The Biblical Sarah: The Emergence of a Strong Character
The Biblical Sarah
The Emergence of a Strong Character
“Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what He had promised.”(Genesis 21, 1)
The promise is realised., It should be noted, however, that this promise is comprised of two parts:
“God also said to Abraham, as for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.” (Genesis 17, 15 – 16)
“Then one of them [the visitors] 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.” (Genesis 18, 10)
God’s words are delivered twice: once to Abraham in The Covenant of the Pieces, and again in the tent with the visitors, after Abraham’s circumcision, when God intended Sarah to overhear.
In Chapter 21 Sarah gives birth to a boy – “And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him” (Genesis 21, 2). This child is Abraham’s and Sarah’s son. The chapter emphasizes the different behavior of the two parents:
“Sarah said, God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me. And she added, Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.” (Genesis 21, 6 – 10).
This son was not Abraham’s first child: Ishmael was born first, to Hagar, Sarah’s maidservant. Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham mocked, and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.” (Genesis 21, 6 – 10).
Sarah has taken center stage by speaking up. This in contrast to Abraham’s silence: he circumcises his son and throws a feast. He hears Sarah complaining about Ishmael but remains silent1.
Sarah experiences sublime bliss: the birth of Isaac had given her power and stabilizes her status as the lady of the house, the tone setter who later led to Hagar’s and Ishmael’s banishment.
Indeed, this is not the first time Sarah banishes someone. In the previous chapter Sarah was indirect in her words and actions: she complained (“And Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my servant to your embrace and when she saw that she had conceived she looked at me with contempt. May the LORD judge between you and me.” Genesis 16, 5) but she did not expel Hagar. She torments her until Hagar runs away. In a sense, Sarah “reciprocates”, after Hagar had undermined Sarah’s status in her own home and in front of her husband.
On this occasion, with her new assertiveness, Sarah does not complain: she tells Abraham what he ought to do.
This time, the abyss between Sarah and Hagar is irreconcilable:
“But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.” (Genesis 21, 9 – 10)
What is this “mocking” that cannot coexist along with Sarah’s son?
Laughter was a distinguishing aspect in Isaac’s life, from the first:
“Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” (Genesis 17, 17)
“So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?” (Genesis 18, 12)
“Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ ” (Genesis 18, 13)
“Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said “I did not laugh.” But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.” (Genesis 18, 15)
Rashi (Rabbi Sholon Yitzchaki), in his commentary on chapter 17, verse 17 claims that Abraham fell facedown and laughed out of pure delight and happiness, whist Sarah doubted. Abraham believed the promise and was joyful but Sarah was not convinced.
This commentary is contradicted by Abraham Ibn Ezra, who provides biological arguments for Abraham’s questioning. So does Jonathan Ben Uzziel, the author of Targum Jonathan, expresses Abraham’s genuine doubt as to the possibility that a one hundred year old man and a ninety-year-old woman would be able to have a child. Hizkuni (Hezekiah Ben Manoah) is much more definite in his interpretation and argues that Abraham was doubtful about the tiding.
Strengthening of these assumptions is found in Abraham’s argument with God, which opens with the word “But”: “Then God said, Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac” (Genesis 17, 19, Added emphasizes). “But” express amazement – but I have already told you. How is it possible that you will think otherwise? How can you question?
God’s response to Sarah’s laugher is much harsher: “But he said, Yes, you did laugh.” (Genesis 18, 15).
Sarah is confronted with her laughter, as if she was not allowed to question Him. Rashi’s commentary considers this as evidence for Sarah’s rebuke, due to her hesitation and disbelief in God’s words. Yet, it is possible that this was not a rebuke at all, but rather calculated to emphasize what would be her crucial role in the future: Sarah would be able to identity the essence of Ishmael’s mocking (laughter) and thus execute God’s divine promise: “God said No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.”2
So what was Ishmael’s mocking?
Rashi parallels it to Exodus 32, 6 (“[…] the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play”), this was interpreted as incest and improper sexual behavior.
