Genesis 18:1-15;
21:1-7
- Reading the Text:
- NRSV (with link to Anglicized NRSV) at Oremus Bible Browser. (Genesis 18:1-15)
- NRSV (with link to Anglicized NRSV) at Oremus Bible Browser. (Genesis 21:1-7)
- Hebrew Interlinear Bible, WLCv, WLC5, CHES, AV.
- The Bible Gateway: NRSV, RSV, NIV, NASB, CEV, The Message, KJV, etc. (Genesis 18:1-15)
- The Bible Gateway: NRSV, RSV, NIV, NASB, CEV, The Message, KJV, etc. (Genesis 21:1-7)
- The Blue Letter Bible. KJV, alternate versions, Hebrew text with concordance, commentaries. Chapter 21.
- The World Wide Study Bible includes commentary, exposition and sermons. Chapter 21.
- Bereshit 18: Massoretic, Hebrew, Aramaic, JPS.
- Bereshit 21: Massoretic, Hebrew, Aramaic, JPS.
- Historical References, Commentary and
Comparative Texts:
- Navigating the Bible: Text/Rabbinic commentary and Divrei Torah.
- Chapter LVI, Chapter CXXVI, Dialogue With Trypho, Justin Martyr. (c 160)
- IV.VII.4, IV.X.1, Adversus Haereses, Irenaeus of Lyons. (c. 180)
- Chapter XXVI, On Prayer, Tertullian (c. 199)
- III.10, Paedagogus, Clement of Alexandria (c 200)
- V.12, VI.12, Stromata, Clement of Alexandria (c 200)
- Chapter III, On the Flesh of Christ, Tertullian (c. 211)
- Chapter X, Against Praxeas, Tertullian (c. 213)
- I.2, Ecclesiastical History, Eusebius of Caesarea, (c. 320).
- Rashi's Commentary, c. 1075. chabad.org. Chapter 21.
- From the Geneva Notes.
Chapter 21.
- "She accuses herself of ingratitude, that she did not believe the angel."
- From
Matthew Henry's
Commentary.
Chapter 21.
- "[Isaac] was in this a type of Christ, that Seed which the holy God so long promised, and holy men so long expected."
- From
Wesley's
Notes.
Chapter 21.
- "And it adds to the comfort of any mercy to have our friends rejoice with us in it."
- From the
Commentary on the Whole Bible
(Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).
Chapter 21.
- "God was acknowledged in the name which, by divine command, was given for a memorial (compare Ge 17:19), and also in the dedication of the child by administering the seal of the covenant (compare Ge 17:10-12)."
- Contemporary References, Commentary and
Comparative Texts:
-
Commentary,
Genesis 18:1-10a (Pentecost +8), Jacqueline E. Lapsley, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2010.
- "Abraham has received a seemingly impossible promise, but his animated efforts on behalf of these strangers under adverse conditions suggest that he still trusts that God can and will do the impossible."
- "Genesis 18:1-10a, Studies on Old Testament texts from Series C, Ralph W. Klein, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.
-
"Abraham
Welcomes the Lord," Larry Broding's Word-Sunday.Com:
A Lectionary Resource for Catholics.
- "Abraham did not hesitate to welcome strangers. And through his welcome, Abraham received the Lord and his promise. How can we be gracious to others and open to the Lord?"
-
"Welcome,
Strangers," Expository Essay,
Genesis 18:1-10, Dr. William R. Long.
- "Sometimes it happens in life that you receive the gift you so much desire only after you have extended yourself in another area."
-
Seventh Sunday after Pentecost, Faith in the Old Testament: Pentateuch
and Prophets for Pentecost,
Mark Hillmer, Word & World Texts in Context, 1998.
- "In a year Sarah conceived and bore a son. Her cynical laughter turned to the laughter of faith."
- "Sarah Is Promised a Son," Rev. Bryan Findlayson, Lectionary Bible Studies and Sermons, Pumpkin Cottage Ministry Resources.
-
"Promise Keeper,"
Prince Raney Rivers, The Christian Century,
2002. Religion Online.
- "Stock analysts were endorsing corporations even though they knew that the corporations would soon crumble into bankruptcy. Who can you trust? We can trust God. Our confidence rests in knowing that the promises God makes to us are connected to God?s presence with us."
- "Marks of
Maturity," (18:1-15) from the Biblical Studies
Foundation.
- "The delay in the birth of Isaac was intended both to necessitate and to nurture the faith of Abraham and Sarah."
- "What
Happens when Christians Mess Up?" (21:1-7) from the Biblical Studies Foundation.
- "The next verses seem to confirm my suspicion that Abraham was not ecstatic about Isaac, at least not nearly as much as his wife."
- Parshah Vayeira, text, commentary & articles from Chassidic Masters, sermons, etc from Chabad Lubavitch.
- Parshas Vayera from The Project Genesis Torah Study. Index to numerous articles and studies on Genesis 18:1-22:24.
