Sarai / Sarah

The Hebrew and Greek that is transliterated as “Sarai” and “Sarah” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the sign depicting coins on a headband, referring to women from the Middle East and North Africa who wear a headband decorated with small coins. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)


“Sarai” and “Sarah” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Sarah .

complete verse (Genesis 21:1)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Genesis 21:1:

  • Kankanaey: “When that was so, God blessed Sara and he fulfilled what he had promised her.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The LORD did the favor to Sarah as he had promised, and [He] actually did it.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Now, the LORD remembered Sara according to what he had-promised.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Yahweh was very kind to Sarah, just as he said he would be. He did for Sarah exactly what he promised to do.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Genesis 21:1

The LORD … as he had said: LORD translates Hebrew Yahweh, which is used only in verses 1 and 33 in this chapter. As he had said refers to what the LORD, as one of the three visitors, had said to Abraham in 18.10, 14. It may be clearer to say “as he had promised” (Good News Translation) or “just as he said he would do.” In some languages this is naturally expressed as “… kept his word that he had said about Sarah having a baby.”

Visited translates a Hebrew term that usually has the sense of coming and acting, either in blessing or in judgment, when it is used with the LORD as subject. It is used here in a positive and beneficial sense. For a similar context regarding the birth of Samuel, see 1 Sam 2.21. See also Exo 4.31; Ruth 1.6; Luke 1.68. It is also used in Gen 50.24, in which Joseph promises that God will visit his brothers to rescue them. For the translation of this term, Good News Translation says “The LORD blessed Sarah,” Revised English Bible “The LORD showed favour….” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “the Lord did not forget Sarah.” In some languages this thought is expressed figuratively; for example, “The LORD showed Sarah his good heart,” “The LORD’s liver was good to Sarah.”

The LORD did to Sarah as he had promised: this clause forms a parallel with the first part of the verse. Note that Good News Translation “… blessed Sarah, as he had promised” purposely reduces the parallelism to a single statement. Others prefer to retain the double statement; for example, Revised English Bible have “… showed favour to Sarah as he had promised, and made good what he had said about her.” What the LORD had said about Sarah was “Sarah … shall have a son” (18.10). Accordingly we may also translate verse 1 “The LORD blessed Sarah. He had said she would have a son,” or “… he had promised Abraham that she would have a son.”

In some languages it may be more natural to reverse the order of the two clauses in this verse, so that the promise is mentioned before its fulfillment. We may say, for example, “[Earlier] the LORD had said that Sarah would have a son. He kept his word and blessed her, and….”

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 .