Sarah

Biblical Account

Sarah's life is recounted in Genesis 11–23.

• Family and migration: Sarai was the wife of Abram and was barren (Genesis 11:29-30). She left Ur of the Chaldees with her father-in-law Terah (Genesis 11:31) and later went with her husband to Canaan.
• Presented as a sister: On two occasions her husband said that she was his sister: as Abram in Egypt (Genesis 12:10-20), and as Abraham before Abimelech, king of Gerar (Genesis 20). In Genesis 20:12 Abraham explains that Sarah was his half-sister, the daughter of his father but not of his mother.
• Hagar: Because she had no children, Sarai gave her maidservant Hagar to her husband. After Hagar conceived, conflict arose between the two women (Genesis 16).
• Name and promise: God changed Sarai's name to Sarah and promised that she would bear a son and become a mother of nations (Genesis 17:15-16). The name is commonly interpreted to mean "lady" or "princess." When Sarah heard the news of a son at Mamre, she laughed within herself (Genesis 18:9-15).
• Isaac's birth and afterward: Sarah bore Isaac when Abraham was one hundred years old (Genesis 21:1-7). The name Isaac is associated with "laughter." Afterward, Sarah demanded that Hagar and Ishmael be sent away (Genesis 21:9-10).
• Death: Sarah died at Hebron at the age of 127 and was buried in the cave of Machpelah (Genesis 23).

Significance Within Scripture

Isaiah 51:2 calls on readers to look unto "Sarah that bare you." In the New Testament she is mentioned as follows:

• Romans 4:19 and 9:9 speak of the deadness of Sarah's womb and the fulfillment of the promise.
• Galatians 4:21-31 treats Sarah allegorically as the free woman, representing the covenant of promise.
• Hebrews 11:11 lists Sarah among the people of faith.
• 1 Peter 3:6 holds up Sarah as an example of a wife who obeyed Abraham, calling him "lord."

Interpretation and Debated Issues

• The subject of Hebrews 11:11: The New Korean Revised Version (Gaeyeok Gaejeong) renders Sarah as the subject of the verse. Because of difficulties in interpreting the original text, however, some translations and commentaries take Abraham to be the subject.
• 1 Peter 3:6: Those who emphasize order between husband and wife read this verse as teaching a wife's submission. Others hold that it should be read against the background of first-century household culture. This difference is also connected to the debate over women's ordination.
• Treatment of Hagar: Interpretations of Sarah's sending away of Hagar and Ishmael differ: some regard it as an act that preserved the line of promise, while others see it as an expression of human weakness (see Hagar and Ishmael).
• Extrabiblical tradition: The identification of Sarah with Iscah in Genesis 11:29 is reportedly found in some strands of Jewish tradition. The biblical text itself does not state this directly.

In the Korean Church

In preaching, Sarah's laughter and the birth of Isaac are frequently presented as the fulfillment of the promise expressed in the words "Is any thing too hard for the LORD?" (Genesis 18:14). She is also presented as an example of one who kept faith through long waiting and barrenness. Sunday school lessons usually teach her story as part of the account of Abraham. In sermons at wedding services, she is sometimes cited alongside 1 Peter 3.