BIRTH bûrth (לֵדָה, H4256, act of birth; γένεσις, G1161, origin, nativity.

The word birth is used broadly in three different ways in the Bible. First, there is natural or physical birth which automatically implies a growing up into a spiritually carnal state. Second, supernatural birth is seen once only in the Virgin Birth of Christ, while finally the whole NT abounds with the theme of the new or spiritual birth.

It is common knowledge that childbirth is a painful experience although there is more than a hint that it is far more painful than originally intended (Gen 3:16). The spiritual fall of man has marred both his physical body and natural creation, for, as Paul wrote, “We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now” (Rom 8:22). It is not necessary to believe that there would be no pain in the childbirth of unfallen humans, as a sacrificial experience would increase the bond between mother and child. Even with women who have easy births, there must be some stretching of the tissues of the birth canal to allow the passage of the baby’s head and whereever tissues containing nerves are stretched there must be pain. However, some women with a well-shaped pelvis and an efficiently contracting womb can have an easy labor even with a first child. This was apparently true of the ancient Heb. woman (Exod 1:19). It may be postulated that these women’s experiences are close to what was intended. Just as the Fall has produced other deformities and inefficiencies in the body, so could it be used to account for the unfavorably shaped pelvis, abnormally large babies, and inefficiently contracting wombs which lead to difficult and abnormal births. So universal is the experience of difficult childbirth that the word “travail” is used many times in the Bible to denote severe suffering to produce spiritual creation (Isa 53:11 and Gal 4:19).

The many references to the “new birth” in the NT illustrate, with a very apt figure of speech, the fact that until a man surrenders his will to Christ he has not even entered the true spiritual realm of life with God.