Genesis 21:1

The Birth of Isaac

21:1 The Lord visited ¹  Sarah just as he had said he would and did ²  for Sarah what he had promised. ³ 

Genesis 21:1

The Birth of Isaac

21:1 The Lord visited ⁴  Sarah just as he had said he would and did ⁵  for Sarah what he had promised. ⁶ 

Genesis 1:19-20

1:19 There was evening, and there was morning, a fourth day.

1:20 God said, “Let the water swarm with swarms ⁷  of living creatures and let birds fly ⁸  above the earth across the expanse of the sky.”

Psalms 113:9

113:9 He makes the barren woman of the family ⁹ 

a happy mother of children. ¹⁰ 

Praise the Lord!

Luke 1:24-25

1:24 After some time ¹¹  his wife Elizabeth became pregnant, ¹²  and for five months she kept herself in seclusion. ¹³  She said, ¹⁴  1:25 “This is what ¹⁵  the Lord has done for me at the time ¹⁶  when he has been gracious to me, ¹⁷  to take away my disgrace ¹⁸  among people.” ¹⁹ 

Luke 1:36

1:36 “And look, ²⁰  your relative ²¹  Elizabeth has also become pregnant with ²²  a son in her old age – although she was called barren, she is now in her sixth month! ²³ 

Hebrews 11:11

11:11 By faith, even though Sarah herself was barren and he was too old, ²⁴  he received the ability to procreate, ²⁵  because he regarded the one who had given the promise to be trustworthy.

[21:1]  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).

[21:1]  ² tn Heb “and the Lord did.” The divine name has not been repeated here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[21:1]  ³ tn Heb “spoken.”

[21:1]  ⁴ 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).

[21:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “and the Lord did.” The divine name has not been repeated here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[21:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “spoken.”

[1:20]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew text again uses a cognate construction (“swarm with swarms”) to emphasize the abundant fertility. The idea of the verb is one of swift movement back and forth, literally swarming. This verb is used in Exod 1:7 to describe the rapid growth of the Israelite population in bondage.

[1:20]  ⁸ tn The Hebrew text uses the Polel form of the verb instead of the simple Qal; it stresses a swarming flight again to underscore the abundant fruitfulness.

[113:9]  ⁹ tn Heb “of the house.”

[113:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “sons.”

[1:24]  ¹¹ tn Grk “After these days.” The phrase refers to a general, unspecified period of time that passes before fulfillment comes.

[1:24]  ¹² tn Or “Elizabeth conceived.”

[1:24]  ¹³ sn The text does not state why Elizabeth withdrew into seclusion, nor is the reason entirely clear.

[1:24]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “she kept herself in seclusion, saying.” The participle λέγουσα (legousa) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[1:25]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “Thus.”

[1:25]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “in the days.”

[1:25]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “has looked on me” (an idiom for taking favorable notice of someone).

[1:25]  ¹⁸ sn Barrenness was often seen as a reproach or disgrace (Lev 20:20-21; Jer 22:30), but now at her late age (the exact age is never given in Luke’s account), God had miraculously removed it (see also Luke 1:7).

[1:25]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “among men”; but the context clearly indicates a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") here.

[1:36]  ²⁰ tn Grk “behold.”

[1:36]  ²¹ tn Some translations render the word συγγενίς (sungeni") as “cousin” (so Phillips) but the term is not necessarily this specific.

[1:36]  ²² tn Or “has conceived.”

[1:36]  ²³ tn Grk “and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren.” Yet another note on Elizabeth’s loss of reproach also becomes a sign of the truth of the angel’s declaration.

[11:11]  ²⁴ tn Grk “past the time of maturity.”

[11:11]  ²⁵ tn Grk “power to deposit seed.” Though it is not as likely, some construe this phrase to mean “power to conceive seed,” making the whole verse about Sarah: “by faith, even though Sarah herself was barren and too old, she received ability to conceive, because she regarded the one who had given the promise to be trustworthy.”