Sarah (I)

I. SARAH, or Sarai, or Sara, the Wife of Abraham, Daughter of Terah, but born of a Mother different from Abraham’s ; since Abraham himself assures us,¹ that she was really his Sister, the Daughter of his Father, but not the Daughter of his Mother. Terah might have had several Wives at once, according to the Custom of the Country where he lived ; or might have marry’d again, after the Death of Abraham’s Mother, by which last Wife he might have had Sarai. However this be, this Opinion seems to us much better founded, than the Opinion of those who make Sarah the same as Iscah the Daughter Gen. xi. 29.of Haran the Niece of Abraham, and Grand-daughter of Terah. However, this is the Opinion of Josephus², of St. Jerom³, of St. Austin⁴, of Tostat, of Genebrard, and of a great Number of Commentators.

Sarai was born in the Year of the World 2018, before Christ 1982, before the Vulgar Era 1986. She marry’d Abraham before this Patriarch left the City of Ur⁵; and when Abraham went out of his Country, he made an Agreement with Gen. xx. 13.Sarah, that she should always say she was his Sister. For, being a Woman of exquisite⁶Beauty, he was afraid she should be taken away from him, and that he might be put to Death on her Account. When the Famine prevail’d in the Land of Canaan, which was the Year after Abraham came into this Country, he was obliged to withdraw into Egypt, where the Famine did not reach⁷. He then said to Sarah; I conjure you to say that you are my Sister, that the Egyptians may use me well for your sake, and not take away my Life. When Abraham came into the Country, Sarah was taken away from him, and carry’d to Pharaoh’s Palace. But the Lord visited this Prince and all his Family with great Plagues, because of Sarah. And Pharaoh then knowing that she was Abraham’s Wife, he reproved him very sharply, for saying she was his Sister, by which means he might have taken her to Wife, if God had not prevented him. He therefore restored her to Abraham, and had them conducted out of Egypt, for fear any Injury or Outrage might be done them.

This Conduct of Abraham and Sarah has given Occasion to many Speculations among the Learned. Abraham seem’d to expose Sarah to the Danger of committing Adultery; and she seem’d too easily to consent to it, by pretending she was only the Sister of Abraham, and not his Wife. There is some Difficulty in vindicating such a Management on both Sides. In Abraham, there seems to have been Lying, Disguise, and too great Easiness, in tempting his Wife’s Chastity; and in her, too Origen. homil. 6. in Genes. Gen. xx. 12.great Forwardness to consent to it. Origen, speaking of what happened to Abraham, in respect of Abimelech King of Gerar, where he was in the same Circumstances as these now mention’d, says, that this Patriarch not only told a Lye, but even betray’d and expos’d his Wife’s Chastity. Faustus the Manichean⁸ calls Abraham an infamous Barterer of his Wife’s Modesty, which he sold to two Kings, to gratify his own Avarice and Gluttony. St. Chrysostom⁹, who seriously endeavours to excuse Abraham and Sarah, acknowledges, however, that this Patriarch exposed Sarah to the Danger of committing Adultery; and that Sarah consented to be exposed to this Danger, to save the Life of her Husband. Lastly, Some Moderns¹⁰ have very loudly declared, that in this Matter, they could not approve the Conduct of Abraham and Sarah.

St. Austin¹¹ makes an Apology for Abraham, saying, 1st, That he did not tell a Lye, by affirming Sarah to be his Sister, as indeed she was: He conceal’d a Truth which he was not obliged to discover, by not telling that she was his Wife. 2dly, That being exposed at the same time to two Dangers, one of losing his Life, and the other of having his Wife taken from him, or dishonoured, and not being able to avoid either of them, by owning her for his Wife, but thinking it at least probable that he should escape Death, if he only own’d her for his Sister; he took this last Resolution, and of two Evils, he chose what seem’d to him the least, leaving to Providence the Care of his Wife’s Chastity, and knowing besides her virtuous Disposition, that whatever Injury her Body might suffer, her Will would have no Share in it; so that the Adultery (if it should happen) being involuntary on both Sides, it would be without either Guilt or Infamy. St. Chrysostom may be read upon this Passage, and the Commentators upon Gen. xii. 12, 13, &c.

But let us return to the History of Sarah. Knowing, on the one hand, that God had promised a numerous Posterity to Abraham, and, on the other, finding her self to be barren, she thought that possibly the Promises of God were to be performed by Means of some other Woman that her Husband might take; she therefore desired Abraham to take her Servant Hagar,¹² that at least, by her Means, she might see some Issue from Abraham. He complied with his Wife’s Request, and took Hagar as a Wife of the second Order, according to the Custom of those Ages. But when Hagar found her self with Child, she began to use her Mistress with Contempt. Sarah complain’d of it to Abraham; who told her, that Hagar was still her Slave, and she might dispose of her at her Pleasure. Upon this she began to use her ill, and Hagar fled away from her; but she return’d some time after, and submitted her self to her Mistress.

