Mother’s Day can feel like a minefield when you don’t have children. Church services overflow with tributes to mothers, social media fills with family photos, and well-meaning people ask when you’ll start a family or suggest that you “just relax and it will happen.” Whether you’re childless by choice, struggling with infertility, grieving pregnancy loss, or still waiting for the right circumstances, the cultural celebration of motherhood can leave you feeling invisible and forgotten.
But Scripture tells stories of many women whose worth wasn’t defined by their ability to bear children. The Bible acknowledges the deep pain of infertility while also revealing that God has purposes and plans that extend beyond biological motherhood. From Sarah’s decades of waiting to Hannah’s desperate prayers to the Shunammite woman’s unexpected blessing, Scripture shows God’s heart for women who long for children and His ability to bring meaning and purpose to every season.
These verses aren’t meant to minimize your desire for children or suggest that spiritual motherhood replaces biological motherhood. Instead, they offer comfort, hope, and a reminder that your value comes from being God’s beloved daughter, not from your reproductive status.
Bible Verses About Mother’s Day for Childless Women
1. Isaiah 54:1 – Sing, Barren Woman
“Sing, barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband,” says the Lord.
New International Version (NIV)
2. Psalm 113:9 – He Settles the Childless Woman in Her Home
He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the Lord!
English Standard Version (ESV)
3. 1 Samuel 1:27-28 – I Prayed for This Child
For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. Therefore I also have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the Lord.
New King James Version (NKJV)
4. Isaiah 56:4-5 – To the Eunuchs Who Keep My Sabbaths
For this is what the Lord says: “To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant—to them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will endure forever.”
New Living Translation (NLT)
5. Galatians 4:27 – Rejoice, Barren Woman
For it is written: Rejoice, childless woman, unable to give birth. Burst into song and shout, you who are not in labor, for the children of the desolate are many, more numerous than those of the woman who has a husband.
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
6. Genesis 21:1-2 – The Lord Was Gracious to Sarah
Then the Lord took note of Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had promised. So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time of which God had spoken to him.
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
7. Luke 1:36-37 – Nothing Will Be Impossible with God
And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible.
King James Version (KJV)
8. Romans 4:18-19 – Against All Hope, Abraham in Hope Believed
Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become “the father of many nations,” according to what was said, “So numerous shall your descendants be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead.
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
9. Isaiah 49:15 – Can a Mother Forget Her Nursing Child?
“Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you!”
The Message (MSG)
10. Jeremiah 1:5 – Before I Formed You in the Womb
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you [and approved of you as My chosen instrument], and before you were born I separated and set you apart, consecrating you; [and] I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.
Amplified Bible (AMP)
11. Psalm 127:3 – Children Are a Heritage from the Lord
Look! Children are a gift from the Lord; the fruit of the womb is a reward.
New English Translation (NET)
12. 1 Samuel 2:5 – She Who Was Barren Has Borne Seven Children
Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger. The barren woman gives birth to seven, but she who has many children withers away.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
13. Hosea 9:14 – Give Them, Lord—What Will You Give Them?
Our Lord, do something! But what should you do? Make their women unable to have children or to nurse their babies.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
14. John 16:21 – A Woman Giving Birth to a Child Has Pain
When a woman is about to give birth, she is sad because her time of suffering has come. But when her baby is born, she forgets the pain, because she is so happy that a child has been born into the world.
Good News Translation (GNT)
15. Isaiah 66:9 – Shall I Bring to the Moment of Birth and Not Give Delivery?
“Do I bring a nation to the point of birth and then not deliver it?” says the Lord. “No! I would never keep this nation from being born,” says your God.
New Century Version (NCV)
16. Genesis 30:1 – Give Me Children, or I’ll Die!
Rachel noticed that she was not bearing children for Jacob, so Rachel became jealous of her sister. “Give me children,” she told Jacob, “or I’ll die!”
International Standard Version (ISV)
17. Deuteronomy 7:13-14 – He Will Love You and Bless You
He will love you, bless you, and multiply you. He will bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your land—your grain, new wine, and oil, the offspring of your cattle, and the young of your flock in the land He swore to your fathers to give you. You will be blessed above all peoples; there will be no barren male or female among you or your livestock.
Tree of Life Version (TLV)
18. Job 24:21 – He Preys on the Barren and Childless Woman
He preys on the barren, childless woman, and does not treat the widow well.
Lexham English Bible (LEB)
19. Luke 23:29 – Blessed Are the Childless Women
For behold, the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed!’
World English Bible (WEB)
20. 2 Kings 4:16-17 – About This Season You Shall Embrace a Son
And he said, At this season, when the time cometh round, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thy handmaid. And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season, when the time came round, as Elisha had said unto her.
American Standard Version (ASV)
21. Genesis 25:21 – Isaac Prayed to the Lord for His Wife
And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
Revised Standard Version (RSV)
22. Judges 13:2-3 – There Was a Certain Man Whose Wife Was Sterile
There was then a man from Zorah of the clan of the Danites whose name was Manoah. His wife was barren and had borne no children. An angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Though you are barren and have had no children, you will conceive and bear a son.”
