Genesis 17:15 kjv

And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.

Genesis 17:15 nkjv

Then God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.

Genesis 17:15 niv

God also said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah.

Genesis 17:15 esv

And God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.

Genesis 17:15 nlt

Then God said to Abraham, "Regarding Sarai, your wife ? her name will no longer be Sarai. From now on her name will be Sarah.

Genesis 17 verses

Genesis 17 15 Meaning

Genesis 17:15 records God's command to Abraham to rename his wife, Sarai, to Sarah. This divine decree is a profound statement of her transformed identity and pivotal role in God's covenantal plan. It shifts her status from "my princess," indicating a personal or localized significance within Abraham's household, to "Princess" or "Noblewoman" with a universal scope. This change heralds her destiny as the matriarch of nations and the miraculous mother of the promised heir, Isaac, despite her previously established barrenness and advanced age, underscoring God's power to create life and fulfill His promises against all odds.

Genesis 17 15 Context

Genesis chapter 17 is central to understanding the Abrahamic covenant. It opens with God appearing to Abraham, then ninety-nine years old, to reaffirm and expand the promises previously given. God establishes circumcision as a permanent sign of the covenant for all Abraham's male descendants, emphasizing the covenant's eternal nature. Crucially, God renames Abram to Abraham ("father of a multitude"), symbolizing his destined role as the progenitor of many nations and kings. Immediately following this significant renaming, the focus shifts to Abraham's wife. For years, Sarai had been barren, a profound challenge to the covenant promise of multitudinous offspring. God's directive in verse 15, to rename Sarai to Sarah, is therefore not a trivial act. It is intimately linked to the overarching covenant and the promise of a son through her, Isaac, signaling divine intervention in her barrenness and confirming that the promised seed would come through God's specific, divinely established line, rather than by human design or an external lineage (like Hagar and Ishmael, born in Gen 16). Her name change signifies her indispensable role in the covenant's fulfillment and her elevation to a position of universal motherhood.

Genesis 17 15 Word analysis

• And God: Hebrew Elohim (אֱלֹהִים). This common name for God in the Old Testament emphasizes His divine authority, power, and role as the sovereign Creator. It underscores that this pronouncement is a weighty decree from the ultimate power, the one capable of actualizing such profound changes and miraculous births.
• said: Hebrew 'amar (אָמַר). This verb signifies a direct, deliberate, and authoritative utterance. It is not a suggestion or a request but a divine command, implying both certainty of fulfillment and expectation of obedience.
• unto Abraham: Abram had just been given his new name, Abraham, by God in Gen 17:5, signifying his destiny as "father of a multitude." Addressing him as "Abraham" places Sarai's renaming firmly within the context of this broadened covenant and Abraham's new identity.
• As for Sarai thy wife: This direct address highlights God's specific concern and intentionality regarding Sarai. It brings her, who was formerly barren and whose identity was subsumed by her marital status ("thy wife"), directly into the covenant's active fulfillment.
• thou shalt not call her name Sarai: Hebrew Lo-tikra sh’mah Sarai (לֹא־תִקְרָא שְׁמָהּ שָׂרָי). This is a strong, negative imperative, signifying a complete and final prohibition of the old name.
  • Sarai: Hebrew Sarai (שָׂרָי). Its likely meaning is "my princess" or "my princely one." The suffix ('yod') indicates a personal possession, implying her limited status as Abraham's private noblewoman or princess within his household, not extending beyond her immediate circle.
• but Sarah shall her name be: Hebrew ki Sarah sh'mah (כִּי שָׂרָה שְׁמָהּ). This is a declarative statement that overrides the prohibition, enacting a new reality. The simple phrasing denotes certainty and divine decree.
  • Sarah: Hebrew Sarah (שָׂרָה). This name means "Princess" or "Noblewoman," but without the possessive "my." This change elevates her status from a personal or localized "princess" to a universal "Princess" or "Queen," emphasizing her broader significance as "mother of nations" (Gen 17:16). The substitution of the 'yod' (י) with the 'he' (ה)—a letter associated with God's breath or divine presence (e.g., in Abraham's name)—in her name underscores the divine initiation and prophetic nature of her new identity.

Genesis 17 15 Bonus section

• The alteration of Sarai's name involves replacing the letter yod (י), which denotes individuality or possessiveness ("my"), with he (ה), often signifying a divine breath or broader, inclusive nature in Hebrew traditions. This slight change encapsulates a massive shift in her role, marking God's direct intervention in her destiny, akin to how the same letter was added to Abram's name to signify "multitude."
• In ancient Near Eastern cultures, a name change decreed by a suzerain (king or god) signified absolute authority and often conferred a new status or destiny upon the recipient. God's renaming of Sarai served as an undeniable sign of His ultimate authority over her barrenness and her future.
• This verse contains an implicit polemic against the limitations perceived by human sight or biological reality. Despite her age and barrenness, God declares a new identity and a new destiny for Sarah, affirming that His promises transcend human impossibility, standing in contrast to pagan deities who might be seen as capricious or limited by fate.
• The renunciation of "Sarai" reinforces the finality of the old state and prepares for the reception of a new, divinely bestowed identity aligned with the covenant. This is not merely a label change but a deep transformation of her person, recognized and enacted by God Himself.

Genesis 17 15 Commentary

Genesis 17:15 is a foundational verse that showcases God's sovereign power in shaping identity and destiny according to His covenantal purposes. The divine act of renaming Sarai to Sarah signifies a profound theological transformation. "Sarai," meaning "my princess," reflected a localized authority within Abraham's household. Her renaming to "Sarah," meaning "Princess" or "Noblewoman" in a universal sense, elevates her from a merely domestic figure to a global matriarch, the destined "mother of nations" and kings. This renaming, commanded directly by God, asserts His prerogative to override human limitations, including Sarai's prolonged barrenness. It is an explicit divine declaration of intent that she, not any other woman, would be the mother of the promised heir, Isaac, through whom the covenant lineage would flow. This demonstrates that God's plan is not subject to biological or circumstantial barriers, but triumphs through His miraculous intervention and purposeful naming. It sets the stage for the miraculous birth of Isaac and highlights Sarah's indispensable role in God's redemptive history.