Sarah

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And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.” - Genesis 17:15-16

And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.” - Genesis 21:7

Abraham's wife. The third time the Lord appears to Abram to establish His covenant, He changes her name from Sarai to Sarah. This article only covers her time as Sarah.

Story

Sarah laughs at the prophesy of Isaac's birth, but nothing is too hard for the Lord

Sarah was in her tent by the oaks of Mamre when the Lord appeared to Abraham. He came in and asked Sarah to quickly prepare three seahs of fine flour to knead and make into cakes for the three men. When he presented their food under the tree, they asked, "Where is Sarah your wife?" He said, "She is in the tent." The Lord said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him.

Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?”

The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”

(Genesis 18)

Abimelech king of Gerar takes Sarah and returns her to Abraham

Sarah accompanied Abraham as he journeyed toward the territory of the Negeb and lived between Kadesh and Shur; and they sojourned in Gerar. Abraham said Sarah was his sister, so Abimelech sent and took Sarah but was warned by God before approaching her. Abimelech then called Abraham and asked, "What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me things that ought not to be done." and “What did you see, that you did this thing?”

Abraham said, “I did it because I thought, ‘There is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’ Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father though not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife. And when God caused me to wander from my father's house, I said to her, ‘This is the kindness you must do me: at every place to which we come, say of me, “He is my brother.”’”

Abimelech gave sheep, oxen, and male and female servants to Abraham, and he told Sarah, "Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is a sign of your innocence in the eyes of all who are with you, and before everyone you are vindicated." Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, and He healed his wife and female slaves so that they bore children after having had their wombs closed because of Sarah.

(Genesis 20)

Sarah bears Isaac to Abraham, making laughter for her

The LORD returned to Sarah as He had said and did as He promised. Sarah conceived and bore Isaac to Abraham. Abraham was 100 years old. Isaac was circumcised at 8 days old, and Sarah said, "God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.” And, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age."

Abraham held a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned, and Sarah saw that Hagar's son was laughing. She told Abraham, "Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac." It displeased Abraham, but he sent her away early in the morning.

Sarah sojourns with Abraham in the land of the Philistines.

(Genesis 21)

Sarah's death and burial

Sarah lived 127 years and died at Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.

Abraham asked the Hittites for property to bury her out of his sight. They were willing, so he asked for Ephron the Hittite to sell his field, and he answered him in the hearing of the Hittites of all who went in at the gate of his city. Despite Ephron's offer to give the field for free, Abraham weighed out the full price of 400 shekels of silver before witnesses. The field of Ephron in Machpelah, which was to the east of Mamre, the field with the cave that was in it and all the trees that were in the field, throughout its whole area, was made over to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the Hittites, before all who went in at the gate of his city.

After this, Abraham buried his wife in the cave at the end of the field.

(Genesis 23)

Isaac takes Rebekah as his wife, bringing her into the tent of Sarah, and is comforted after her death

Isaac had gone out to meditate in the field toward evening when he saw camels were coming. When Rebekah saw him, she dismounted from the camel and asked, "Who is that man, walking in the field to meet us?" He said it was his master, so she took her veil and covered herself.

After the servant told all that he had done, Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.

(Genesis 24)