One of the profiles in People of the Bible, with every point tied to a chapter and verse you can check.
What Sarah is known for
- Leaving her homeland with Abraham for the land God promised
- Giving her servant Hagar to Abraham, and the conflict that followed
- Having her name changed from Sarai to Sarah
- Laughing when she overheard that she would have a son in old age
- Becoming the mother of Isaac at about ninety
Sarah’s life in order
Leaving home
Genesis 11:29–12:5
Sarai is introduced as Abram's wife, with the plain note that she had no children. She moves with Abram's family from Ur to Haran and then, when God calls Abram, on to the land of Canaan.
In Egypt
Genesis 12:10–20
During a famine the couple go down to Egypt, and Abram, afraid for his life, tells Sarai to say she is his sister. She is taken into Pharaoh's household until plagues reveal the truth and Pharaoh sends them away.
Hagar and Ishmael
Genesis 16:1–16
Still childless after ten years in Canaan, Sarai gives her Egyptian servant Hagar to Abram so that she might have a child through her, a custom known in the ancient Near East. When Hagar becomes pregnant, tension grows, and Hagar flees before returning and giving birth to Ishmael.
A new name
Genesis 17:15–21
When Abram is ninety-nine, God renames Sarai as Sarah and promises that she will bear a son. She is to become a mother of nations, with kings among her descendants, and her son is to be named Isaac.
Laughter at Mamre
Genesis 18:1–15
Three visitors come to Abraham's tent, and Sarah, listening inside, hears that she will have a son within a year. She laughs to herself at the idea, and the LORD answers by asking whether anything is too difficult for him.
Isaac is born
Genesis 21:1–7
As promised, Sarah gives birth to a son in her old age, and Abraham names him Isaac, a name linked to laughter. Sarah says that God has brought her laughter and that everyone who hears will laugh with her.
Hagar sent away
Genesis 21:8–21
At the feast for Isaac's weaning, Sarah sees Ishmael and asks Abraham to send Hagar and her son away. Abraham is deeply troubled, but God tells him to listen to Sarah and promises to make Ishmael a nation too.
Death at Hebron
Genesis 23:1–20
Sarah dies at the age of 127 in Hebron, and Abraham mourns her. He buys the cave of Machpelah from Ephron the Hittite as a burial place, the first land in Canaan his family owns.
What does the name Sarah mean?
Both Sarai and Sarah are usually understood as forms of a Hebrew word meaning princess or noble lady. The exact difference between the two forms is not certain.
What matters in Genesis 17:15-16 is the act of renaming itself: alongside Abram becoming Abraham, the new name marks Sarah's place in God's covenant promise.
Key verses
“Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, do not call her Sarai, for her name is to be Sarah. And I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will descend from her.””
“Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you—in about a year—and Sarah will have a son.””
“Now the LORD attended to Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what He had promised. So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised.”
“By faith Sarah, even though she was barren and beyond the proper age, was enabled to conceive a child, because she considered Him faithful who had promised.”
Verse text: Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain.
What Sarah’s story shows
Waiting is part of many stories
Sarah waited decades for a child, long after it seemed possible. Her story speaks honestly to people living with delayed or unfulfilled hopes.
Doubt and faith can sit together
Sarah laughed at the promise, yet Hebrews 11:11 remembers her for faith. The Bible allows room for questions on the way to trust.
Shortcuts can hurt others
The plan involving Hagar brought pain to everyone involved, especially Hagar. Readers often note that Genesis tells this part plainly, without hiding anyone's faults.
Sarah and Hagar
The relationship between Sarah and Hagar is one of the most difficult parts of Sarah's story. Genesis records God's care for Hagar too: an angel meets her in the wilderness, she names God as the one who sees her (Genesis 16:13), and Ishmael is promised a great future.
Readers today often reflect on Hagar's position as a servant with little say. In Islamic tradition Hagar and Ishmael are honored figures, which gives this account significance across several faiths.
Sarah in the rest of the Bible
Isaiah 51:2 calls Israel to look back to Abraham and Sarah. In the New Testament, Paul refers to Sarah's age and the promise of Isaac (Romans 4:19; 9:9) and uses Sarah and Hagar in a symbolic comparison (Galatians 4:21-31). Hebrews 11:11 lists her among people of faith, and 1 Peter 3:6 holds her up as an example.