Genesis 18:10

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.

a. NLT: 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.

b. NIV: 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.

c. YLT: and he saith, 'returning I return unto thee, about the time of life, and lo, to Sarah thy wife a son.'

d. Amplified Bible: [The Lord] said, I will surely return to you when the season comes round, and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son. And Sarah was listening and heard it at the tent door which was behind Him.

e. Septuagint: And he said, I will return and come to thee according to this period seasonably, and Sarrha thy wife shall have a son; and Sarrha heard at the door of the tent, being behind him.

f. Stone Edition Chumash: And he said, “I will surely return to you at this time next year, and behold Sarah your wife will have a son.” Now Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent which was behind him.

1. “And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son.”

a. he said [559 * ‘amar] [Stromng: a primitive root; to say (used with great latitude):--answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, + (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, X desire, determine, X expressly, X indeed, X intend, name, X plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), X still, X suppose, talk, tell, term, X that is, X think, use (speech), utter, X verily, X yet.]

b. I will certainly return [7725 * shuwb] [Strong: a primitive root; to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point); generally to retreat; often adverbial, again:--((break, build, circumcise, dig, do anything, do evil, feed, lay down, lie down, lodge, make, rejoice, send, take, weep)) X again, (cause to) answer (+ again), X in any case (wise), X at all, averse, bring (again, back, home again), call (to mind), carry again (back), cease, X certainly, come again (back), X consider, + continually, convert, deliver (again), + deny, draw back, fetch home again, X fro, get (oneself) (back) again, X give (again), go again (back, home), (go) out, hinder, let, (see) more, X needs, be past, X pay, pervert, pull in again, put (again, up again), recall, recompense, recover, refresh, relieve, render (again), requite, rescue, restore, retrieve, (cause to, make to) return, reverse, reward, + say nay, send back, set again, slide back, still, X surely, take back (off), (cause to, make to) turn (again, self again, away, back, back again, backward, from, off), withdraw.]

c. according to the time [6256 * ‘eth] [Strong: from 5703; time, especially (adverb with preposition) now, when, etc.:--+ after, (al-)ways, X certain, + continually, + evening, long, (due) season, so (long) as, (even-, evening-, noon-)tide, ((meal-)), what) time, when.]

d. of life [2416 * chay] [Strong: from 2421 ; alive; hence, raw (flesh); fresh (plant, water, year), strong; also (as noun, especially in the feminine singular and masculine plural) life (or living thing), whether literally or figuratively:--+ age, alive, appetite, (wild) beast, company, congregation, life(-time), live(-ly), living (creature, thing), maintenance, + merry, multitude, + (be) old, quick, raw, running, springing, troop.]

1). The phrase, “according to the time of life”, might mean the period of pregnancy, nine months. The NASB says, “at this time next year”. In the margin of the NASB, it reads, “when the time revives”. It could refer, as Henry Morris writes in his commentary on Genesis to the “reviving of Sarah’s bodily functions.”

2. “…and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son…”

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

b. thy wife [802 * ‘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.]

c. shall have a son [1121* ben] [Strong: from 1129; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like 1, 251, etc.)):--+ afflicted, age, (Ahoh-) (Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-)ite, (anoint-)ed one, appointed to, (+) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-)ian, one born, bough, branch, breed, + (young) bullock, + (young) calf, X came up in, child, colt, X common, X corn, daughter, X of first, + firstborn, foal, + very fruitful, + postage, X in, + kid, + lamb, (+) man, meet, + mighty, + nephew, old, (+) people, + rebel, + robber, X servant born, X soldier, son, + spark, + steward, + stranger, X surely, them of, + tumultuous one, + valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one), youth.]

1). This is the second time that the Lord told Abraham that Sarah was going to have a son. The first was no more than a few days or weeks earlier recorded in Genesis 17:1. At that time Abraham was ninety nine and Isaac was born when Abraham was one hundred, so this event in Genesis 18 had to occur within a few weeks at the most after Genesis 17.

3. “…And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.”

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

b. heard [8085 * shama’] [Strong: a primitive root; to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.):--X attentively, call (gather) together, X carefully, X certainly, consent, consider, be content, declare, X diligently, discern, give ear, (cause to, let, make to) hear(-ken, tell), X indeed, listen, make (a) noise, (be) obedient, obey, perceive, (make a) proclaim(-ation), publish, regard, report, shew (forth), (make a) sound, X surely, tell, understand, whosoever (heareth), witness.]

c. in the tent [168 * ‘ohel] [Strong: from 166; a tent (as clearly conspicuous from a distance):--covering, (dwelling)(place), home, tabernacle, tent.]

d. door [6607 * pethach] [Strong:  from 6605; an opening (literally), i.e. door (gate) or entrance way:--door, entering (in), entrance (-ry), gate, opening, place.]

1). This is the first recorded incident where Sarah herself meets and sees God. It is the seventh time for Abraham. This is significant in that for over 25 years, she has only heard from her husband’s mouth about God, and now she is seeing and hearing Him. It is no surprise that she was “in the tent door, which was behind him”, listening to the conversation between her husband and the Almighty.

e. which was behind him [310 * ‘achar] [Strong: from 309; properly, the hind part; generally used as an adverb or conjunction, after (in various senses):--after (that, -ward), again, at, away from, back (from, -side), behind, beside, by, follow (after, -ing), forasmuch, from, hereafter, hinder end, + out (over) live, + persecute, posterity, pursuing, remnant, seeing, since, thence(-forth), when, with.]

1). The important point at the end of this verse is that Sarah heard God say this to her husband and it sparked an exchange between her and the LORD, that changed her life forever.