Hannah’s stigmatisation in 1 Samuel 1:6-8 in the modern Nigerian (Yoruba) context

HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies

 
 
Field Value
 
Title Hannah’s stigmatisation in 1 Samuel 1:6-8 in the modern Nigerian (Yoruba) context
 
Creator Ademiluka, Solomon O.
 
Subject — Hannah’s barrenness; pronatalist societies; childlessness in Nigeria; child-free life; church in Nigeria; childlessness
Description Unlike Hannah, who eventually had a child, there are women today who remain childless. In the modern world, there are various reasons why women choose not to have children. Therefore, when interpreting the Hannah narrative in modern times, it is important to consider these evolving aspects of barrenness. This article applies historical-critical exegesis, narrative reading and a descriptive approach to examine Hannah’s experience in the Nigerian context. It also evaluates African traditional beliefs on childlessness in light of modern realities. The study reveals that many women in pronatalist societies worldwide now choose to be child-free because of reasons such as difficulty finding marriage partners or financial instability. As these factors are also present in Nigeria, childless Nigerian women should embrace their situation and find happiness instead of succumbing to stigmatisation. To support these Christian women, the church in Nigeria must accept and teach the truth that not every woman needs to bear children.Contribution: This article contributes to the discussion on Christian attitudes towards childlessness. It argues that the interpretation of Hannah’s infertility in today’s world should consider new circumstances, such as voluntary childlessness. In light of this argument, Nigerian women without children should embrace their situation and find happiness instead of succumbing to societal stigma.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor
Date 2024-09-30
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — —
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/hts.v80i1.9810
 
Source HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies; Vol 80, No 1 (2024); 8 pages 2072-8050 0259-9422
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/9810/27618 https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/9810/27619 https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/9810/27620 https://hts.org.za/index.php/hts/article/view/9810/27621
 
Coverage — — —
Rights Copyright (c) 2024 Solomon O. Ademiluka https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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