Genesis 18:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’

NIV: Then the LORD said to Abraham, 'Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Will I really have a child, now that I am old?'

NASB: But the Lord said to Abraham, 'Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I actually give birth to a child, when I am so old?’

CSB: But the Lord asked Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Can I really have a baby when I'm old? '

NLT: Then the Lord said to Abraham, 'Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, ‘Can an old woman like me have a baby?’

KJV: And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?

NKJV: And the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?’

Sarah is listening from a nearby tent as her husband Abraham converses with three strangers. These men are actually God and two angels disguised in human form. The strict approach to hospitality practiced in that era would have applied to every aspect of this event. In part, that probably meant Sarah should not have been eavesdropping. It certainly would have meant that laughing at something a guest said, unless it was intended as a joke, could have been seen as impolite.

Since the details of this passage are brief, we don't know if Abraham and the three men could hear Sarah laugh in response to the idea of her having a baby. It is possible that God's divine awareness that she laughed to herself served as evidence that this was, indeed, the Lord in human form outside of her tent. The text itself gives us no way to know for sure.

In either case, the Lord asks Abraham why Sarah had laughed in unbelief about the idea. This would have been an awkward question for Abraham to answer, since his response to this same news was similar (Genesis 17:17).

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.

Accessed 5/12/2024 7:18:35 AM