Tag Archives: endangered ancestress

In the Name of Abraham, Rebecca and Isaac, pt. 2

Once married, twenty years passed and Isaac and Rebecca had no children. She didn’t seem upset by her barrenness. It was Isaac who prayed to God that Rebecca would have a child (Genesis 25:21). Continue reading In the Name of Abraham, Rebecca and Isaac, pt. 2 →

The Bible both prizes Sarah and disparages her. Her high valuation is reflected by the following events:

In Egypt, Abraham does not order Sarah but pleads for her to pretend she is his sister;
Sarah demands that Abraham impregnate Hagar for the benefit of building up Sarah;
Abraham complies with Sarah’s demand for the expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael;
God tells Abraham to listen to Sarah;
Sarah’s name was changed from Sarai, just as Abraham’s was from Abram, with the accompanying promise that “she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her” (17:16) – in other words the covenant blessings and promises apply to her (Evans);
a whole chapter is devoted to Sarah’s burial.

In addition, the rabbinical tradition was eager to see Sarah as a prophetess whose spirit of prophecy was even greater than Abraham’s!