שָׂרָה (sa.rah)
sa.rah
Sarah
N:N-F-PQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 32 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- N:N-F-P
Word Overview
The name Sarah, appearing thirty-two times in Scripture, primarily in Genesis and Isaiah, identifies the wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac. Originally called Sarai, her name was changed by God in Genesis 17:15 to signify a shift in her role and destiny. The sources define this name as meaning "noblewoman" or "princess," reflecting her status as a matriarch of the faith.
This title carries significant weight throughout the biblical narrative, marking her not just as a historical figure but as a central character in the covenant promises. Her story moves from barrenness to motherhood, establishing her lineage through Isaac, whom God specifically named in Genesis 17:19. The name Sarah thus becomes synonymous with the fulfillment of divine promise and the beginning of a great nation.
Later references, such as in Isaiah 51:2, invoke her memory to remind Israel of their ancestral roots and God’s faithfulness. By using her name, the text connects the present community to the foundational promises made to Abraham and Sarah, reinforcing the continuity of God’s plan through generations.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The name Sarah means "princess" or "noblewoman," a title God gave to Abraham’s wife after she was barren and well past childbearing age. This change in Genesis 17 marks a shift from her previous identity, Sarai, to one defined by divine promise rather than natural limitation. Her story reminds us that God often rewrites our circumstances when human hope seems exhausted.
When Sarah laughed in disbelief at the prospect of bearing a child at ninety, God did not reject her doubt but fulfilled His word anyway (Genesis 18:14). This narrative offers comfort to those who feel too old or too broken for God’s plans. It shows that faithfulness is not about having perfect confidence from the start, but about trusting the One who keeps promises.
Later, Isaiah 51:2 calls believers to "look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you," linking personal hope to ancestral faithfulness. Sarah’s life teaches that God’s timing transcends biological limits. Her legacy is not just in her son Isaac, but in the example of a woman whose name became synonymous with miraculous grace.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 32 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- Sarah27×
- and/ Sarah3×
- to/ Sarah2×
- [is] Sarah2×
- for/ Sarah1×
- and/ to/ Sarah1×
- and/ [will belong] to/ Sarah1×
- [will belong] to/ Sarah1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- שָׂרָ֖ה8×
- שָׂרָ֣ה5×
- שָׂרָ֔ה3×
- שָׂרָֽה\׃2×
- שָׂרָ֥ה2×
- שָׂרָ֜ה2×
- שָׂרָ֑ה2×
- לְ/שָׂרָ֖ה2×
- וְ/שָׂרָ֥ה2×
- שָׂרָה֩1×
- שָׂרָה֙1×
- שָׂרָ֧ה\׀1×
Key Verses
-
Genesis 17:15
God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but her name shall be Sarah.
This verse records the formal renaming from Sarai to Sarah, establishing her new identity as a matriarch of nations.
-
Genesis 18:14
Is anything too hard for Yahweh? At the set time I will return to you, when the season comes around, and Sarah will have a son.”
God uses this moment to affirm that nothing is too hard for Him, directly addressing the impossibility of Sarah's pregnancy.
-
Genesis 21:6
Sarah said, “God has made me laugh. Everyone who hears will laugh with me.”
Sarah’s own words here celebrate the fulfillment of God’s promise, turning her earlier laughter into joyous recognition of divine power.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the name Sarah mean?
Why did Sarah laugh in Genesis 18?
How is Sarah connected to Isaiah 51:2?
Every Occurrence (32 verses across 2 books)
Genesis 31 verses
God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but her name shall be Sarah.
Genesis 17:17Then Abraham fell on his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, “Will a child be born to him who is one hundred…
Genesis 17:19God said, “No, but Sarah, your wife, will bear you a son. You shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant…
Genesis 17:21But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this set time next year.”
Genesis 18:6Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Quickly prepare three seahs of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes.”
Genesis 18:9They asked him, “Where is Sarah, your wife?” He said, “There, in the tent.”
Genesis 18:10He said, “I will certainly return to you at about this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.”…
Genesis 18:11Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age. Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.
Genesis 18:12Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old will I have pleasure, my lord being old also?”
Genesis 18:13Yahweh said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Will I really bear a child when I am old?’
Genesis 18:14Is anything too hard for Yahweh? At the set time I will return to you, when the season comes around, and Sarah will…
Genesis 18:15Then Sarah denied it, saying, “I didn’t laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”
Genesis 20:2Abraham said about Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.
Genesis 20:14Abimelech took sheep and cattle, male servants and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and restored Sarah, his…
Genesis 20:16To Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. Behold, it is for you a covering of…
Genesis 20:18For Yahweh had closed up tight all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
Genesis 21:1Yahweh visited Sarah as he had said, and Yahweh did to Sarah as he had spoken.
Genesis 21:2Sarah conceived, and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.
Genesis 21:3Abraham called his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.
Genesis 21:6Sarah said, “God has made me laugh. Everyone who hears will laugh with me.”
Genesis 21:7She said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne him a son in his old age.”
Genesis 21:9Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking.
Genesis 21:12God said to Abraham, “Don’t let it be grievous in your sight because of the boy, and because of your servant. In all…
Genesis 23:1Sarah lived one hundred twenty-seven years. This was the length of Sarah’s life.
Genesis 23:2Sarah died in Kiriath Arba (also called Hebron), in the land of Canaan. Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep…
Genesis 23:19After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre (that is, Hebron), in the…
Genesis 24:36Sarah, my master’s wife, bore a son to my master when she was old. He has given all that he has to him.
Genesis 24:67Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife. He loved her. So Isaac was…
Genesis 25:10the field which Abraham purchased from the children of Heth. Abraham was buried there with Sarah, his wife.
Genesis 25:12Now this is the history of the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s servant, bore to…
Genesis 49:31There they buried Abraham and Sarah, his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah, his wife, and there I buried Leah: