Genesis 18:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah.

NIV: Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing.

NASB: Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was past childbearing.

CSB: Abraham and Sarah were old and getting on in years. Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.

NLT: Abraham and Sarah were both very old by this time, and Sarah was long past the age of having children.

KJV: Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.

NKJV: Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.

Abraham and Sarah were around 100 and 90 years old, respectively. Given the long lifespans of early mankind (Genesis 5), it stands to reason that people of Abraham's era continued to have children later than they do today. At the same time, the text spells out that they were definitely considered old. At this point in human history, 90-year-old people were not thought of as young, by any stretch of the imagination.

In addition, not only has Sarah been barren her entire life, she has also passed menopause. As the ESV puts it, "the way of women had ceased to be" with her. By every measure, then, it would be physically impossible for Sarah to conceive and bear a child. Only God could cause such a thing to happen at this point in her life.

That, of course, is exactly what is about to happen. Sarah is listening from inside the tent as Abraham converses with three strangers (Genesis 18:9-10). These men are actually God, in human form, along with two angels. Their prophecy to Abraham echoed the same guarantee given to Abraham alone in an earlier encounter: Sarah will become pregnant!

Genesis 18:9–15 describes the moment when Sarah overhears a prediction that she will soon bear a child. Given that she is 90 years old, and her husband is approaching 100, Sarah's first response to this is to laugh in disbelief. The person speaking, however, is actually God in human form, and He gently reminds her that such things are well within His awesome power.

Abraham hurries to offer respect and hospitality to three men who appear near his tent. Over the course of the chapter, the men reveal themselves to be the Lord and two angels in human form. As He had told Abraham in the previous chapter, the Lord now reveals to Sarah that she will have a son within the year. Later, the Lord poetically says He will investigate the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah, where Abraham's nephew Lot lives. Abraham asks, and the Lord agrees, not to destroy Sodom if God finds 10 righteous people there.

God appeared to Abraham in the previous chapter revealing, in part, that Sarah would bear Abraham a son within a year's time. Now the Lord appears again, this time in human form and accompanied by two disguised angels. He reveals to Sarah the same promise. She laughs, and the Lord insists that even her age isn't too hard for Him to overcome. Next the Lord reveals to Abraham that He will investigate the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham receives the Lord's promise not to destroy Sodom (where Abraham's nephew lives) if He finds 10 righteous people in the city. Unfortunately, the city is beyond saving, and the next chapter details its utter destruction.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.