Sarah

Sarah (or Sarai) was the wife of Abraham and the mother of Isaac, through whom God fulfilled His promise to make Abraham a great nation.

The name Sarah means “lady; princess; princess of the multitude”

FemaleEarly PatriarchPatriarchs eraOld & New Testaments5 books57 verses

Summary

A woman living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Genesis 11:29; referred to as Sarah (שָׂרָה), Sarai (שָׂרַי), or Sarah (Σάρρα); daughter of Terah; a sister of Abraham, Nahor and Haran; wife of Abraham; mother of Isaac.

Profile

Sarah was both Abraham's wife and half-sister (Genesis 11:29; 20:12). She traveled with Abraham from Ur to Haran and then to Canaan (Genesis 11:31; 12:5). Twice, in Egypt and Gerar, Abraham asked Sarah to claim she was his sister, not his wife (Genesis 12:10–20; 20:1–18). He feared he might be killed because of her. Despite Abraham's lack of faith, God protected Sarah both times. This preserved the chosen line through which God promised to grow the Israelite nation (Genesis 12:2; 17:19).

Sarah is one of several women in the Bible who could not have children but miraculously had a son (see also Genesis 30:22–24; 1 Samuel 1:9–20; 2 Kings 4:14–17; Luke 1:5–25). After God made several promises, Sarah became pregnant and gave birth to Isaac. Sarah was ninety years old when this happened, showing God's power to do what seems impossible (compare Genesis 17:17; 21:1–5). Her name changed from Sarai to Sarah when God promised Isaac's birth (Genesis 17:15–16). Sarah is honored for her faith, even though she laughed at the prediction of Isaac's birth (Genesis 18:10–15). This happened twenty-five years after God's first promise to Abraham.

Sarah died at age 127 and was buried in the cave Abraham bought at Machpelah (Genesis 23). She is known as the mother of the nation of Israel (Isaiah 51:2), just as Abraham is its father. She plays a key role in stories about Abraham’s faith (see Romans 4:19). She symbolizes the freedom Christians have (as children of Sarah, the free woman) through faith in Christ (see Galatians 4:21–31). Peter uses her as an example of holy submission (1 Peter 3:5–6). The writer of Hebrews presents Sarah as an example of faith, for she believed in God’s ability to keep his promises (Hebrews 11:11–12). Her life shows that God is faithful, even if his timing does not always match our expectations.

Passages for Further Study

Genesis 11:29–31; 12:10–20; 17:15–22; 18:9–15; 20:1–18; 21:1–13; 23:1–20; Isaiah 51:2; Romans 4:19; 9:6–9; Galatians 4:21–31; Hebrews 11:11–12; 1 Peter 3:6

Events

Dates are approximate

Glossary entries

Sarah Sarai Sara

Family members

Father: Terah
Spouse: Abraham
Siblings: Abraham Haran Nahor
Children: Isaac

Alternative names

ΣάρραSarah
שָׂרָהSarah
שָׂרַיSaraimeans “my lady; my princess”

Mentions

Includes 9 verses that refer to Sarah without naming them, as “he”, “she”, or the subject of a verb.

