Sarah lived a hundred and twenty-seven years: or “Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old” (Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, New International Version).

The heading and blank space will be sufficient in many translations to show that a new story begins here. However, in some languages it may be necessary to link chapter 23 with what has gone before, and also to state at the outset that Sarah died. This may be done by saying, for example, “Some time later” or “After many years”; then the information in verse 2 may need to be shifted to the opening. Another possibility is to keep the order as in the Hebrew text (seen in Revised Standard Version) but to make verse 1 a time clause and verse 2 the main clause. For example, “Years later when Sarah was … she died at….” Another model again is given in the translation “Sarah lived on until she became old and she died. At that time she was 127 years old.”

These were the years of the life of Sarah: on the basis of 25.7; 47.28, we normally expect the years of the life of Sarah to occur before Sarah lived … years. Furthermore, this phrase is lacking in both the Septuagint and Vulgate. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project explains that this phrase has been added by later copyists and recommends that it be omitted or, if footnotes are used, that it be placed in a footnote. However, it gives no significant information, and placing it in a footnote will be of little value. Most modern translation omit it from the text and do not include it in a footnote.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .