And Abraham and Sarah were already old and well along in years; Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.
Parallel translations
- WEB Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age. Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.
- KJV Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
- NKJV Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.
- NASB Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was past childbearing.
- NLT Abraham and Sarah were both very old by this time, and Sarah was long past the age of having children.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The narrator stresses that Abraham and Sarah were far too old, naturally, to have children.
Overview
By noting Sarah is past childbearing, the text makes clear that the coming birth will be miraculous, resting wholly on God's power. The natural impossibility magnifies the grace and faithfulness of God. This sets the stage for the question, 'Is anything too hard for Yahweh?' and points forward to other God-given births culminating in the virgin birth.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Gen 17:17Abraham fell facedown. Then he laughed and said to himself, “Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah give birth at the age of ninety?”
- Heb 11:11–12By faith Sarah, even though she was barren and beyond the proper age, was enabled to conceive a child, because she considered Him faithful who had promised.
- Luke 1:36Look, even Elizabeth your relative has conceived a son in her old age, and she who was called barren is in her sixth month.
- Rom 4:18–21Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.”
- Gen 17:24So Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised,
- Luke 1:7But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well along in years.
- Luke 1:18“How can I be sure of this?” Zechariah asked the angel. “I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years.”
- Lev 15:19When a woman has a discharge consisting of blood from her body, she will be unclean due to her menstruation for seven days, and anyone who touches her will be unclean until evening.
- Heb 11:19Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and in a sense, he did receive Isaac back from death.
- Gen 31:35Rachel said to her father, “Sir, do not be angry that I cannot stand up before you; for I am having my period.” So Laban searched, but could not find the household idols.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 18:11 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.