Genesis 11:29שָׂרַי · Sarai
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.
Genesis 11:30שָׂרַי · Sarai
But Sarai was barren; she had no children.
Genesis 11:31שָׂרַי · Sarai
And Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai the wife of Abram, and they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans for the land of Canaan. But when they arrived in Haran, they settled there.
Genesis 12:5שָׂרַי · Sarai
And Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all the possessions and people they had acquired in Haran, and set out for the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan,
Genesis 12:11שָׂרַי · Sarai
As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “Look, I know that you are a beautiful woman,
Genesis 12:12Referred to, not named
…and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live.
Genesis 12:13Referred to, not named
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.”
Genesis 12:17שָׂרַי · Sarai
The LORD, however, afflicted Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Abram’s wife Sarai.
Genesis 12:18Referred to, not named
So Pharaoh summoned Abram and asked, “What have you done to me? Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife?
Genesis 12:19Referred to, not named
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!”
Genesis 16:1שָׂרַי · Sarai
Now Abram’s wife Sarai had borne him no children, but she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar.
Genesis 16:2שָׂרַי · 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.
Genesis 16:3שָׂרַי · Sarai
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.
Genesis 16:5שָׂרַי · Sarai
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.”
Genesis 16:6שָׂרַי · Sarai
“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.
Genesis 16:8שָׂרַי · Sarai
“Hagar, servant of Sarai,” he said, “where have you come from, and where are you going?” “I am running away from my mistress Sarai,” she replied.
Genesis 17:15שָׂרָה · Sarah; שָׂרַי · Sarai
Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, do not call her Sarai, for her name is to be Sarah.
Genesis 17:16Referred to, not named
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.”
Genesis 17:17שָׂרָה · Sarah
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?”
Genesis 17:19שָׂרָה · Sarah
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.
Genesis 17:21שָׂרָה · Sarah
But I will establish My covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year.”
Genesis 18:6שָׂרָה · Sarah
So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick! Prepare three seahs of fine flour, knead it, and bake some bread.”
Genesis 18:9שָׂרָה · Sarah
“Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked. “There, in the tent,” he replied.
Genesis 18:10שָׂרָה · Sarah
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.
Genesis 18:11שָׂרָה · Sarah
And Abraham and Sarah were already old and well along in years; Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.
Genesis 18:12שָׂרָה · Sarah
So she laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?”
Genesis 18:13שָׂרָה · Sarah
And the LORD asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Can I really bear a child when I am old?’
Genesis 18:14שָׂרָה · Sarah
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.”
Genesis 18:15שָׂרָה · Sarah
But Sarah was afraid, so she denied it and said, “I did not laugh.” “No,” replied the LORD, “but you did laugh.”
Genesis 20:2שָׂרָה · Sarah
Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech king of Gerar had Sarah brought to him.
Genesis 20:4Referred to, not named
Now Abimelech had not gone near her, so he replied, “Lord, would You destroy a nation even though it is innocent?
Genesis 20:5Referred to, not named
Didn’t Abraham tell me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ I have done this in the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands.”
Genesis 20:6Referred to, not named
Then God said to Abimelech in the dream, “Yes, I know that you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against Me. That is why I did not let you touch her.
Genesis 20:14שָׂרָה · Sarah
So Abimelech brought sheep and cattle, menservants and maidservants, and he gave them to Abraham and restored his wife Sarah to him.
Genesis 20:16שָׂרָה · Sarah
And he said to Sarah, “See, I am giving your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is your vindication before all who are with you; you are completely cleared.”
Genesis 20:18שָׂרָה · Sarah
…for on account of Abraham’s wife Sarah, the LORD had completely closed all the wombs in Abimelech’s household.
Genesis 21:1שָׂרָה · Sarah
Now the LORD attended to Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what He had promised.
Genesis 21:2שָׂרָה · Sarah
So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised.
Genesis 21:3שָׂרָה · Sarah
And Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore to him.
Genesis 21:6שָׂרָה · Sarah
Then Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and everyone who hears of this will laugh with me.”
Genesis 21:7שָׂרָה · Sarah
She added, “Who would have told Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”
Genesis 21:9שָׂרָה · Sarah
But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking her son,
Genesis 21:10Referred to, not named
…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!”
Genesis 21:12שָׂרָה · Sarah
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.
Genesis 23:1שָׂרָה · Sarah
Now Sarah lived to be 127 years old.
Genesis 23:2שָׂרָה · Sarah
She died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went out to mourn and to weep for her.
Genesis 23:19שָׂרָה · Sarah
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.
Genesis 24:36שָׂרָה · Sarah
My master’s wife Sarah has borne him a son in her old age, and my master has given him everything he owns.
Genesis 24:67שָׂרָה · Sarah
And Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah and took Rebekah as his wife. And Isaac loved her and was comforted after his mother’s death.
Genesis 25:10שָׂרָה · Sarah
This was the field that Abraham had bought from the Hittites. Abraham was buried there with his wife Sarah.
Genesis 25:12שָׂרָה · Sarah
This is the account of Abraham’s son Ishmael, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s maidservant, bore to Abraham.
Genesis 49:31שָׂרָה · Sarah
There Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah are buried, and there I buried Leah.
Isaiah 51:2שָׂרָה · Sarah
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.
Romans 4:19Σάρρα · Sarah
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.
Romans 9:9Σάρρα · Sarah
For this is what the promise stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”
Hebrews 11:11Σάρρα · Sarah
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.
1 Peter 3:6Σάρρα · Sarah
…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.