Before we begin, a reminder: the Bible is written in symbolism. Its men and women are not primarily about gender, but about how the mind works. “Man” represents the initiating awareness — the I AM — and “Woman” represents the responding, remembering, and receiving side of the mind. What follows is an inner story.
Read this way, the stories of Sarah responding to Abraham and Hannah describe stages in learning and stabilising the Law of Assumption. They do not repeat one another — they progress. Sarah appears first in Scripture because she represents the early discovery of the law. Hannah comes later because she represents devotion and consistency within it.
Genesis 2:23 — Woman as the Responding Mind
Everything begins with Genesis 2:23:
“This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
because she was taken out of Man.”
This is not about origin in time but origin in function. Woman is drawn out of Man because she is the part of the mind that responds to identity. She reflects, remembers, and agrees with what the I AM declares.
What Man assumes, Woman confirms. What Man believes himself to be, Woman carries forward as reality.
This is why Scripture repeatedly shows Woman conceiving according to belief, faith, or alignment — never effort.
Barrenness — When the Mind Has Not Yet Settled
Barrenness in the Bible does not signify punishment or lack of worth. It describes a mental state.
To be barren symbolically is to desire without yet resting in assumption. The remembering mind has not fully agreed with the I AM. Faith exists, but it is new, fragile, or interrupted by memory of limitation.
This is the condition both Sarah and Hannah begin in — but they resolve it differently and at different depths.
Sarah — Discovering the Law Through Joy and Surprise
Sarah appears first in the biblical narrative because she represents the mind’s initial encounter with the Law of Assumption.
When Sarah laughs in Genesis 18, her laughter is not mockery. It is surprise. It is the shock of realising that identity, not conditions, is creative.
This is the earliest stage of faith: joyful disbelief giving way to possibility.
“Is anything too hard for the Lord?”
This question is not about circumstance. It challenges the remembering mind directly. If the I AM accepts itself as the source, memory must follow.
Isaac — whose name means “laughter” — is born from this stage. He represents the first joyful proof that assumption works. Faith is real, but still young.
Hannah — Devotion and Undivided Agreement
Hannah comes later in Scripture because she represents a deeper stage: not discovery, but devotion.
Hannah’s distress is not ignorance of the law. It is the pain of inner division. She knows what she wants, yet the remembering mind is still pulled between faith and struggle.
Her prayer in 1 Samuel 1 is the turning point:
“I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life.”
This is not sacrifice — it is alignment. Hannah no longer negotiates with desire. She dedicates the mind entirely to God, meaning identity alone governs thought.
Here, the remembering mind stops arguing. Faith is no longer emotional effort; it becomes loyalty.
Immediately after this prayer, Hannah’s countenance changes. Peace appears before manifestation — because agreement has already been reached.
From Laughter to Loyalty
Sarah and Hannah are not parallel stories; they are sequential.
- Sarah represents learning the law — the first joy, surprise, and faith that imagination creates.
- Hannah represents living the law — devotion, consistency, and undivided agreement with the I AM.
Isaac is born from delight. Samuel is born from dedication.
What Is Born from Agreement
Isaac (“laughter”) shows that the law works.
Samuel (“asked of God”) shows that the mind can remain faithful to it.
Neither child is a reward. Both are expressions — the natural result of the remembering mind agreeing with identity.
Conclusion — Woman as the Faithful Witness
Woman, taken out of Man in Genesis 2:23, symbolises the remembering mind that bears witness to identity.
When she is barren, the mind is divided. When she rejoices, faith is being discovered. When she is devoted, assumption is stable.
Sarah teaches us the joy of realising imagination creates.
Hannah teaches us the peace of never arguing with it again.
When the mind is wholly dedicated to the I AM, conception is inevitable.