New American Bible (NAB)
23. Luke 1:7 – They Had No Child Because Elizabeth Was Barren
And they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren: and they both were well advanced in years.
Douay-Rheims Bible (DRB)
24. 1 Samuel 1:5-6 – To Hannah He Gave a Double Portion
But unto Hannah he gave a double portion; for he loved Hannah: but the LORD had shut up her womb. And her rival provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb.
English Revised Version (ERV)
25. Genesis 29:31 – When the Lord Saw That Leah Was Unloved
And Jehovah seeth that Leah is the hated one, and He openeth her womb, and Rachel is barren.
Young’s Literal Translation (YLT)
26. Isaiah 54:4-6 – Do Not Fear, You Will Not Be Ashamed
Fear not, for thou shalt not be ashamed; neither be thou confounded, for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more. For thy Maker is thy husband; Jehovah of hosts is his name.
Darby Translation (DARBY)
27. Proverbs 30:16 – The Barren Womb
Sheol, and the barren womb; earth also, which is never satisfied with water; and fire, which saith not, It is enough.
Weymouth New Testament (WNT)
28. Genesis 16:2 – The Lord Has Kept Me from Having Children
And Sarai seide to Abram, Lo! the Lord hath closid me, that Y schulde not bere child; Y biseche, entre thou to my seruauntesse, if in hap Y mai take children, nameli of hir.
Wycliffe Bible (WYC)
29. 1 Samuel 1:11 – Lord Almighty, If You Will Look on Your Servant’s Misery
And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt surely look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life.
Geneva Bible (GNV)
30. Ruth 4:13 – The Lord Enabled Her to Conceive
And so Booz toke Ruth, and she was his wyfe. And when he went in vnto her, the Lorde gaue that she conceaued and bare a sonne.
The Living Bible (TLB)
31. Psalm 139:13-14 – You Knit Me Together in My Mother’s Womb
You formed my innermost being, shaping my delicate inside and my intricate outside, and wove them all together in my mother’s womb. I thank you, God, for making me so mysteriously complex! Everything you do is marvelously breathtaking.
The Passion Translation (TPT)
32. Isaiah 44:2 – This Is What the Lord Says—He Who Made You
The Eternal, who made you, who shaped you in the womb, who helps you, says this: “Do not be afraid, Jacob, My servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
The Voice Bible (VOICE)
33. Jeremiah 31:15-17 – A Voice Is Heard in Ramah
The Lord says, “A voice is heard in the city of Ramah. It is the sound of crying and deep sadness. Rachel is crying for her children. She refuses to be comforted, because her children are gone.” But the Lord says, “Stop crying. Do not let tears fall from your eyes. I will reward you for your work!” announces the Lord.
New International Reader’s Version (NIrV)
34. Ecclesiastes 11:5 – You Do Not Know the Path of the Wind
You don’t know where the wind blows or how a baby grows in its mother’s body. In the same way, you don’t understand what God does or how he created everything.
Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
35. Isaiah 43:1 – Do Not Fear, for I Have Redeemed You
Now this is what the Lord says. He created Jacob’s people. He formed Israel as a nation. He says, “Don’t be afraid. I will set you free. I will send for you by name. You belong to me.”
God’s Word Translation (GWT)
Our Thoughts On What the Bible Says About Childlessness and Motherhood
Scripture approaches childlessness with remarkable sensitivity, acknowledging both the deep pain of infertility and God’s sovereignty over all circumstances. The Bible never minimizes the grief of women who long for children, nor does it suggest that spiritual motherhood fully replaces the desire for biological children. Instead, it shows how God works through both fulfillment and unfulfillment of our deepest longings.
What strikes me most about the biblical narrative is how many pivotal women struggled with infertility. Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Hannah, and Elizabeth all experienced the pain of empty arms and delayed promises. Yet their stories reveal that God’s timing and purposes often differ from our expectations. Some received the children they desperately wanted, while others found different paths to significance and legacy.
The Bible also expands our understanding of motherhood beyond biology. Scripture celebrates spiritual mothering, mentorship, and the nurturing roles that childless women play in families and communities. Your worth isn’t determined by your fertility, and your impact isn’t limited by your ability to bear children. God sees your heart, values your contributions, and has purposes for your life that extend far beyond reproduction.
Say This Prayer
Heavenly Father, Mother’s Day can be one of the hardest days of the year when you don’t have children. I watch other women being celebrated for their motherhood while feeling invisible and forgotten. The ache in my heart for children sometimes feels overwhelming, and I struggle with questions about Your timing and Your plans for my life.
Help me to remember that my value doesn’t come from being a mother but from being Your beloved daughter. When I feel like my arms and my heart are empty, remind me that You see my longing and that You care about every dream I’ve carried. Whether my childlessness is by choice, circumstance, or medical challenges, help me to trust that You have purposes I cannot see.
Show me the ways I can nurture and invest in the children around me, whether through teaching, mentoring, or simply being a loving presence in their lives. Help me to celebrate the mothers in my life without bitterness, and to find joy and meaning in this season of my life.
When Mother’s Day feels painful, comfort me with Your presence and surround me with people who understand. Use my experience to help others who are walking this difficult path.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.