Kejadian 17:17

17:17 Then Abraham bowed down with his face to the ground and laughed ¹  as he said to himself, ²  “Can ³  a son be born to a man who is a hundred years old? ⁴  Can Sarah ⁵  bear a child at the age of ninety?” ⁶ 

Kejadian 18:12-15

18:12 So Sarah laughed to herself, thinking, ⁷  “After I am worn out will I have pleasure, ⁸  especially when my husband is old too?” ⁹ 

18:13 The Lord said to Abraham, “Why ¹⁰  did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really ¹¹  have a child when I am old?’ 18:14 Is anything impossible ¹²  for the Lord? I will return to you when the season comes round again and Sarah will have a son.” ¹³  18:15 Then Sarah lied, saying, “I did not laugh,” because she was afraid. But the Lord said, “No! You did laugh.” ¹⁴ 

Kejadian 18:1

Three Special Visitors

18:1 The Lord appeared to Abraham ¹⁵  by the oaks ¹⁶  of Mamre while ¹⁷  he was sitting at the entrance ¹⁸  to his tent during the hottest time of the day.

1 Samuel 1:26--2:10

1:26 She said, “Just as surely as you are alive, my lord, I am the woman who previously stood here with you in order to pray to the Lord. 1:27 I prayed for this boy, and the Lord has given me the request that I asked of him. 1:28 Now I dedicate him to the Lord. From this time on he is dedicated to the Lord.” Then they ¹⁹  worshiped the Lord there.

Hannah Exalts the Lord in Prayer

2:1 Hannah prayed, ²⁰ 

“My heart rejoices in the Lord;

my horn ²¹  is exalted high because of the Lord.

I loudly denounce ²²  my enemies,

for I am happy that you delivered me. ²³ 

2:2 No one is holy ²⁴  like the Lord!

There is no one other than you!

There is no rock ²⁵  like our God!

2:3 Don’t keep speaking so arrogantly, ²⁶ 

letting proud talk come out of your mouth!

For the Lord is a God who knows;

he ²⁷  evaluates what people do.

2:4 The bows of warriors are shattered,

but those who stumble find their strength reinforced.

2:5 Those who are well-fed hire themselves out to earn food,

but the hungry no longer lack.

Even ²⁸  the barren woman gives birth to seven, ²⁹ 

but the one with many children withers away. ³⁰ 

2:6 The Lord both kills and gives life;

he brings down to the grave ³¹  and raises up.

2:7 The Lord impoverishes and makes wealthy;

he humbles and he exalts.

2:8 He lifts the weak ³²  from the dust;

he raises ³³  the poor from the ash heap

to seat them with princes

and to bestow on them an honored position. ³⁴ 

The foundations of the earth belong to the Lord,

and he has placed the world on them.

2:9 He watches over ³⁵  his holy ones, ³⁶ 

but the wicked are made speechless in the darkness,

for it is not by one’s own strength that one prevails.

2:10 The Lord shatters ³⁷  his adversaries; ³⁸ 

he thunders against them from ³⁹  the heavens.

The Lord executes judgment to the ends of the earth.

He will strengthen ⁴⁰  his king

and exalt the power ⁴¹  of his anointed one.” ⁴² 

Mazmur 113:9

113:9 He makes the barren woman of the family ⁴³ 

a happy mother of children. ⁴⁴ 

Praise the Lord!

Mazmur 126:2

126:2 At that time we laughed loudly

and shouted for joy. ⁴⁵ 

At that time the nations said, ⁴⁶ 

“The Lord has accomplished great things for these people.”

Yesaya 49:15

49:15 Can a woman forget her baby who nurses at her breast? ⁴⁷ 

Can she withhold compassion from the child she has borne? ⁴⁸ 

Even if mothers ⁴⁹  were to forget,

I could never forget you! ⁵⁰ 

Yesaya 49:21

49:21 Then you will think to yourself, ⁵¹ 

‘Who bore these children for me?

I was bereaved and barren,

dismissed and divorced. ⁵² 

Who raised these children?

Look, I was left all alone;

where did these children come from?’”

Yesaya 54:1

Zion Will Be Secure

54:1 “Shout for joy, O barren one who has not given birth!

