Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Genesis 21:5 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 5. 5And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Abraham is one hundred when Isaac is born. The exact age recalls his earlier question and shows that the promised son arrived despite the obstacle he had named.
Read It With
- Genesis 21:1–7
Read Genesis 17:17 and 21:2–5. Abraham previously asked whether a son could be born to a hundred-year-old man; the birth, naming, circumcision, and age notice now answer that question. Without the earlier verse, the number loses its literary purpose.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Abraham's age closes the factual report by answering the hundred-year question he had voiced when Isaac was first named.
Read Genesis 21:3–5 together
Why these verses belong together: Isaac's promised name, eighth-day covenant sign, and Abraham's age verify specific earlier words and commands.
Verse 3. 3 And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac.
Verse 4. 4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him.
Verse 5. 5 And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him.
What Remains True
Scripture can name age and physical limitation without treating either as shame or a measure of human worth.
How It Can Shape Life
- Speak about aging and fertility without ridicule, blame, or false promises, and let the passage's age detail serve its own fulfillment story.
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 ↗