Ramban interprets mocking as Idolatry in Judaism. He also argues that incest or murder could have resulted from a fight with Isaac over the heritage: Ishmael’s claims that he is the elder and therefore deserves twice as much. With regard to Abraham’s fall facedown (Genesis 17, 17) Ramban writes that sometimes laughter is used for mockery and sometime it express joy, as written in Mishlei – Proverbs, 8, 31:”playing in the habitable world of His earth, and [having] my delights with the children of man.”
Laughter as mockery is found on two other occasions (the Hebrew word used in the above quotations and in the following quotations have the same root meaning mocking, caressing, to make sport or joking):
With Lot (“So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters. He said, “Hurry and get out of this place, because the Lord is about to destroy the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.” Genesis 19, 14) and with Potiphar’s wife (“she called her household servants. “Look,” she said to them, “this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us! […] That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me.” Genesis 39, 14 – 17).
Another usage of this sense is found in Genesis 26, 8: “When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelek king of the Philistines looked down from a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah”.
Ishmael mocks. Isaac caresses.
Mockery wishes to make fun at someone else’s expense in an insensitive and offensive way.
Laugher bears a positive aspect of social connection and personal delight.
Isaac was surrounded with laugher, including his brother’s mockery.
However Isaac’s laughter, in all aspects, was always positive.
The affinity to Abimelek did not end here.
The previous chapter to Isaac’s birth is the story of Abraham’s descent to Gerar, where Sarah was taken to Abimelek’s house – “for the Lord had kept all the women in Abimelek’s household from conceiving because of Abraham’s wife Sarah.” (Genesis 20, 18)
After God came to Abimelek in a dream and after Abimelek was shocked to learn about the sin he might have committed, Abimelek then “brought sheep and cattle and male and female slaves and gave them to Abraham, and he returned Sarah his wife to him… To Sarah he said, “I am giving your brother a thousand shekels of silver. This is to cover the offense against you before all who are with you; you are completely vindicated.”(Genesis 20, 14 – 16).
Sarah, who was someone’s wife or alleged sister, now gains property and gifts for her own right3.
In Genesis 18, Sarah, who concealed herself in the tent while her husband labored, toiled and ran around to serve the three angels4.
The contrast between Abraham’s activity and Sarah’s passivity is also evident in Sarah’s vigorous denial of her laughter out of great fear (“But Sarah denied it saying I did not laugh for she was afraid” Genesis 18, 15).
Fright and terror had placed Sarah in an inferior position, which was undermined even more due to Hagar’s growing grace (pregnant with Abraham’s son) – a fact that can justify Sarah’s agitated and tempestuous attack on Abraham. This is the response of a woman whose pride is injured and status is jeopardized. Into this tumult Isaac is born and Sarah is turned into an entirely different woman: Sarah now takes center stage, decisive and determined. Was it all Isaac’s doing? Did he generate such radical alteration?
When Sarah was at Abimelek’s palace, king of Gerar, her world and perceptions had taken a different direction: she was exposed to royal manners and she internalized them. These new ideas echoed long after she had left and received valuable gifts, given only to her.
Clear evidence of Sarah’s change is expressed in her attitude to Hagar:
When the Bible first presents her, Hagar is described as an “Egyptian slave” (Genesis 16, 1). After Isaac is born Sarah treats her as a slave woman (“and she said to Abraham, Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac” Genesis 21, 10). Pharaoh’s daughter was attended by “young women” (Exodus 2, 5) and Abimelek had “female slaves” (Genesis 20, 17).
Sarah, no longer a silent character, now refers to Hagar in the way kings and princesses refer to their servants. A lady of her kind does not need her husband’s permission to do what ever she sees fit to do with an employee who has failed to please her.
The recognition of Ishmael’s mocking is important. It could only take place after Sarah became “mistress of the home”– a strong and sovereign woman. The stay in Abimelek’s palace had taught Sarah to stand with self-assurance. Only then could God’s plan be materialized: “Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised.”(Genesis 21, 1)
Sarah was the central player in the heavenly design – not Abraham. He did not distinguish the “mocking” from the “laughter” and was greatly sorry for his son’s banishment. Only the “improved” Sarah could have followed God’s intentions: “But God said to him [Abraham], Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned” (Genesis 21, 12).