Give a joyful shout and cry out, you who have not been in labor!

For the children of the desolate one are more numerous

than the children of the married woman,” says the Lord.

Lukas 1:46-55

Mary’s Hymn of Praise

1:46 And Mary ⁵³  said, ⁵⁴ 

“My soul exalts ⁵⁵  the Lord, ⁵⁶ 

1:47 and my spirit has begun to rejoice ⁵⁷  in God my Savior,

1:48 because he has looked upon the humble state of his servant. ⁵⁸ 

For ⁵⁹  from now on ⁶⁰  all generations will call me blessed, ⁶¹ 

1:49 because he who is mighty ⁶²  has done great things for me, and holy is his name;

1:50 from ⁶³  generation to generation he is merciful ⁶⁴  to those who fear ⁶⁵  him.

1:51 He has demonstrated power ⁶⁶  with his arm; he has scattered those whose pride wells up from the sheer arrogance ⁶⁷  of their hearts.

1:52 He has brought down the mighty ⁶⁸  from their thrones, and has lifted up those of lowly position; ⁶⁹ 

1:53 he has filled the hungry with good things, ⁷⁰  and has sent the rich away empty. ⁷¹ 

1:54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering ⁷²  his mercy, ⁷³ 

1:55 as he promised ⁷⁴  to our ancestors, ⁷⁵  to Abraham and to his descendants ⁷⁶  forever.”

Yohanes 16:21-22

16:21 When a woman gives birth, she has distress ⁷⁷  because her time ⁷⁸  has come, but when her child is born, she no longer remembers the suffering because of her joy that a human being ⁷⁹  has been born into the world. ⁸⁰  16:22 So also you have sorrow ⁸¹  now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. ⁸² 

Galatia 4:27-28

4:27 For it is written:

“Rejoice, O barren woman who does not bear children; ⁸³ 

break forth and shout, you who have no birth pains,

because the children of the desolate woman are more numerous

than those of the woman who has a husband.” ⁸⁴ 

4:28 But you, ⁸⁵  brothers and sisters, ⁸⁶  are children of the promise like Isaac.

Ibrani 11:11

11:11 By faith, even though Sarah herself was barren and he was too old, ⁸⁷  he received the ability to procreate, ⁸⁸  because he regarded the one who had given the promise to be trustworthy.

[17:17]  ¹ sn Laughed. The Hebrew verb used here provides the basis for the naming of Isaac: “And he laughed” is וַיִּצְחָק (vayyitskhaq); the name “Isaac” is יִצְחָק (yitskhaq), “he laughs.” Abraham’s (and Sarah’s, see 18:12) laughter signals disbelief, but when the boy is born, the laughter signals surprise and joy.

[17:17]  ² tn Heb “And he fell on his face and laughed and said in his heart.”

[17:17]  ³ tn The imperfect verbal form here carries a potential nuance, as it expresses the disbelief of Abraham.

[17:17]  ⁴ tn Heb “to the son of a hundred years.”

[17:17]  ⁵ sn It is important to note that even though Abraham staggers at the announcement of the birth of a son, finding it almost too incredible, he nonetheless calls his wife Sarah, the new name given to remind him of the promise of God (v. 15).

[17:17]  ⁶ tn Heb “the daughter of ninety years.”

[18:12]  ⁷ tn Heb “saying.”

[18:12]  ⁸ tn It has been suggested that this word should be translated “conception,” not “pleasure.” See A. A. McIntosh, “A Third Root ‘adah in Biblical Hebrew,” VT 24 (1974): 454-73.

[18:12]  ⁹ tn The word “too” has been added in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[18:13]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “Why, this?” The demonstrative pronoun following the interrogative pronoun is enclitic, emphasizing the Lord’s amazement: “Why on earth did Sarah laugh?”

[18:13]  ¹¹ tn The Hebrew construction uses both הַאַף (ha’af) and אֻמְנָם (’umnam): “Indeed, truly, will I have a child?”

[18:14]  ¹² tn The Hebrew verb פָּלָא (pala’) means “to be wonderful, to be extraordinary, to be surpassing, to be amazing.”

