Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Genesis 21:2 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 2. 2For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Sarah conceives and bears Abraham a son in his old age at the appointed time God had named. The verse verifies the promised mother, father, child, and timing while keeping Sarah's embodied role visible.
Read It With
- Genesis 21:1–7
Read verse 1 and Genesis 17:19, 21; 18:10, 14; 20:4–6, 14. Verse 1 attributes fulfillment to the LORD, the earlier promises fix the time, and Genesis 20 explicitly denies Abimelech's sexual contact before Sarah is restored.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The general fulfillment statement becomes concrete through Sarah's conception, Abraham's fatherhood, a son, old age, and the appointed time.
Read Genesis 21:1–2 together
Why these verses belong together: Divine attention and action are immediately defined by Sarah's conception, Abraham's fatherhood, the son, old age, and the appointed time.
Verse 1. 1 And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken.
Verse 2. 2 For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.
Follow the Context
- The LORD attends to Sarah and acts for her just as he had said and spoken (21:1).
- Sarah conceives and bears Abraham a son in his old age at the appointed time God had specified (21:2).
- Abraham names Sarah's son Isaac and circumcises him at eight days as God commanded (21:3–4).
- Abraham's age of one hundred marks the precise fulfillment of the age question raised in Genesis 17 (21:5).
- Sarah says God has made laughter for her and marvels that she has borne Abraham a son and can nurse him in their old age (21:6–7).
Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation
“Sarah conceived, and bare”
In plain language: Sarah became pregnant and gave birth.
Her embodied motherhood fulfills the specific promise.
Why it matters: The narrator centers Sarah rather than speaking only about Abraham's heir.
How certain? very strong“at the set time”
In plain language: At the appointed time.
The birth matches the prior next-year promise.
Why it matters: The schedule belongs to Isaac's birth, not every prayer.
How certain? very strongWhat This Verse Is Not Saying
Sarah's conception does not imply sexual contact with Abimelech; Genesis 20 explicitly denies it.
The verse does not promise conception to every infertile or older person.
Sarah's body does not become valuable only because she gives birth.
What Remains True
Faithful interpretation follows concrete details instead of reducing fulfillment to a vague feeling that something good happened.
How It Can Shape Life
- When evaluating a promise claim, check the named people, event, and timing rather than accepting a broad motivational resemblance.
Teach It Back
Explain Genesis 21:2's contribution to Genesis 21:1–7. Include why the nearby verses are required, what the verse clearly says, and one conclusion it does not justify.
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Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Genesis 21:1–7 — Isaac Is Born as God PromisedSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? very strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Displayed wording, promise fulfillment, parentage, timing, naming, circumcision, ages, laughter, nursing, and canonical reception.
Exact location: Genesis 21:1–7 in the pinned eng-kjv2006 source; compared with Genesis 17:12, 15–21; 18:9–15; 20:1–18; 21:8–21; Romans 4; Galatians 4; Hebrews 11
Open source ↗hebrew text morphology and lemma data
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project
Open Scriptures, Version 2.2 released 2021; repository inspected 2026
Supports: Parallel fulfillment clauses, conception and birth, appointed time, Isaac name, circumcision, laughter wordplay, preposition ambiguity, Sarah's exclamation, and nursing idiom.
Exact location: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible, wlc/Gen.xml, Genesis 21:1–7; lemmas and morphology for paqad, amar, davar, ya'as, harah, yalad, mo'ed, yitschaq, mul, tsechoq, shama, and yanaq
Open source ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, Digital edition accessed 2026
Supports: Promise-fulfillment syntax, appointed-time echo, Isaac and laughter wordplay, supplied translation wording, and Sarah's astonished speech.
Exact location: NET Bible, Genesis 21:1–7 and translator notes, especially 21:1–2 and 21:6–7
Open NET Genesis 21 ↗modern Jewish feminist commentary and text study
The Torah: A Women's Commentary — Genesis 21: Sarah Becomes a Mother
Tamara Cohn Eskenazi and Andrea L. Weiss, editors
URJ Press / Sefaria electronic edition, 2008
Supports: Sarah as the centered recipient, compact conception-and-birth report, Abraham paternity after Abimelech, maternal speech, nursing, and gender-aware narrative emphasis.
Exact location: The Torah: A Women's Commentary, Genesis 21:1–7, unit 'Sarah Becomes a Mother'
Open source ↗