Genesis 18:12
New International Version
So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?”

New Living Translation
So she laughed silently to herself and said, “How could a worn-out woman like me enjoy such pleasure, especially when my master—my husband—is also so old?”

English Standard Version
So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?”

Berean Standard Bible
So she laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?”

King James Bible
Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?

New King James Version
Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?”

New American Standard Bible
So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I have become old, am I to have pleasure, my lord being old also?”

NASB 1995
Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?”

NASB 1977
And Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?”

Legacy Standard Bible
And Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?”

Amplified Bible
So Sarah laughed to herself [when she heard the LORD’S words], saying, “After I have become old, shall I have pleasure and delight, my lord (husband) being also old?”

Christian Standard Bible
So she laughed to herself: “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I have delight? ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
So she laughed to herself: “After I have become shriveled up and my lord is old, will I have delight?”

American Standard Version
And Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And Sara laughed in her heart and she said, “After I am worn out will I have youth, and my Lord is old?”

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Sarrha laughed in herself, saying, The thing has not as yet happened to me, even until now, and my lord is old.

Contemporary English Version
So she laughed and said to herself, "Now that I am worn out and my husband is old, will I really know such happiness?"

Douay-Rheims Bible
And she laughed secretly, saying: After I am grown old, and my lord is an old man, shall I give myself to pleasure?

English Revised Version
And Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
And so Sarah laughed to herself, thinking, "Now that I've become old, will I enjoy myself again? What's more, my husband is old!"

Good News Translation
So Sarah laughed to herself and said, "Now that I am old and worn out, can I still enjoy sex? And besides, my husband is old too."

International Standard Version
That's why Sarah laughed to herself, thinking, "After I'm so old and my husband is old, too, am I going to have sex?"

JPS Tanakh 1917
And Sarah laughed within herself, saying: 'After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?'

Literal Standard Version
and Sarah laughs in her heart, saying, “After I have waxed old have I had pleasure? My lord [is] also old!”

Majority Standard Bible
So she laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?”

New American Bible
So Sarah laughed to herself and said, “Now that I am worn out and my husband is old, am I still to have sexual pleasure?”

NET Bible
So Sarah laughed to herself, thinking, "After I am worn out will I have pleasure, especially when my husband is old too?"

New Revised Standard Version
So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure?”

New Heart English Bible
Sarah laughed within herself, saying, "After I have grown old will I have pleasure, my husband being old also?"

Webster's Bible Translation
Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am become old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?

World English Bible
Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old will I have pleasure, my lord being old also?”

Young's Literal Translation
and Abraham and Sarah are aged, entering into days -- the way of women hath ceased to be to Sarah;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Sarah Laughs at the Promise
11And Abraham and Sarah were already old and well along in years; Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. 12So she laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?” 13And the LORD asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Can I really bear a child when I am old?’…

Cross References
Luke 1:18
"How can I be sure of this?" Zechariah asked the angel. "I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years."

1 Peter 3:6
just as Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him lord. And you are her children if you do what is right and refuse to give way to fear.

Genesis 17:17
Abraham fell facedown. Then he laughed and said to himself, "Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah give birth at the age of ninety?"

Genesis 18:13
And the LORD asked Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Can I really bear a child when I am old?'

Psalm 45:11
and the king will desire your beauty; bow to him, for he is your lord.


Treasury of Scripture

Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?

laughed.

Genesis 18:13
And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?

Genesis 17:17
Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?

Genesis 21:6,7
And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me…

my.

Ephesians 5:33
Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

1 Peter 3:6
Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.

Jump to Previous
Abraham Aged Ceased Entering Grown Herself Husband Laughed Master Pleasure Sarah Thought Used Waxed Way Within Women Worn
Jump to Next
Abraham Aged Ceased Entering Grown Herself Husband Laughed Master Pleasure Sarah Thought Used Waxed Way Within Women Worn
Genesis 18
1. The Lord appears to Abraham, who entertains angels.
9. Sarah is reproved for laughing at the promise of a son.
16. The destruction of Sodom is revealed to Abraham.
23. Abraham makes intercession for its inhabitants.














(12) Sarah laughed.--See Note on Genesis 17:17. The laughter of both husband and wife brings into prominence the inconceivable character of the fact. Sarah's conduct has been very unjustly condemned. Though Abraham may have begun to guess that his visitors were more than men, she probably had no such suspicions. Sitting inside the tent, and catching their words only occasionally, listening, perhaps, now only because she heard her own name mentioned, when she hears them talk of her having a child she naturally laughs. thinking possibly that they did not know how old she was.

After I am waxed old.--The Hebrew word is stronger and more lively. It means "to be worn out like an old garment."

Verse 12. - Therefore (literally, and) Sarah laughed within herself - Abraham had laughed in joyful amazement, (Genesis 18:17) at the first mention of Sarah s son; Sarah laughs, if not in unbelief (Calvin, Keil, 'Speaker's Commentary,' Wordsworth), at least with a mingled feeling of doubt and delight (Lange, Murphy) at the announcement of her approaching maternity - saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? - literally, and my lord, i.e. my husband, is old. The reverential submission to Abraham which Sarah here displays is in the New Testament commended as a pattern to Christian wives (1 Peter 3:6).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
So [she]
שָׂרָ֖ה (śā·rāh)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 8283: Sarah -- 'princess', a wife of Abraham

laughed
וַתִּצְחַ֥ק (wat·tiṣ·ḥaq)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 6711: To laugh outright, to sport

to herself,
בְּקִרְבָּ֣הּ (bə·qir·bāh)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 7130: The nearest part, the center

saying,
לֵאמֹ֑ר (lê·mōr)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“After
אַחֲרֵ֤י (’a·ḥă·rê)
Preposition
Strong's 310: The hind or following part

I am worn out
בְלֹתִי֙ (ḇə·lō·ṯî)
Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | first person common singular
Strong's 1086: To fail, to wear out, decay

and my master
וַֽאדֹנִ֖י (wa·ḏō·nî)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 113: Sovereign, controller

is old,
זָקֵֽן׃ (zā·qên)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2204: To be or become old

will I now have
הָֽיְתָה־ (hā·yə·ṯāh-)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

this pleasure?”
עֶדְנָ֔ה (‘eḏ·nāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5730: A luxury, dainty, delight


Links
Genesis 18:12 NIV
Genesis 18:12 NLT
Genesis 18:12 ESV
Genesis 18:12 NASB
Genesis 18:12 KJV

Genesis 18:12 BibleApps.com
Genesis 18:12 Biblia Paralela
Genesis 18:12 Chinese Bible
Genesis 18:12 French Bible
Genesis 18:12 Catholic Bible

OT Law: Genesis 18:12 Sarah laughed within herself saying After (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 18:11
Top of Page
Top of Page