Bible/Genesis/21

Genesis 21:1

And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken.

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Yahweh visited Sarah as he had said, and Yahweh did to Sarah as he had spoken.

And the Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken.

And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had spoken.

21:2 For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.

What does Genesis 21:1 mean?

Genesis 21:1 is a verse in the book of Genesis, in the Old Testament. In the original Hebrew, key words include יְהֹוָה (Yᵉhôvâh), פָּקַד (pâqad), שָׂרָה (Sârâh). It connects to 17 cross-referenced passages elsewhere in Scripture.

Hebrew interlinear

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And
the
LORDיְהֹוָהYᵉhôvâh/yeh-ho-vaw'/H3068Jehovah, Jewish national name of God
visitedפָּקַדpâqad/paw-kad'/H6485to visit (with friendly or hostile intent); by analogy, to oversee, muster, charge, care for, miss, deposit, etc.
SarahשָׂרָהSârâh/saw-raw'/H8283Sarah, Abraham's wife
as
he
had
said,אָמַרʼâmar/aw-mar'/H559to say (used with great latitude)
and
the
LORDיְהֹוָהYᵉhôvâh/yeh-ho-vaw'/H3068Jehovah, Jewish national name of God
didעָשָׂהʻâsâh/aw-saw'/H6213to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application
unto
SarahשָׂרָהSârâh/saw-raw'/H8283Sarah, Abraham's wife
as
he
had
spoken.דָבַרdâbar/daw-bar'/H1696perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively (of words), to speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdue

Commentary on Genesis 21:1

HENRY_FULL · Genesis 21:1
talic">is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee. 16 And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved. 17 So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children. 18 For the Lord had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham's wife. Here is, I. The kindness of a prince which Abimelech showed to Abraham. See how unjust Abraham's jealousies were. He fancied that if they knew that Sarah was his wife they would kill him; but, when they did know it, instead of killing him they were kind to him, frightened at least to be so by the divine rebukes they were under. 1. He gives him his royal licence to dwell where he pleased in his country, courting his stay because he gives him his royal gifts ( v. 14 ), sheep and oxen, and ( v. 16 ) a thousand pieces of silver. This he gave when he restored Sarah, either, [1.] By way of satisfaction for the wrong he had offered to do, in taking her to his house: when the Philistines restored the ark, being plagued for detaining it, they sent a present with it. The law appointed that when restitution was made something should be added to it, Lev. vi. 5 . Or, [2.] To engage Abraham's prayers for him; not as if prayers should be bought and sold, but we should endeavour to be kind to those of whose spiritual things we reap, 1 Cor. ix. 11 . Note, It is our wisdom to get and keep an interest with those that have an interest in heaven, and to make those our friends who are the friends of God. [3.] He gives to Sarah good instruction, tells her that her husband (her brother he calls him, to upbraid her with calling him so) must be to her for a covering of the eyes, that is, she must look at no other, nor desire to be looked at by any other. Note, Yoke-fellows must be to each other for a covering of the eyes. The marriage-covenant is a covenant with the eyes, like Job's, ch. xxxi. 1 . II. The kindness of a prophet which Abraham showed to Abimelech: he prayed for him, v. 17, 18 . This honour God would put upon Abraham that, though Abimelech had restored Sarah, yet the judgment he was under should be removed upon the prayer of Abraham, and not before. Thus God healed Miriam, when Moses, whom she had most affronted, prayed for her ( Num. xii. 13 ), and was reconciled to Job's friends when Job, whom they had grieved, prayed for them ( Job xlii. 8-10 ), and so did, as it were, give it under his hand that he was reconciled to them. Note, The prayers of good men may be a kindness to great men, and ought to be valued. In this chapter we have, I. Isaac, the child of promise born into Abraham's family, ver. 1-8

Cross-references

Related passages from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

Genesis 17:19

And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.

Genesis 18:10

And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.

Genesis 18:14

Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

Genesis 50:24

And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

Exodus 3:16

Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt:

Exodus 4:31

And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.

Exodus 20:5

Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

Ruth 1:6

Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the LORD had visited his people in giving them bread.

1 Samuel 2:21

And the LORD visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the LORD.

Psalms 12:6

The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

Matthew 24:35

Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Luke 1:68

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,

Luke 19:44

And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

Romans 4:17

(As it is written I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. before him: or, like unto him

Galatians 4:23

But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.

Galatians 4:28

Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.

Titus 1:2

In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; In: or, For

Topics

Conception, Miraculous

People & places in this verse

People

Verses like this

Other verses that share key original-language words with Genesis 21:1.

Isaiah 32:6

For the vile person will speak villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and to utter error against the LORD, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.

Isaiah 38:7

And this shall be a sign unto thee from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he hath spoken;

Isaiah 29:16

Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?

Isaiah 33:10

Now will I rise, saith the LORD; now will I be exalted; now will I lift up myself.

Isaiah 36:10

And am I now come up without the LORD against this land to destroy it? the LORD said unto me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.

Isaiah 36:11

Then said Eliakim and Shebna and Joah unto Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, unto thy servants in the Syrian language; for we understand it: and speak not to us in the Jews' language, in the ears of the people that are on the wall.

Isaiah 36:15

Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the LORD, saying, The LORD will surely deliver us: this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.

Isaiah 36:16

Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me: and eat ye every one of his vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his own cistern; Make: or, Seek my favour by a present: Heb. Make with me a blessing

Frequently asked questions

What does Genesis 21:1 say?

Genesis 21:1 (King James Version) reads: "And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken."

Is Genesis 21:1 in the Old or New Testament?

Genesis 21:1 is in the Old Testament of the Bible, in the book of Genesis.

Who wrote the book of Genesis?

The book of Genesis is traditionally attributed to Moses.

Reflect

As you read Genesis 21:1, what is one truth here you can carry into today?

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