[18:14]  ¹³ sn Sarah will have a son. The passage brings God’s promise into clear focus. As long as it was a promise for the future, it really could be believed without much involvement. But now, when it seemed so impossible from the human standpoint, when the Lord fixed an exact date for the birth of the child, the promise became rather overwhelming to Abraham and Sarah. But then this was the Lord of creation, the one they had come to trust. The point of these narratives is that the creation of Abraham’s offspring, which eventually became Israel, is no less a miraculous work of creation than the creation of the world itself.

[18:15]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “And he said, ‘No, but you did laugh.’” The referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:1]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:1]  ¹⁶ tn Or “terebinths.”

[18:1]  ¹⁷ tn The disjunctive clause here is circumstantial to the main clause.

[18:1]  ¹⁸ tn The Hebrew noun translated “entrance” is an adverbial accusative of place.

[1:28]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “he,” apparently referring to Samuel (but cf. CEV “Elkanah”). A few medieval manuscripts and some ancient versions take the verb as plural (cf. TEV, NLT).

[2:1]  ²⁰ tn Heb “prayed and said.” This is somewhat redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified in the translation.

[2:1]  ²¹ sn Horns of animals have always functioned as both offensive and defensive weapons for them. As a figure of speech the horn is therefore often used in the Bible as a symbol of human strength (see also in v. 10). The allusion in v. 1 to the horn being lifted high suggests a picture of an animal elevating its head in a display of strength or virility.

[2:1]  ²² tn Heb “my mouth opens wide against.”

[2:1]  ²³ tn Heb “for I rejoice in your deliverance.”

[2:2]  ²⁴ sn In this context God’s holiness refers primarily to his sovereignty and incomparability. He is unique and distinct from all other so-called gods.

[2:2]  ²⁵ tn The LXX has “and there is none righteous like our God.” The Hebrew term translated “rock” refers to a rocky cliff where one can seek refuge from enemies. Here the metaphor depicts God as a protector of his people. Cf. TEV “no protector like our God”; CEV “We’re safer with you than on a high mountain.”

[2:3]  ²⁶ tn Heb “proudly, proudly.” If MT is original, the repetition of the word is for emphasis, stressing the arrogance of those addressed. However, a few medieval Hebrew manuscripts and some other textual witnesses do not reflect the repetition, suggesting that the Hebrew text may be dittographic.

[2:3]  ²⁷ tc The MT (Qere) reads “and by him actions are weighed.” The translation assumes that reading of the Qere וְלוֹ (vÿlo, “and by him”), which is supported by many medieval Hebrew mss, is correct, rather than the reading of the Kethib וְלוֹא (vÿlo’, “and not”).

[2:5]  ²⁸ tc Against BHS but with the MT, the preposition (עַד, ’ad) should be taken with what follows rather than with what precedes. For this sense of the preposition see Job 25:5.

[2:5]  ²⁹ sn The number seven is used here in an ideal sense. Elsewhere in the OT having seven children is evidence of fertility as a result of God’s blessing on the family. See, for example, Jer 15:9, Ruth 4:15.

[2:5]  ³⁰ tn Or “languishes.”

[2:6]  ³¹ tn Heb “Sheol”; NAB “the nether world”; CEV “the world of the dead.”

[2:8]  ³² tn Or “lowly”; Heb “insignificant.”

[2:8]  ³³ tn The imperfect verbal form, which is parallel to the participle in the preceding line, is best understood here as indicating what typically happens.

[2:8]  ³⁴ tn Heb “a seat of honor.”

[2:9]  ³⁵ tn Heb “guards the feet of.” The expression means that God watches over and protects the godly in all of their activities and movements. The imperfect verbal forms in v. 9 are understood as indicating what is typically true. Another option is to translate them with the future tense. See v. 10b.

[2:9]  ³⁶ tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading the plural (“his holy ones”) rather than the singular (“his holy one”) of the Kethib.

[2:10]  ³⁷ tn The imperfect verbal forms in this line and in the next two lines are understood as indicating what is typically true. Another option is to translate them with the future tense. See v. 10b.

[2:10]  ³⁸ tc The present translation follows the Qere, many medieval Hebrew manuscripts, the Syriac Peshitta, and the Vulgate in reading the plural (“his adversaries,” similarly many other English versions) rather than the singular (“his adversary”) of the Kethib.

