The LORD said to Abraham: for the first time since verse 1, the Hebrew text has the name Yahweh. Said may need to be translated “asked,” as in Good News Translation.

Why did Sarah laugh, and say: the LORD is aware that Sarah laughed, and knows the words or thoughts she had in verse 12. So this is a rhetorical question expressing his displeasure at her unbelief. Many languages have more than one word for “Why?” and have a particular form of the word that is used to express anger, accusation, resentment, and other similar feelings. Such a form is usually appropriate in this context.

Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?: the LORD restates Sarah’s rhetorical question, “Shall I have pleasure?” As verse 14 shows, nothing is too difficult for the LORD. Therefore the LORD’s restatement of Sarah’s question is a reproof or scolding of Sarah for her lack of trust. In some languages it may be necessary to avoid the first person quote and say, for example, “Why did Sarah laugh and say that she didn’t think she could have a child when she is old?” or “How can Sarah laugh at what I said and not believe that she can have a child in her old age?”

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 .