Genesis 18:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But Sarah denied it, saying, "I did not laugh," for she was afraid. He said, "No, but you did laugh."

NIV: Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, "I did not laugh." But he said, "Yes, you did laugh."

NASB: Sarah denied it, however, saying, 'I did not laugh'; for she was afraid. And He said, 'No, but you did laugh.'

CSB: Sarah denied it. "I did not laugh," she said, because she was afraid. But he replied, "No, you did laugh."

NLT: Sarah was afraid, so she denied it, saying, 'I didn’t laugh.' But the Lord said, 'No, you did laugh.'

KJV: Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.

NKJV: But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh!”

The Lord and Sarah have been having a conversation without looking at each other. The Lord has been speaking to Abraham, fully aware that Sarah, behind him inside of a tent, is hearing every word. In this conversation, He has told Abraham for the second time, Sarah for the first, that she will have a son by this time next year. When Sarah laughed at the idea, the Lord revealed He knew she laughed to herself and He even knew her thoughts. He revealed that He was the Lord, that nothing was too hard for Him, and that she would have a son.

Now, oddly, Sarah chooses to deny that she had laughed. This silly lie feels beside the point when the Lord has told her that she will, miraculously, have a baby in a year's time. The Lord repeats that she did laugh. And yet, we're told Sarah was afraid. Perhaps she thought the Lord may punish her in some way for her unbelieving laughter. Or, for listening in on a conversation in which she was not explicitly involved.

He does not condemn her, though. In fact, as God revealed to Abraham in the previous chapter when Abraham also laughed at such an idea, their son's joyful name would be Isaac, which means "laughter." This name not only evokes happiness, it also serves as a subtle, almost playful rebuke of Abraham and Sarah's mutual doubt.

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.