Genesis 17 · Verse 15

Genesis 17:15

And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.

Genesis 17:15, King James Version

Genesis 17:15 in other translations

BSB	Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, do not call her Sarai, for her name is to be Sarah.
WEB	God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but her name shall be Sarah.
ASV	And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.
YLT	And God saith unto Abraham, ‘Sarai thy wife--thou dost not call her name Sarai, for Sarah is her name;
DARBY	And God said to Abraham, As to Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.
BBE	And God said, As for Sarai, your wife, from now her name will be not Sarai, but Sarah.
Webster	And God said to Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.

What does Genesis 17:15 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Genesis 17:15-16

15-16. As for Sarai ... I will ... give thee a son also of her--God's purposes are gradually made known. A son had been long ago promised to Abraham. Now, at length, for the first time he is informed that it was to be a child of Sarai.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 15 Thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah - See note on Gen 17:5.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Genesis 17:15-22

Here is the promise made to Abraham of a son by Sarai, in whom the promise made to him should be fulfilled. The assurance of this promise was the change of Sarai's name into Sarah. Sarai signifies my princess, as if her honour were confined to one family only; Sarah signifies a princess. The more favours God confers upon us, the more low we should be in our own eyes. Abraham showed great joy; he laughed, it was a laughter of delight, not of distrust. Now it was that Abraham rejoiced to see Christ's day; now he saw it and was glad, Joh 8:56. Abraham, dreading lest Ishmael should be abandoned and forsaken of God, put up a petition on his behalf. God gives us leave in prayer to be particular in making known our requests. Whatever is our care and fear, should be spread before God in prayer. It is the duty of parents to pray for their children, and the great thing we should desire is, that they may be kept in covenant with Him, and may have grace to walk before him in uprightness. Common blessings are secured to Ishmael. Outward good things are often given to those children of godly parents who are born after the flesh, for their parents' sake. Covenant blessings are reserved for Isaac, and appropriated to him.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

Genesis 17:15 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיֹּ֤אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559

אֱלֹהִים֙'E.lo.HimGodH430

אֶל\־'el-toH413

אַבְרָהָ֔ם'av.ra.HamAbrahamH85

שָׂרַ֣יsa.RaiSaraiH8297

אִשְׁתְּךָ֔'ish.te.Khawife yourH802

לֹא\־lo'-notH3808

תִקְרָ֥אtik.Ra'you will callH7121

אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853

שְׁמָ֖הּshe.Mahname herH8034

שָׂרָ֑יsa.RaiSaraiH8297

כִּ֥יkiforH3588

שָׂרָ֖הsa.Rah[is] SarahH8283

שְׁמָֽהּ\׃she.Mahname herH8034

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Genesis 17:15

Genesis 32:28
And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
Genesis 17:5
Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.
2 Samuel 12:25
And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet; and he called his name Jedidiah, because of the Lord.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

As.
5; 32:28; 2Sa 12:25
Sarah. i.e., princess.

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Genesis 17:14
And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.
Genesis 17:15
And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.
Genesis 17:16
And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.

Read all of Genesis 17

Genesis 17:15 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Dijo también Dios á Abraham: A Sarai tu mujer no la llamarás Sarai, mas Sara será su nombre.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Et Dieu dit à Abraham: Quant à Saraï, ta femme, tu n’appelleras plus son nom Saraï; mais Sara sera son nom.
German Elberfelder 1871	Und Gott sprach zu Abraham: Sarai, dein Weib, sollst du nicht Sarai nennen, sondern Sara soll ihr Name sein.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Dixit quoque Deus ad Abraham: Sarai uxorem tuam non vocabis Sarai, sed Saram.