Gen. xviii. 1,2,3,&c.Some Years after, God appeared to Abraham,¹³ made a Covenant with him, instituted Circumcision; changed his Name of Abram, or Exalted Father, into that of Abraham, or Father of a great Multitude; and changed the Name of Sarai, or My Princess, into that of Sarah, or Princess; and promis’d Abraham that he should have a Son by Sarah. The same Year he entertain’d in his Tent three Angels in the Form of Men, who repeated to him the Promise made by God, of the Birth of a Son, and assured him, that the present Year should not expire, before he saw the Completion of this Promise. Sarah was behind the Door of her Tent, and hearing this, began to laugh within her self, saying, After I am now become old, and my Lord is old also, shall I receive Pleasure? Then the Lord said to Abraham, Why did Sarah laugh? Is there any thing impossible to God? Sarah shall indeed have a Son within a Year’s time. Sarah deny’d that she had laugh’d; but the Lord said to her, It is not so, for you surely did laugh.

A little while after,¹⁴ Abraham went to dwell at Gerar a City of the Philistines; and Abimelech King of this City took away Sarah, who, tho’ now fourscore and ten Years old, and then with Child of Isaac, was still a very handsome Woman. But the Lord appeared to Abimelech in a Dream, and threatned to punish him with Death, if he did not restore her to her Husband. The Day after, early in the Morning, this Prince came to Abraham, and brought his Wife to him, reproaching him very much with his Dissimulation, in pretending she was his Sister. Abraham excused himself, by saying, that she was indeed his Sister, being born from the same Father, tho’ not from the same Mother. Abimelech made great Presents to Abraham, and offer’d a thousand Pieces of Silver to Sarah, that she might purchase a Veil to cover her Face, and be no more expos’d to the same Danger.

Gal. iv. 29.The Year following she brought forth a Son,¹⁵ to whom she gave the Name of Isaac, that is Laughter, as by way of Allusion to her Laughing, when God promis’d her a Son, and to shew the great Joy that this Birth produced in her: She suckled the Child her self; and when it was to be weaned, that is, about three Years after, as the most probable Opinion is, Abraham made a great Feast for his Friends. Some time after this,¹⁶ when Sarah saw Ishmael at play with Isaac, or, according to St. Paul, Ishmael then persecuted or teized Isaac, she said to Abraham, Cast out this Servant, with her Son, for Ishmael shall not inherit with Isaac. Abraham made some Difficulty at complying with this Request, but God ordered him to do what Sarah desired; so that he sent away Hagar and Ishmael, in the Manner we have mention’d under their Articles.

The Scripture tells us no more of Sarah Gen. 23. 1, 19.‘till her Death, which happen’d some Years after the famous Trial that God made of Abraham’s Faith,¹⁷ by commanding him to sacrifice Isaac. Sarah was an hundred and twenty-seven Years old when she died: She was then in the Valley of Hebron, Duplex. See Machpelah.and Abraham came to Beer-sheba to mourn for her. We know not the Occasion of this Absence of Abraham; but the Scripture says expresly, he went into this Valley to mourn for her; and that after he had paid this his last Duty to her, he came into the City, and bought a Field of Ephron the Ammonite, in which there was a Cave hewn into the Rock, where there were new Tombs. The Text of the Vulgate calls this Cave by the Name of Double; but the Hebrew Text calls it Machpelah, which perhaps might be the Name of the Field where this Cave was.

Rab. quidam apud Tostat. in Gen. xxiii.Some have thought, that Sarah knew nothing of Abraham’s Intention of sacrificing his Son, and that she was not acquainted with it ‘till after they were return’d from Moriah. Others have maintain’d, that she died with Grief, when she was told, that Abraham had really sacrificed Isaac. ‘Twas a false Report made to terrify her. Josephus says, she died soon after this Event: But, according to his Calculation, she must have liv’d twelve Years after that; since, according to him, Isaac was five-and-twenty Years old when his Father would have sacrificed him, and Sarah was ninety Years old when she bore Isaac, and one hundred and twenty-seven when she died. Usher also puts eleven or twelve Years between Abraham’s Trial, and the Death of Sarah. The Talmudists and St. Epiphanius put Sarah in the Catalogue of Prophetesses of the Old Testament.

D’Herbelot, Bibl. Orient. p. 759.Sarah, Abraham’s Wife, according to the Orientals, was Daughter of Nahor, and Grand-daughter of Terah, and, consequently, Mother to this Patriarch. Sarah’s Mother was another Sarah, Daughter of Terah and Tahouiah his second Wife; for his first Wife, whose Name was Jounah, was Mother to Abraham.

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