^18:9Then they asked him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” He replied, “There,²⁸ in the tent.” ^18:10One of them²⁹ said, “I will surely return³⁰ to you when the season comes round again,³¹ and your wife Sarah will have a son!”³² (Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, not far behind him.³³^18:11Abraham and Sarah were old and advancing in years;³⁴ Sarah had long since passed menopause.)³⁵^18:12So Sarah laughed to herself, thinking,³⁶ “After I am worn out will I have pleasure,³⁷ especially when my husband is old too?”³⁸

^18:13The Lord said to Abraham, “Why³⁹ did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really⁴⁰ have a child when I am old?’ ^18:14Is anything impossible⁴¹ for the Lord? I will return to you when the season comes round again and Sarah will have a son.”⁴²^18:15Then Sarah lied, saying, “I did not laugh,” because she was afraid. But the Lord said, “No! You did laugh.”⁴³

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Genesis 18:14: Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son…

Footnotes

28 The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) often accompanies a gesture of pointing or a focused gaze.
29 Heb “he”; the referent (one of the three men introduced in v. 2) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Some English translations have specified the referent as the Lord (cf. , ) based on vv. 1, 13, but the Hebrew text merely has “he said” at this point, referring to one of the three visitors. Aside from the introductory statement in v. 1, the incident is narrated from Abraham’s point of view, and the suspense is built up for the reader as Abraham’s elaborate banquet preparations in the preceding verses suggest he suspects these are important guests. But not until the promise of a son later in this verse does it become clear who is speaking. In v. 13 the Hebrew text explicitly mentions the Lord.
30 The Hebrew construction is emphatic, using the infinitive absolute with the imperfect tense. I will surely return. If Abraham had not yet figured out who this was, this interchange would have made it clear. Otherwise, how would a return visit from this man mean Sarah would have a son?
31 Heb “as/when the time lives” or “revives,” possibly referring to the springtime.
32 Heb “and there will be (הִנֵּה, hinneh) a son for Sarah.”
33 This is the first of two disjunctive parenthetical clauses preparing the reader for Sarah’s response (see v. 12).
34 Heb “days.”
35 Heb “it had ceased to be for Sarah [after] a way like women.”
36 Heb “saying.”
37 It has been suggested that this word should be translated “conception,” not “pleasure.” See A. A. McIntosh, “A Third Root ‘adah in Biblical Hebrew,” 24 (1974): 454–73.
38 The word “too” has been added in the translation for stylistic reasons.
39 Heb “Why, this?” The demonstrative pronoun following the interrogative pronoun is enclitic, emphasizing the Lord’s amazement: “Why on earth did Sarah laugh?”
40 The Hebrew construction uses both הַאַף (ha’af) and אֻמְנָם (’umnam): “Indeed, truly, will I have a child?”
41 The Hebrew verb פָּלָא (pala’) means “to be wonderful, to be extraordinary, to be surpassing, to be amazing.”
42 Sarah will have a son. The passage brings God’s promise into clear focus. As long as it was a promise for the future, it really could be believed without much involvement. But now, when it seemed so impossible from the human standpoint, when the Lord fixed an exact date for the birth of the child, the promise became rather overwhelming to Abraham and Sarah. But then this was the Lord of creation, the one they had come to trust. The point of these narratives is that the creation of Abraham’s offspring, which eventually became Israel, is no less a miraculous work of creation than the creation of the world itself.
43 Heb “And he said, ‘No, but you did laugh.’ ” The referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.” The Lord said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?” The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”

NIVNew International Version (2011)

“Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him.

“There, in the tent,” he said.

Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”

Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?”

Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.”

But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.”

CSBChristian Standard Bible

“Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him.

“There, in the tent,” he answered.

The Lord said, “I will certainly come back to you in about a year’s time, and your wife Sarah will have a son!” Now Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent behind him.

Abraham and Sarah were old and getting on in years. Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. So she laughed to herself: “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I have delight?”

But the Lord asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Can I really have a baby when I’m old?’ Is anything impossible for the Lord? At the appointed time I will come back to you, and in about a year she will have a son.”

Sarah denied it. “I did not laugh,” she said, because she was afraid.

But he replied, “No, you did laugh.”

NLTNew Living Translation

“Where is Sarah, your wife?” the visitors asked.

“She’s inside the tent,” Abraham replied.

Then one of them said, “I will return to you about this time next year, and your wife, Sarah, will have a son!”

Sarah was listening to this conversation from the tent. Abraham and Sarah were both very old by this time, and Sarah was long past the age of having children. So she laughed silently to herself and said, “How could a worn-out woman like me enjoy such pleasure, especially when my master—my husband—is also so old?”

Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, ‘Can an old woman like me have a baby?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

Sarah was afraid, so she denied it, saying, “I didn’t laugh.”

But the Lord said, “No, you did laugh.”

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “Here, in the tent.” And he said, “I will certainly return to you in the spring, and look, Sarah your wife will have a son.” Now Sarah was listening at the doorway of the tent, and which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; the way of women had ceased to be for Sarah. So Sarah laughed to herself saying, “After I am worn out and my husband is old, shall this pleasure be to me?” Then Yahweh said to Abraham, “What is this that Sarah laughed, saying, ‘Is it indeed true that I will bear a child, now that I have grown old?’ Is anything too difficult for Yahweh? At the appointed time I will return to you in the spring and Sarah shall have a son.” But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” because she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”

KJV 1900King James Version

And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. 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. Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? 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. Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.

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