[2:10]  ³⁹ tn The Hebrew preposition here has the sense of “from within.”

[2:10]  ⁴⁰ tn The imperfect verbal forms in this and the next line are understood as indicating what is anticipated and translated with the future tense, because at the time of Hannah’s prayer Israel did not yet have a king.

[2:10]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “the horn,” here a metaphor for power or strength. Cf. NCV “make his appointed king strong”; NLT “increases the might of his anointed one.”

[2:10]  ⁴² tc The LXX greatly expands v. 10 with an addition that seems to be taken from Jer 9:23-24.

[2:10]  sn The anointed one is the anticipated king of Israel, as the preceding line makes clear.

[113:9]  ⁴³ tn Heb “of the house.”

[113:9]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “sons.”

[126:2]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with a shout.”

[126:2]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “they said among the nations.”

[49:15]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “her suckling”; NASB “her nursing child.”

[49:15]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “so as not to have compassion on the son of her womb?”

[49:15]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “these” (so ASV, NASB).

[49:15]  ⁵⁰ sn The argument of v. 15 seems to develop as follows: The Lord has an innate attachment to Zion, just like a mother does for her infant child. But even if mothers were to suddenly abandon their children, the Lord would never forsake Zion. In other words, the Lord’s attachment to Zion is like a mother’s attachment to her infant child, but even stronger.

[49:21]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “and you will say in your heart.”

[49:21]  ⁵² tn Or “exiled and thrust away”; NIV “exiled and rejected.”

[1:46]  ⁵³ tc A few witnesses, especially Latin mss, (a b l* Ir^arm Or^lat mss Nic) read “Elizabeth” here, since she was just speaking, but the ms evidence overwhelmingly supports “Mary” as the speaker.

[1:46]  ⁵⁴ sn The following passage has been typeset as poetry because many scholars regard this passage as poetic or hymnic. These terms are used broadly to refer to the genre of writing, not to the content. There are two broad criteria for determining if a passage is poetic or hymnic: “(a) stylistic: a certain rhythmical lilt when the passages are read aloud, the presence of parallelismus membrorum (i.e., an arrangement into couplets), the semblance of some metre, and the presence of rhetorical devices such as alliteration, chiasmus, and antithesis; and (b) linguistic: an unusual vocabulary, particularly the presence of theological terms, which is different from the surrounding context” (P. T. O’Brien, Philippians [NIGTC], 188-89). Classifying a passage as hymnic or poetic is important because understanding this genre can provide keys to interpretation. However, not all scholars agree that the above criteria are present in this passage, so the decision to typeset it as poetry should be viewed as a tentative decision about its genre.

[1:46]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “lifts up the Lord in praise.”

[1:46]  ⁵⁶ sn This psalm (vv. 46-55) is one of the few praise psalms in the NT. Mary praises God and then tells why both in terms of his care for her (vv. 46-49) and for others, including Israel (vv. 50-55). Its traditional name, the “Magnificat,” comes from the Latin for the phrase My soul magnifies the Lord at the hymn’s start.

[1:47]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “rejoices.” The translation renders this aorist, which stands in contrast to the previous line’s present tense, as ingressive, which highlights Mary’s joyous reaction to the announcement. A comprehensive aorist is also possible here.

[1:48]  ⁵⁸ tn See the note on the word “servant” in v. 38.

[1:48]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “for behold.”

[1:48]  ⁶⁰ sn From now on is a favorite phrase of Luke’s, showing how God’s acts change things from this point on (5:10; 12:52; 22:18, 69; Acts 18:6).

[1:48]  ⁶¹ sn Mary is seen here as an example of an object of God’s grace (blessed) for all generations.

[1:49]  ⁶² tn Traditionally, “the Mighty One.”

[1:50]  ⁶³ tn Grk “and from.” Here καί (kai) has been translated by a semicolon to improve the English style.

[1:50]  ⁶⁴ sn God’s mercy refers to his “loyal love” or “steadfast love,” expressed in faithful actions, as the rest of the psalm illustrates.

[1:50]  ⁶⁵ tn That is, “who revere.” This refers to those who show God a reverential respect for his sovereignty.

