Birth And Grace

ΕΡΩΤ ΟΕ' Διατί τῶν πατριαρχῶν αἱ γυναῖκες στεῖραι; Καὶ γὰρ Σὰῥῥα στεῖρα, καὶ ἡ Ῥεβέκκα ὡσταύτως, καὶ ἡ Ῥακὴλ μέντοι, καὶ ἡ Λεία. Ἰδὼν γὰρ, φησὶ, Κύριος, ὅτι μισεῖται ἡ Λεία, ἀνέῳξε αὐτῆς τὴν μήτραν.; Τὸ Ἰσρατηλιτικὸν συστῆσαι γένος βουληθεὶς ὁ Θεὸς, δείκνυσιν οὐ κατὰ φύσεως ἀκολουθίαν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν τῆς χάριτος φιλοτιμίαν τὴν πολυγονίαν δεξάμενον. Ταύτης δὲ τῆς κηδεμονίας ἐκεῖνο τὸ γένος τετύχηκεν, ἐπειδήπερ ὁ Δεσπότης Χριστὸς, ὁ μονογενὴς τοῦ Θεοῦ Υἱὸς, ἐκεῖθεν ἔμελλε τὸ κατὰ σάρκα βλαστήσειν. Θεοδώρητος Ἐπίσκοπος Κύρρος, Εἰς Τὴν Γένεσιν Source: Migne PG 80.185c

Question 75 Why were the wives of the patriarchs sterile? For Sarah was sterile, and Rebecca also, similarly Rachel and Leah. 'For the Lord, seeing that Leah was despised, opened her womb.' 1 Wishing to commend the race of Israel, God shows that it is not by natural succession but by grace that the reception of honourable fecundity comes about. And this race obtained this care because The Lord Christ, the Only Begotten Son, would be born from it according to the flesh. Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Questions On Genesis 1 Gen 29.31