Kejadian 16:1

The Birth of Ishmael

16:1 Now Sarai, ¹  Abram’s wife, had not given birth to any children, ²  but she had an Egyptian servant ³  named Hagar. ⁴ 

Kejadian 20:18--21:2

20:18 For the Lord ⁵  had caused infertility to strike every woman ⁶  in the household of Abimelech because he took ⁷  Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

The Birth of Isaac

21:1 The Lord visited ⁸  Sarah just as he had said he would and did ⁹  for Sarah what he had promised. ¹⁰  21:2 So Sarah became pregnant ¹¹  and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the appointed time that God had told him.

Kejadian 25:21

25:21 Isaac prayed to ¹²  the Lord on behalf of his wife because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant.

Kejadian 30:1-2

30:1 When Rachel saw that she could not give Jacob children, she ¹³  became jealous of her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children ¹⁴  or I’ll die!” 30:2 Jacob became furious ¹⁵  with Rachel and exclaimed, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?” ¹⁶ 

Kejadian 30:22

30:22 Then God took note of ¹⁷  Rachel. He paid attention to her and enabled her to become pregnant. ¹⁸ 

[16:1]  ¹ tn The disjunctive clause signals the beginning of a new episode in the story.

[16:1]  ² sn On the cultural background of the story of Sarai’s childlessness see J. Van Seters, “The Problem of Childlessness in Near Eastern Law and the Patriarchs of Israel,” JBL 87 (1968): 401-8.

[16:1]  ³ tn The Hebrew term שִׁפְחָה (shifkhah, translated “servant” here and in vv. 2, 3, 5, 6, and 8) refers to a menial female servant.

[16:1]  ⁴ sn The passage records the birth of Ishmael to Abram through an Egyptian woman. The story illustrates the limits of Abram’s faith as he tries to obtain a son through social custom. The barrenness of Sarai poses a challenge to Abram’s faith, just as the famine did in chap. 12. As in chap. 12, an Egyptian figures prominently. (Perhaps Hagar was obtained as a slave during Abram’s stay in Egypt.)

[20:18]  ⁵ tn In the Hebrew text the clause begins with “because.”

[20:18]  ⁶ tn Heb had completely closed up every womb.” In the Hebrew text infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.

[20:18]  sn The Lord had closed up every womb. This fact indicates that Sarah was in Abimelech’s household for weeks or months before the dream revelation was given (20:6-7). No one in his household could have children after Sarah arrived on the scene.

[20:18]  ⁷ tn Heb “because of.” The words “he took” are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[21:1]  ⁸ sn The Hebrew verb translated “visit” (פָּקַד, paqad ) often describes divine intervention for blessing or cursing; it indicates God’s special attention to an individual or a matter, always with respect to his people’s destiny. He may visit (that is, destroy) the Amalekites; he may visit (that is, deliver) his people in Egypt. Here he visits Sarah, to allow her to have the promised child. One’s destiny is changed when the Lord “visits.” For a more detailed study of the term, see G. André, Determining the Destiny (ConBOT).

[21:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “and the Lord did.” The divine name has not been repeated here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[21:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “spoken.”

[21:2]  ¹¹ tn Or “she conceived.”

[25:21]  ¹² tn The Hebrew verb עָתַר (’atar), translated “prayed [to]” here, appears in the story of God’s judgment on Egypt in which Moses asked the Lord to remove the plagues. The cognate word in Arabic means “to slaughter for sacrifice,” and the word is used in Zeph 3:10 to describe worshipers who bring offerings. Perhaps some ritual accompanied Isaac’s prayer here.

[30:1]  ¹³ tn Heb “Rachel.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“she”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[30:1]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “sons.”

[30:2]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and the anger of Jacob was hot.”

[30:2]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb.”

[30:22]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “remembered.”

[30:22]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and God listened to her and opened up her womb.” Since “God” is the subject of the previous clause, the noun has been replaced by the pronoun “he” in the translation for stylistic reasons