[1:51]  ⁶⁶ tn Or “shown strength,” “performed powerful deeds.” The verbs here switch to aorist tense through 1:55. This is how God will act in general for his people as they look to his ultimate deliverance.

[1:51]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “in the imaginations of their hearts.” The psalm rebukes the arrogance of the proud, who think that power is their sovereign right. Here διανοίᾳ (dianoia) can be understood as a dative of sphere or reference/respect.

[1:52]  ⁶⁸ tn Or “rulers.”

[1:52]  ⁶⁹ tn Or “those of humble position”

[1:52]  sn The contrast between the mighty and those of lowly position is fundamental for Luke. God cares for those that the powerful ignore (Luke 4:18-19).

[1:53]  ⁷⁰ sn Good things refers not merely to material blessings, but blessings that come from knowing God.

[1:53]  ⁷¹ sn Another fundamental contrast of Luke’s is between the hungry and the rich (Luke 6:20-26).

[1:54]  ⁷² tn Or “because he remembered mercy,” understanding the infinitive as causal.

[1:54]  ⁷³ tn Or “his [God’s] loyal love.”

[1:55]  ⁷⁴ tn Grk “as he spoke.” Since this is a reference to the covenant to Abraham, ἐλάλησεν (elalhsen) can be translated in context “as he promised.” God keeps his word.

[1:55]  ⁷⁵ tn Grk “fathers.”

[1:55]  ⁷⁶ tn Grk “his seed” (an idiom for offspring or descendants).

[16:21]  ⁷⁷ sn The same word translated distress here has been translated sadness in the previous verse (a wordplay that is not exactly reproducible in English).

[16:21]  ⁷⁸ tn Grk “her hour.”

[16:21]  ⁷⁹ tn Grk “that a man” (but in a generic sense, referring to a human being).

[16:21]  ⁸⁰ sn Jesus now compares the situation of the disciples to a woman in childbirth. Just as the woman in the delivery of her child experiences real pain and anguish (has distress), so the disciples will also undergo real anguish at the crucifixion of Jesus. But once the child has been born, the mother’s anguish is turned into joy, and she forgets the past suffering. The same will be true of the disciples, who after Jesus’ resurrection and reappearance to them will forget the anguish they suffered at his death on account of their joy.

[16:22]  ⁸¹ tn Or “distress.”

[16:22]  ⁸² sn An allusion to Isa 66:14 LXX, which reads: “Then you will see, and your heart will be glad, and your bones will flourish like the new grass; and the hand of the Lord will be made known to his servants, but he will be indignant toward his enemies.” The change from “you will see [me]” to I will see you places more emphasis on Jesus as the one who reinitiates the relationship with the disciples after his resurrection, but v. 16 (you will see me) is more like Isa 66:14. Further support for seeing this allusion as intentional is found in Isa 66:7, which uses the same imagery of the woman giving birth found in John 16:21. In the context of Isa 66 the passages refer to the institution of the messianic kingdom, and in fact the last clause of 66:14 along with the following verses (15-17) have yet to be fulfilled. This is part of the tension of present and future eschatological fulfillment that runs throughout the NT, by virtue of the fact that there are two advents. Some prophecies are fulfilled or partially fulfilled at the first advent, while other prophecies or parts of prophecies await fulfillment at the second.

[4:27]  ⁸³ tn The direct object “children” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied for clarity. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[4:27]  ⁸⁴ tn Grk “because more are the children of the barren one than of the one having a husband.”

[4:27]  sn A quotation from Isa 54:1.

[4:28]  ⁸⁵ tc Most mss (א A C D² Ψ 062 Ï lat sy bo) read “we” here, while “you” is found in Ì⁴⁶ B D* F G 0261^vid 0278 33 1739 al sa. It is more likely that a copyist, noticing the first person pronouns in vv. 26 and 31, changed a second person pronoun here to first person for consistency.

[4:28]  ⁸⁶ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:11.

[11:11]  ⁸⁷ tn Grk “past the time of maturity.”

[11:11]  ⁸⁸ tn Grk “power to deposit seed.” Though it is not as likely, some construe this phrase to mean “power to conceive seed,” making the whole verse about Sarah: “by faith, even though Sarah herself was barren and too old, she received ability to conceive, because she regarded the one who had given the promise to be trustworthy.”