Sarah

Sarah, first called Sarai, was the wife of Abraham. Barren into old age, she gave birth to Isaac as God had promised.

Abram's wife

• Genesis 11:29
  And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. Abram’s wife was named Sarai, and Nahor’s wife was named Milcah; she was the daughter of Haran, who was the father of both Milcah and Iscah.
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• Genesis 12:10-20
  ¹⁰And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. ¹¹And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon:As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “Look, I know that you are a beautiful woman, ¹²Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive.and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. ¹³Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.Please say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake, and on account of you my life will be spared.” ¹⁴And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair.So when Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. ¹⁵The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house.When Pharaoh’s officials saw Sarai, they commended her to him, and she was taken into the palace of Pharaoh. ¹⁶And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels.He treated Abram well on her account, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants, and camels. ¹⁷And the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram’s wife.The LORD, however, afflicted Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Abram’s wife Sarai. ¹⁸And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife?So Pharaoh summoned Abram and asked, “What have you done to me? Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? ¹⁹Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way.Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her as my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!” ²⁰And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.Then Pharaoh gave his men orders concerning Abram, and they sent him away with his wife and all his possessions.
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Barrenness and Hagar

• Genesis 11:30
  But Sarai was barren; she had no child.But Sarai was barren; she had no children.
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• Genesis 16:1-6
  ¹Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.Now Abram’s wife Sarai had borne him no children, but she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar. ²And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.So Sarai said to Abram, “Look now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Please go to my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. ³And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.So after he had lived in Canaan for ten years, his wife Sarai took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to Abram to be his wife. ⁴And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.And he slept with Hagar, and she conceived. But when Hagar realized that she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. ⁵And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the Lord judge between me and thee.Then Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be upon you! I delivered my servant into your arms, and ever since she saw that she was pregnant, she has treated me with contempt. May the LORD judge between you and me.” ⁶But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.“Here,” said Abram, “your servant is in your hands. Do whatever you want with her.” Then Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she fled from her.
  Show context · Read Genesis 16 →

Renamed and promised a son

• Genesis 17:15-19
  ¹⁵And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, do not call her Sarai, for her name is to be Sarah. ¹⁶And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.And I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will descend from her.” ¹⁷Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?Abraham fell facedown. Then he laughed and said to himself, “Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah give birth at the age of ninety?” ¹⁸And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!And Abraham said to God, “O that Ishmael might live under Your blessing!” ¹⁹And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.But God replied, “Your wife Sarah will indeed bear you a son, and you are to name him Isaac. I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.
  Show context · Read Genesis 17 →
• Genesis 18:9-15
  ⁹And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.“Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked. “There, in the tent,” he replied. ¹⁰And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.Then the LORD said, “I will surely return to you at this time next year, and your wife Sarah will have a son!” Now Sarah was behind him, listening at the entrance to the tent. ¹¹Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.And Abraham and Sarah were already old and well along in years; Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. ¹²Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?So she laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?” ¹³And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?And the LORD asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Can I really bear a child when I am old?’ ¹⁴Is any thing too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you—in about a year—and Sarah will have a son.” ¹⁵Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.But Sarah was afraid, so she denied it and said, “I did not laugh.” “No,” replied the LORD, “but you did laugh.”
  Show context · Read Genesis 18 →

Birth of Isaac

• Genesis 21:1-7
  ¹And the Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken.Now the LORD attended to Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what He had promised. ²For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised. ³And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac.And Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore to him. ⁴And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him.When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God had commanded him. ⁵And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him.Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. ⁶And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me.Then Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and everyone who hears of this will laugh with me.” ⁷And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have born him a son in his old age.She added, “Who would have told Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”
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• Genesis 21:9-12
  ⁹And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking her son, ¹⁰Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.and she said to Abraham, “Expel the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac!” ¹¹And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight because of his son.Now this matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son Ishmael. ¹²And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed about the boy and your maidservant. Listen to everything that Sarah tells you, for through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.
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Death and burial

• Genesis 23:1-2
  ¹And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: these were the years of the life of Sarah.Now Sarah lived to be 127 years old. ²And Sarah died in Kirjath–arba; the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.She died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went out to mourn and to weep for her.
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• Genesis 23:19
  And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre: the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan.After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of the field at Machpelah near Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.
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Elsewhere in Scripture

• Isaiah 51:2
  Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who gave you birth. When I called him, he was but one; then I blessed him and multiplied him.
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• Romans 4:19
  And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb:Without weakening in his faith, he acknowledged the decrepitness of his body (since he was about a hundred years old) and the lifelessness of Sarah’s womb.
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• Romans 9:9
  For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son.For this is what the promise stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”
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• Hebrews 11:11
  Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.By faith Sarah, even though she was barren and beyond the proper age, was enabled to conceive a child, because she considered Him faithful who had promised.
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• 1 Peter 3:6
  Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.just as Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him lord. And you are her children if you do what is right and refuse to give way to fear.
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See also

• Abraham
• Isaac
• Mothers
• Faith

Notes

1. Verses are quoted in the translation chosen in the Translation menu at the top of the page. See Translations for sources and copyright notices.
2. Each reference links to the full chapter so the verse can be read in context.