Genesis 21 · Verse 1

Genesis 21:1

And the Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken.
Genesis 21:1, King James Version

Genesis 21:1 in other translations

BSBNow the LORD attended to Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what He had promised.
WEBThe LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had spoken.
ASVAnd Jehovah visited Sarah as he had said, and Jehovah did unto Sarah as he had spoken.
YLTAnd Jehovah hath looked after Sarah as He hath said, and Jehovah doth to Sarah as He hath spoken;
DARBYAnd Jehovah visited Sarah as he had said, and Jehovah did to Sarah as he had spoken.
BBEAnd the Lord came to Sarah as he had said and did to her as he had undertaken.
WebsterAnd the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had spoken.

What does Genesis 21:1 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

Ge 21:1-13. Birth of Isaac.

1. the Lord visited Sarah--The language of the historian seems designedly chosen to magnify the power of God as well as His faithfulness to His promise. It was God's grace that brought about that event, as well as the raising of spiritual children to Abraham, of which the birth of this son was typical [Calvin].

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Introduction

Isaac is born according to the promise, Gen 21:1-3; and is circumcised when eight days old, Gen 21:4. Abraham's age, and Sarah's exultation at the birth of their son, Gen 21:5-7. Isaac is weaned, Gen 21:8. Ishmael mocking on the occasion, Sarah requires that both he and his mother Hagar shall be dismissed, Gen 21:9, Gen 21:10. Abraham, distressed on the account, is ordered by the Lord to comply, Gen 21:11, Gen 21:12. The promise renewed to Ishmael, Gen 21:13. Abraham dismisses Hagar and her son, who go to the wilderness of Beer-sheba, Gen 21:14. They are greatly distressed for want of water, Gen 21:15, Gen 21:16. An angel of God appears to and relieves them, Gen 21:17-19. Ishmael prospers and is married, Gen 21:20, Gen 21:21. Abimelech, and Phichol his chief captain, make a covenant with Abraham, and surrender the well of Beersheba for seven ewe lambs, Gen 21:22-32. Abraham plants a grove, and invokes the name of the everlasting God, Gen 21:33. Verse 1 The Lord visited Sarah - That is, God fulfilled his promise to Sarah by giving her, at the advanced age of ninety, power to conceive and bring forth a son.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Genesis 21:1-8
Chapter Outline Birth of Isaac, Sarah's joy. (1-8) Ishmael mocks Isaac. (9-13) Hagar and Ishmael are cast forth, They are relieved and comforted by an angel. (14-21) Abimelech's covenant with Abraham. (22-34) Verses 1-8 Few under the Old Testament were brought into the world with such expectations as Isaac. He was in this a type of Christ, that Seed which the holy God so long promised, and holy men so long expected. He was born according to the promise, at the set time of which God had spoken. God's promised mercies will certainly come at the time which He sets, and that is the best time. Isaac means "laughter," and there was good reason for the name, ch. 17:17; 18:13. When the Sun of comfort is risen upon the soul, it is good to remember how welcome the dawning of the day was. When Sarah received the promise, she laughed with distrust and doubt. When God gives us the mercies we began to despair of, we ought to remember with sorrow and shame our sinful distrust of his power and promise, when we were in pursuit of them. This mercy filled Sarah with joy and wonder. God's favours to his covenant people are such as surpass their own and others' thoughts and expectations: who could imagine that he should do so much for those that deserve so little, nay, for those that deserve so ill? Who would have said that God should send his Son to die for us, his Spirit to make us holy, his angels to attend us? Who would have said that such great sins should be pardoned, such mean services accepted, and such worthless worms taken into covenant? A short account of Isaac's infancy is given. God's blessing upon the nursing of children, and the preservation of them through the perils of the infant age, are to be acknowledged as signal instances of the care and tenderness of the Divine providence. See Psa 22:9, 10; Ho 11:1, 2.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

Genesis 21:1 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.

וַֽיהוָ֛הva.Yah.wehand YahwehH3068
פָּקַ֥דpa.Kadhe visitedH6485
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
שָׂרָ֖הsa.RahSarahH8283
כַּאֲשֶׁ֣רka.'a.Sherjust asH834
אָמָ֑ר'a.Marhe had saidH559
וַיַּ֧עַשׂvai.Ya.'asand he didH6213
יְהוָ֛הYah.wehYahwehH3068
לְשָׂרָ֖הle.sa.Rahto SarahH8283
כַּאֲשֶׁ֥רka.'a.Sherjust asH834
דִּבֵּֽר\׃di.Berhe had spokenH1696

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

Cross references for Genesis 21:1

  • Psalms 12:6

    The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

  • Genesis 18:10

    And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.

  • Genesis 18:14

    Is any thing too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

  • Genesis 17:19

    And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.

  • Galatians 4:23

    But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.

  • 1 Samuel 2:21

    And the Lord visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the Lord.

  • Matthew 24:35

    Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

  • Titus 1:2

    In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

  • Ruth 1:6

    Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the Lord had visited his people in giving them bread.

  • Galatians 4:28

    Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.

  • Romans 4:17-20

    (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

  • Genesis 50:24

    And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1 Isaac is born, and circumcised.
6 Sarah's joy.
8 Isaac is weaned.
9 Hagar and Ishmael are cast forth.
15 Hagar in distress.
17 The angel relieves and comforts her.
23 Abimelech's covenant with Abraham at Beer-sheba.

visited.
50:24; Ex 3:16; 4:31; 20:5; Ru 1:6; 1Sa 2:21; Ps 106:4; Lu 1:68; 19:44
Ro 4:17-20
Sarah as.
17:19; 18:10,14; Ps 12:6; Mt 24:35; Ga 4:23,28; Tit 1:2

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

Context

  • Genesis 21:1

    And the Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken.

  • Genesis 21:2

    For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.

Read all of Genesis 21

Genesis 21:1 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y VISITÓ Jehová á Sara, como había dicho, é hizo Jehová con Sara como había hablado.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et l’ Éternel visita Sara comme il avait dit, et l’ Éternel fit à Sara comme il en avait parlé.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und Jehova suchte Sara heim, wie er gesagt hatte, und Jehova tat der Sara, wie er geredet hatte.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Visitavit autem Dominus Saram, sicut promiserat: et implevit quæ locutus est.