- Parshat Vayeira, articles and commentary by the Jewish Community of Atlanta, at The Torah From Dixie.
- "The Birth of Isaac: Genesis 21:1-7," Wendell W. Frerichs, Word and World, 1994.
-
"A Great
Partner for a Great Endeavor," Torah Commentary by Wendy Amsellem.
BeliefNet.
- "Along the way, Abraham learns that no one person has a monopoly on God's covenant, and that great endeavors require great partners."
- Comments (commentary) and Clippings (technical notes for in-depth study), Chris Haslam, Anglican Diocese of Montreal.
-
Commentary, Genesis 18:1-15 [21:1-7], Mark Throntveit, Preaching
This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2008.
- "Last week we read about the wonderful promises God made to Abram (Gen 12:1-3). A major theme in the stories of Genesis 12-50 is how God overcomes obstacles in order to keep these promises."
-
Blogging toward Sunday,
Peter J. Leithart, Theolog: The Blog of The Christian Century, 2008.
- "Rublev didn?t dream up this identification of the three with God; Genesis hints at it. We are told that Yahweh appears to Abraham, but what Abraham sees when he 'lifts his eyes' are three men. The tantalizing interplay of 'Yahweh' and the men continues throughout the chapter."
- The Old Testament Readings: Weekly Comments on the Revised Common Lectionary, Howard Wallace Audrey Schindler, Morag Logan, Paul Tonson, Lorraine Parkinson, Theological Hall of the Uniting Church, Melbourne, Australia.
- "Commentary
on Genesis 18:1-15; 21:1-7: Third Sunday After Pentecost (Year A),"
by Dennis Bratcher at the Christian Resource Institute.
- "More so than may other passages of Scripture, this reading must be placed within its literary context in Genesis. The tensions that emerge from the unfolding journey of Abraham as he received the promise of God, struggled to live under and toward that promise, and then as he finally embraced the God of the promise are the heart of the larger narrative of which this reading is a part."
-
Genesis 18:1-15; 21:1-7, Pentecost
5, Commentary, Background, Insights
from Literary Structure, Theological Message, Ways to Present the Text. Anna
Grant-Henderson, Uniting Church in Australia.
- "...scholars have proposed different recurring literary patterns such as sin, speech, punishment - Gen 1-3, 4, 6-9,11 (Westermann) in Gen 1-11: von Rad includes forgiveness: sin, speech, forgiveness, punishment. Whether one wants to go along with any of the above suggestions about the literary divisions or patterns in Gen 1-11, there is almost unanimous agreement that there is a tightly formed literary pattern and we are meant read it as a unity."
-
Parashat Va-yera, Rabbi David Ackerman, Jewish Theological Seminary
Commentary, 2008.
- "We, like Abraham, don't always know where we're headed. And like Abraham, we walk in order to learn, in Aviva Zornberg's rich words, 'what it means not (yet) to be shown, to be told.'"
-
"God
Has Brought Me To Laughter: Sarah 'The Mother of Nations,'"
The Journey with Jesus: Notes to Myself, Daniel B. Clendenin, Journey
with Jesus Foundation, 2008.
- "I take genuine comfort in knowing that my own doubts and denials, the lies I tell myself to rationalize my disbelief, and the times that I scoff at the likelihood of divine intervention in my puny affairs, are not only standard fare for normal human nature, but also the unwieldy material of God's salvation history."
-
Desert Scribblings, Genesis 18:1-15, Geoff McElroy.
- "What are the things we find ourselves laughing at? What promises of God do we find at ourselves incredulous about possibly being true?"
-
Commentary,
Genesis 18:1-10a (Pentecost +8), Jacqueline E. Lapsley, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2010.
- Articles & Background:
-
"Aging with Hope and Wonder," Terry Thomas Primer, (other resources
at)
"Aging," Christian Reflection, The Center for Christian
Ethics at Baylor University, 2003.
- "While television, radio, and print media
champion the young as models of vision, vigor, and imagination,
Scripture portrays quite another story."
- "Old and Full of Years," study guide for adults, Robert B. Kruschwitz, (other resources at) "Aging," Christian Reflection, The Center for Christian Ethics at Baylor University, 2003.
- "While television, radio, and print media
champion the young as models of vision, vigor, and imagination,
Scripture portrays quite another story."
-
"A
Family Affair," program highlights, discussion & reflection questions and
more from the Bill Moyers PBS series Genesis:
A Living Conversation.
- "Why doesn't the experience of being oppressed make it impossible for us to oppress others?"
-
"Blood and Stone: Violence in the Bible & the Eye of the Illustrator,"
Barry Moser, CrossCurrents, Summer 2001.
- "...always, cohort and companion in these mythic or sacred stories, there is the preponderance, the vehemence, of violence."
- A number of articles about Salt at Jewish Heritage Online Monthly.
