Genesis 21:1-7
New English Translation
The Birth of Isaac
21 The Lord visited[a] Sarah just as he had said he would and did[b] for Sarah what he had promised.[c] 2 So Sarah became pregnant[d] and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the appointed time that God had told him. 3 Abraham named his son—whom Sarah bore to him—Isaac.[e] 4 When his son Isaac was eight days old,[f] Abraham circumcised him just as God had commanded him to do.[g] 5 (Now Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac was born to him.)[h]
6 Sarah said, “God has made me laugh.[i] Everyone who hears about this[j] will laugh[k] with me.” 7 She went on to say,[l] “Who would[m] have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have given birth to a son for him in his old age!”
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- Genesis 21:1 sn The Hebrew verb translated “visit” (פָּקַד, paqad) often describes divine intervention for blessing or cursing; it indicates God’s special attention to an individual or a matter, always with respect to his people’s destiny. He may visit (that is, destroy) the Amalekites; he may visit (that is, deliver) his people in Egypt. Here he visits Sarah, to allow her to have the promised child. One’s destiny is changed when the Lord “visits.” For a more detailed study of the term, see G. André, Determining the Destiny (ConBOT).
- Genesis 21:1 tn Heb “and the Lord did.” The divine name has not been repeated here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
- Genesis 21:1 tn Heb “spoken.”
- Genesis 21:2 tn Or “she conceived.”
- Genesis 21:3 tn Heb “the one born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.” The two modifying clauses, the first introduced with an article and the second with the relative pronoun, are placed in the middle of the sentence, before the name Isaac is stated. They are meant to underscore that this was indeed an actual birth to Abraham and Sarah in fulfillment of the promise.
- Genesis 21:4 tn Heb “Isaac his son, the son of eight days.”
- Genesis 21:4 sn Just as God had commanded him to do. With the birth of the promised child, Abraham obeyed the Lord by both naming (Gen 17:19) and circumcising Isaac (17:12).
- Genesis 21:5 tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause underscores how miraculous this birth was. Abraham was 100 years old. The fact that the genealogies give the ages of the fathers when their first son is born shows that this was considered a major milestone in one’s life (G. J. Wenham, Genesis [WBC], 2:80).
- Genesis 21:6 tn Heb “Laughter God has made for me.”
- Genesis 21:6 tn The words “about this” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
- Genesis 21:6 sn Sarah’s words play on the name “Isaac” in a final triumphant manner. God prepared “laughter” (צְחֹק, tsekhoq) for her, and everyone who hears about this “will laugh” (יִצְחַק, yitskhaq) with her. The laughter now signals great joy and fulfillment, not unbelief (cf. Gen 18:12-15).
- Genesis 21:7 tn Heb “said.”
- Genesis 21:7 tn The perfect form of the verb is used here to describe a hypothetical situation.
Genesis 21:1-7
Common English Bible
Isaac’s birth
21 The Lord was attentive to Sarah just as he had said, and the Lord carried out just what he had promised her. 2 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son for Abraham when he was old, at the very time God had told him. 3 Abraham named his son—the one Sarah bore him—Isaac.[a] 4 Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old just as God had commanded him. 5 Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac was born. 6 Sarah said, “God has given me laughter. Everyone who hears about it will laugh with me.”[b] 7 She said, “Who could have told Abraham that Sarah would nurse sons? But now I’ve given birth to a son when he was old!”
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- Genesis 21:3 Or he laughs
- Genesis 21:6 Or God has made a joke of me. Everyone who hears about it will laugh at me.
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