now, you are infertile and have not given birth; but you will conceive and give birth to a son.
CSB The angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, "Although you are unable to conceive and have no children, you will conceive and give birth to a son.
NLT The angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah’s wife and said, 'Even though you have been unable to have children, you will soon become pregnant and give birth to a son.
KJV And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.

What does Judges 13:3 mean?

Once more in Judges, "the angel of the LORD" appears, as He did to the people of Israel (Judges 2:1–3) and to Gideon (Judges 6:11–23). The angel of the Lord—or "the angel of Yahweh"—is so closely associated with God Himself that He is often identified both ways when He appears, sometimes called "the Lord" and other times called "the angel of the Lord." This strongly suggests a theophany: God in visible, temporary human form.

Here, "the angel of the LORD" appears to Manoah's wife when her husband is not present. Though she is never named, she is the primary focus of God's attention. The Angel does not begin with any greeting other than "behold," which implies, "listen!" Instead, He gets straight to His revelation: you are barren, but you will give birth to a son.

This was likely the best news Manoah's wife could have hoped to hear. In addition to any natural longing to be a mother, barren women in this era were deeply stigmatized. Her personal loss was a double blow that brought decreased social value. Now, she learns that not only will she conceive, but the baby will be a boy, elevating her status in the family and in society.
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