Sarah

Sarah was an important woman in the Bible. She was originally named Sarai. She is known as a wise woman, known for being kind and beautiful. Sarah was the wife of Abraham and the mother of Isaac.

Many religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, respect Sarah. Each of these religions celebrates her in slightly different ways. For example, some churches remember her on special days throughout the year.

In the Hebrew Bible

In the stories from the Hebrew Bible, Sarah was the wife of Abraham. She was first called Sarai. God changed her name to Sarah and promised that she and Abraham would have a son. This happened even though they were very old, which made both of them laugh with surprise.

Sarah and Abraham traveled to many places. At one point, they went to Egypt because there was not enough food where they lived. Abraham asked Sarah to tell people she was his sister so they would be safe. Later, they met three visitors who told Abraham that Sarah would have a son the next year. Sarah heard this and laughed quietly to herself, thinking it was impossible. But soon after, she became pregnant and had a son named Isaac when she was very old.

After this, Sarah asked Abraham to send away another son, Ishmael, and his mother Hagar, because she was upset about something Ishmael did. Abraham agreed, and they left. Sarah died when she was 127 years old, and Abraham bought a special place to bury her.

New Testament references

The First Epistle of Peter speaks well of Sarah because she listened to her husband. The Bible also mentions her in a special part called the "hall of faith," along with many other important people from old stories. Sarah is talked about in other books of the New Testament too, such as Romans and Galatians.

In Galatians 4, Sarah and another woman named Hagar are used to show a difference between two important agreements. The story explains that Abraham had two sons: one from a servant woman and one from a free woman. The son from the servant woman was born naturally, but the son from the free woman was born because of a special promise. This is used to explain that some people are bound, like slaves, and others are free, like the people of the promise.

Historicity

In the early to middle 1900s, some experts thought the stories of important families in the Bible might be based on real people or groups from a very old time called the "patriarchal age." However, in the 1970s, new ideas challenged these beliefs. Scholars like Thomas L. Thompson and John Van Seters looked closely at the stories and the evidence. They found that the stories seemed to match conditions and ideas from a later time, called the Iron Age, rather than the very old time the stories were set in. By the early 2000s, many archaeologists thought it was hard to prove these family stories as real historical facts.

William Foxwell Albright • Albrecht Alt • patriarchal age • Thomas L. Thompson • The Historicity of the Patriarchal Narratives • John Van Seters • Abraham in History and Tradition • Iron Age

Religious views

In Judaism

Sarah is a very important woman in the Jewish faith. She is first mentioned in the Book of Genesis. She was born in a place called Ur Kaśdim, which is believed to be in modern-day Iraq. Sarah married Abraham, and they traveled together to a land called Canaan, which is now part of the Levant.

Along the way, they stopped in a place called Harran, possibly in present-day Turkey, before moving on. Sometimes, Abraham told others that Sarah was his sister to keep her safe. Later, Sarah helped Abraham by giving one of her servants, Hagar, to him so they could have a child. Hagar had a son named Ishmael. Eventually, Sarah herself had a son named Isaac when she was very old.

In Islam

In Islam, Sarah is also respected. The Quran does not name her directly but tells the story of her having a son named Isaac with Abraham after many years of not being able to have children. In Islamic tradition, Sarah is Abraham’s first cousin, not his sister. The story of her laughter when she heard she would have a child is told in the Quran as well.

Tomb of Sarah

Sarah is thought to be buried in the Cave of the Patriarchs, also called the Sanctuary of Abraham by Muslims. This place is found in the old city of Hebron. It is very important for Jews, being the second holiest spot after the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Christians and Muslims also honor this site, believing it to be where three important couples from the Bible are buried: Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, and Jacob and Leah.

Relationship to Abraham

Main article: Wife–sister narratives in the Book of Genesis

In the stories from the Book of Genesis, Abraham sometimes calls his wife Sarah his sister instead of her true name. There are three such stories: one when Abraham and Sarah meet Pharaoh, another when they meet a king named Abimelech, and a third story about Isaac and his wife Rebecca meeting a different king named Abimelech. Scholars aren't sure which story came first or why the Bible tells these stories.

Some believe Abraham and Isaac used the word "sister" to show a special, sacred kind of marriage. Others think it was just a way to give women more respect in society. One writer suggests Sarah was both Abraham's wife and his half-sister, and that there were no rules against this because she had a different mother than Abraham.

In popular culture

Sarah has been a popular character in many books and stories. She is the main character in several novels, including Sarah by Orson Scott Card in the Women of Genesis series, Sarai: A Novel by Jill Eileen Smith (2012), and Sarah: A Novel by Marek Halter. In the Christian fiction novel Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers, the main character, named "Angel," reveals at the end that her real name is "Sarah." Sarah also appears in a collection of stories called Sarah and After by Lynne Reid Banks. In the 1994 film Abraham, Sarah is portrayed by Barbara Hershey.

Sarah is also discussed in nonfiction books. Pastor John F. MacArthur writes about her life in Twelve Extraordinary Women, along with other important women from the Bible like Eve, Rahab, Ruth, Hannah, the Virgin Mary, Anna the Prophetess, the Samaritan woman at the well, Mary of Bethany, Martha, Mary Magdalene, and Lydia of Thyatira. She is also featured in Slightly Bad Girls of the Bible: Flawed Women Loved by a Flawless God by Liz Curtis Higgs.