Genesis 18:11

Genesis 18:11

Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.

a. NLT: Abraham and Sarah were both very old by this time, and Sarah was long past the age of having children.

b. NIV: Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing.

c. YLT: And Sarah is hearkening at the opening of the tent, which is behind him;

d. Amplified Bible: Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in years; it had ceased to be with Sarah as with [young] women. [She was past the age of childbearing].

e. Septuagint: And Abraam and Sarrha were old, advanced in days, and the custom of women ceased with Sarrha.

f. Stone Edition Chumash: Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well on in years, the manner of women had ceased to be with Sarah.

1. “Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age…”

a. Abraham [85 * ‘Abraham] [Strong: contracted from 1 and an unused root (probably meaning to be populous); father of a multitude; Abraham, the later name of Abram:--Abraham.]

b. Sarah [8283 * Sarah] [Strong: the same as 8282; Sarah, Abraham's wife:--Sarah.]

c. were old [2205 * zaqen] [Strong: from 2204; old:--aged, ancient (man), elder(-est), old (man, men and...women), senator.]

d. and well stricken [935 * bow’] [Strong: a primitive root; to go or come (in a wide variety of applications):--abide, apply, attain, X be, befall, + besiege, bring (forth, in, into, to pass), call, carry, X certainly, (cause, let, thing for) to come (against, in, out, upon, to pass), depart, X doubtless again, + eat, + employ, (cause to) enter (in, into, -tering, -trance, -try), be fallen, fetch, + follow, get, give, go (down, in, to war), grant, + have, X indeed, (in-)vade, lead, lift (up), mention, pull in, put, resort, run (down), send, set, X (well) stricken (in age), X surely, take (in), way.]

e. in age [3117 * yowm] [Strong: from an unused root meaning to be hot; a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb):--age, + always, + chronicals, continually(-ance), daily, ((birth-), each, to) day, (now a, two) days (agone), + elder, X end, + evening, + (for) ever(-lasting, -more), X full, life, as (so) long as (... live), (even) now, + old, + outlived, + perpetually, presently, + remaineth, X required, season, X since, space, then, (process of) time, + as at other times, + in trouble, weather, (as) when, (a, the, within a) while (that), X whole (+ age), (full) year(-ly), + younger.

2. “…and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.”

a. and it ceased [2308 *  chadal] [Strong: a primitive root; properly, to be flabby, i.e. (by implication) desist; (figuratively) be lacking or idle:--cease, end, fall, forbear, forsake, leave (off), let alone, rest, be unoccupied, want.]

b. with Sarah [8283 * Sarah] [Strong: the same as 8282; Sarah, Abraham's wife:--Sarah.]

c. after the manner [734 * ‘orach] [Strong: from 732; a well-trodden road (literally or figuratively); also a caravan:--manner, path, race, rank, traveller, troop, (by-, high-)way.]

d. of women [803 * ‘ishshah] [Strong: feminine of 376 or 582; irregular plural, nashiym {naw-sheem'}; a woman (used in the same wide sense as 582):--(adulter)ess, each, every, female, X many, + none, one, + together, wife, woman.]

1). In the natural, there were three strikes against this couple.

a). Sarah was barren from her youth.

(1) Genesis 11:30 But Sarai was barren; she had no child.

b). She went through menopause, she no longer had her period.

(1) Genesis 18:11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.

c). Abraham was probably impotent. This is what I gather from the information.

(1) In Romans 4:19, Paul writes that Abraham’s body was “dead”. I have five Greek Dictionaries and of those five, Zodhiates and Thayer’s use “impotent” in their definitions of the word “dead”. The other three, Vincent, Bullinger, and Strong’s do not. Now of course the use of  “dead” was a figure of speech, a metaphor and since the context of the passage was bearing children, I believe the only reasonable conclusion can be is that Paul was referring to Abraham’s impotency.