Genesis 18:11 kjv
Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
Genesis 18:11 nkjv
Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.
Genesis 18:11 niv
Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing.
Genesis 18:11 esv
Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah.
Genesis 18:11 nlt
Abraham and Sarah were both very old by this time, and Sarah was long past the age of having children.
Genesis 18 11 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 11:30 | "Now Sarai was barren; she had no child." | Sarah's initial barrenness. |
| Gen 17:17 | "Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, 'Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?'" | Abraham's recognition of their advanced age. |
| Gen 18:12 | "So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, 'After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?'" | Sarah's personal reaction to the physical reality. |
| Gen 18:14 | "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" | God's rhetorical question, affirming His omnipotence. |
| Gen 21:1-2 | "The Lord visited Sarah as he had said... Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age." | The direct fulfillment of the promise. |
| Deut 32:39 | "See now that I, I am he, and there is no god besides me; I kill and I make alive..." | God's sovereignty over life and death. |
| 1 Sam 2:6 | "The Lord kills and brings to life..." | God's power over life, foreshadowing future barren births. |
| Ps 113:9 | "He makes the barren woman abide in her house as a joyful mother of children. Praise the Lord!" | God's grace to the barren. |
| Jer 32:17 | "Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you." | God's omnipotence and creation. |
| Jer 32:27 | "Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?" | Reiterated question about God's power. |
| Zech 8:6 | "Thus says the Lord of hosts: 'If it is marvelous in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be marvelous in my sight?' declares the Lord of hosts." | God's perspective on human impossibility. |
| Luke 1:7 | "But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years." | Parallel account of Zechariah and Elizabeth. |
| Luke 1:18 | "And Zechariah said to the angel, 'How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.'" | Zechariah's doubt due to age. |
| Luke 1:37 | "For nothing will be impossible with God." | Core principle of divine action. |
| Rom 4:18-19 | "In hope he believed against hope, that he would become the father of many nations... He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb." | Abraham's faith despite physical reality. |
| Rom 4:20-21 | "No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith... fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised." | Abraham's confident faith in God's power. |
| Heb 11:11-12 | "By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age... Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars..." | Sarah's faith and the miraculous nature of Isaac's birth. |
| Matt 19:26 | "But Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'" | Jesus' teaching on divine possibility. |
| Mark 10:27 | "Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.'" | Reiteration of divine possibility. |
| 1 Cor 1:27 | "But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;" | God's method of working through weakness. |
| Gen 2:7 | "then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life..." | God as the source of all life. |
| Phil 4:13 | "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." | Application of divine enablement to human ability. |
Genesis 18 verses
Genesis 18 11 Meaning
Genesis 18:11 establishes the advanced age and biological infertility of Abraham and Sarah. It states that Abraham and Sarah were well into their old age, beyond the customary years for procreation. Specifically for Sarah, the verse highlights that her menstrual cycles had ceased, confirming her natural inability to bear children. This detail underscores that any subsequent pregnancy would be entirely a miraculous work of God, demonstrating His power to fulfill promises regardless of human limitations.
Genesis 18 11 Context
Genesis chapter 18 details a pivotal moment in Abraham's life: the divine visitation of the Lord and two angels in the form of men at the Oaks of Mamre. This visit serves to confirm the Abrahamic covenant's promise of a son through Sarah. The verse in question (Gen 18:11) immediately precedes Sarah's disbelief and subsequent laughter, explaining the rational human basis for her skepticism. By highlighting their extreme age and Sarah's physical inability to bear children, the narrative sets the stage for the extraordinary, miraculous nature of Isaac's forthcoming birth. Historically and culturally, barrenness was a significant concern in ancient societies, deeply affecting family lineage, social status, and a sense of divine favor. This verse not only confirms natural infertility but elevates the subsequent birth as a pure act of divine power, fulfilling the promises of God against all human odds.
Genesis 18 11 Word analysis
- Now Abraham: (וְאַבְרָהָם - wə'avraham) - Introduces Abraham, a patriarch whom God has promised a lineage. He is 99 years old at this point.
- and Sarah: (וְשָׂרָה - wəsarah) - Introduces Sarah, the matriarch, whose barrenness has been previously noted (Gen 11:30). She is approximately 89 years old.
- were old, (זְקֵנִים - z'qenim) - Plural form of זָקֵן (zaqen), meaning "aged" or "elderly." This signifies their general advanced age and associated physical decline, making natural procreation highly improbable for Abraham and impossible for Sarah.
- advanced in years; (בָּאִים בַּיָּמִים - ba'im bayyamim) - An idiomatic Hebrew expression literally meaning "coming in days" or "entered into days." It reinforces the previous statement, emphasizing that they were deeply entrenched in old age, beyond the ordinary capacity for childbearing. This phrase is used elsewhere to denote extreme old age (e.g., Josh 13:1, 23:1).
- the way of women (אֹרַח נָשִׁים - orach nashim) - This is a respectful and common euphemism in Hebrew for menstruation or the regular cycle of female fertility. The term orach can mean "path" or "custom." Its cessation signifies the onset of menopause.
- had ceased (חָדַל - ḥadal) - Meaning "to stop," "to desist," or "to come to an end." It conveys a definitive and permanent cessation of Sarah's reproductive capability.
- to be with Sarah. (לִהְיוֹת לְשָׂרָה - lihyot ləsarah) - Implies that this physiological function, fundamental to fertility, was no longer present in her body.
Words-group Analysis
- "Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years": This phrase together establishes the double impossibility from a human perspective. It's not just one spouse, but both are beyond their natural childbearing years, emphasizing that the impending birth will be solely a work of divine intervention. It highlights that God often acts when human ability fails.
- "the way of women had ceased to be with Sarah": This specific detail is crucial. It moves beyond a general statement of "old age" to a precise physiological state—menopause—which definitively rules out natural conception. This explicit medical reality magnifies the miracle that follows, demonstrating God's power to supersede biological laws for the fulfillment of His promises. It contrasts human physical reality with divine promise.
Genesis 18 11 Bonus section
- The detail concerning "the way of women had ceased" is a gentle yet profound biblical description of menopause, indicating the end of Sarah's reproductive years, aligning with a woman in her late 80s or early 90s.
- This verse sets up a common biblical motif: God's power is most clearly displayed in human weakness or impossibility (e.g., the virgin birth of Jesus, Lazarus raised from the dead). This pattern reassures believers that no situation is too dire for God to act.
- The emphasis on their advanced age highlights Abraham's faith described in the New Testament (Rom 4, Heb 11), as he "considered his own body as good as dead" yet believed in God's promise. Sarah's initial doubt later gives way to faith.
- The divine promise, when contrasted with this verse, provides a powerful illustration of the principle that "nothing is too hard for the Lord" (Gen 18:14), becoming a foundational truth for understanding God's nature throughout scripture.
Genesis 18 11 Commentary
Genesis 18:11 provides the indispensable factual bedrock for understanding the miraculous nature of Isaac's birth. It presents a candid and precise description of the physical state of Abraham and Sarah: both well advanced in years, and Sarah definitively beyond childbearing due to menopause. This isn't merely a casual observation but a crucial detail that utterly eliminates any natural explanation for Sarah's subsequent pregnancy. The verse strategically removes all human grounds for hope in a child through natural means, thus underscoring that the promised heir would be born solely through the intervention of God's power. It prepares the reader for Sarah's skeptical laughter in the following verse, as her reaction is a natural human response to an impossible biological reality. Ultimately, this verse serves to glorify God's faithfulness and omnipotence, showcasing His ability to fulfill His divine purpose even when confronted with insurmountable human limitations.