- Abraham and Sarah, from And Adam Knew Eve: A Dictionary of Sex in the Bible.
-
"Aging with Hope and Wonder," Terry Thomas Primer, (other resources
at)
"Aging," Christian Reflection, The Center for Christian
Ethics at Baylor University, 2003.
- Recommended articles
from ATLAS, an online collection of religion and theology journals, are
linked below.
ATLAS Access options are available for academic institutions, alumni of
selected theological schools, and clergy/church offices.
- Alston, Wallace M., Jr., "Genesis
18:1-11, Expository Article," Interpretation, 1988.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Amos, Clare, "The Genesis of
Reconciliation: The Reconciliation of Genesis," Mission Studies,
2006.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Arterbury, Andrew E., "Abraham's
Hospitality among Jewish and Early Christian Writers: A Tradition History of
Gen 18:1-16 and Its Relevance for the Study of the New Testament,"
Perspectives in Religious Studies, 2003.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Bailey, Wilma Ann, "Black and Jewish
Women Consider Hagar," Encounter, 2002.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Bolin, Thomas M.,
"The Role of Exchange in Ancient Mediterranean Religion and Its Implications
for Reading Genesis 18-19," Journal for the Study of the Old
Testament, 2004.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Brenner, Athalya, "Female Social
Behaviour: Two Descriptive Patterns within the 'Birth of the Hero'
Paradigm," Vetus Testamentum, 1986.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Brown, William P., and John T. Carroll,
"The Garden and the Plaza," Interpretation, 2000.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Classens, L. Juliana M., "Laughter
and Tears: Carnivalistic Overtones in the Stories of Sarah and Hagar,"
Perspectives in Religious Studies, 2005.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Doyle, Brian,
"'Knock, Knock, Knockin' on Sodom's Door': The Function of GTH/DLT in
Genesis 18-19," Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, 2004.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Dozeman, Thomas B., "The Wilderness and Salvation
History in the Hagar Story," Journal of Biblical Literature,
1998.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Essex, Keith H., "The Abrahamic Covenant,"
Master's Seminary Journal, 1999.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Frerichs, Wendell W., "The Birth of Isaac: Genesis
21:1-7," Word & World, 1994.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Greidanus, Sidney, "Detecting Plot Lines: The Key to
Preaching the Genesis Narratives," Calvin Theological Journal,
2008.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Guenther, Allen,
"A Typology of Israelite Marriage: Kinship, Socio-Economic, and Religious
Factors," Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, 2005.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Hepner, Gershon,
"Abraham's Incestuous Marriage with Sarah: A Violation of the Holiness
Code," Vetus Testamentum, 2003.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Hillmer, Mark,
"Faith in the Old Testament: Pentateuch and Prophets for Pentecost,"
Word & World, 1998.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - "Homiletical Helps," Concordia Journal, 2010. (Section on this text begins on page 183)
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Kaminsky, Joel S.,
"Humor and the Theology of Hope: Isaac as a Humorous Figure,"
Interpretation, 2000.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Leveen Adriane, "Reading the Seams,"
Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, 2005.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Levine, Nachman,
"Sarah/Sodom: Birth, Destruction, and Synchronic Tradition," Journal
for the Study of the Old Testament, 2006.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Mattox, Mickey L., "Sancta Sara, mater ecclesiae:
Martin Luther's Catholic Exegesis of Genesis 18:11-15," Pro Ecclesia,
2001.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Mbuwayesango, Dora R., "Childlessness
and Woman-To-Woman Relationships in Genesis and in African Patriarchal
Society: Sarah and Hagar from a Zimbabwean Woman's Perspective (Gen
16:1-16; 21:8-21)," Semeia, 1997.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Meyer, Lauree Hersch, "Hagar's
Holiness: Genesis 16 and 21," Brethren Life and Thought, 1992.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Moser, Barry, "Blood and Stone: Violence
in the Bible & the Eye of the Illustrator," Cross Currents, 2001.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Niehoff, Maren R., "Mother and Maiden, Sister and
Spouse, Sarah in Philonic Midrash," Harvard Theological Review,
2004.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - O'Connor, Kathleen, "Abraham's Unholy Family: Mirror,
Witness, Summons," Journal for Preachers, 1997.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Pappas, Harry S., "Deception as Patriarchal
Self-Defense in a Foreign Land: A Form Critical Study of the Wife-Sister
Stories in Genesis," Greek Orthodox Theological Review, 1984.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Patterson, Ben, "Keep on Laughing, Genesis 18
(Sermon)," Direction, 1989.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Reynolds, Thomas E.,
"Welcoming without Reserve? A Case in Christian Hospitality,"
Theology Today, 2006.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Rivers, Prince Raney, "Promise Keeper,"
The Christian Century, 2002.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Robinson, Robert B., "Wife and Sister through the
Ages: Textual Determinacy and the History of Interpretation," Semeia,
1993.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Seeman, Don, "'Where Is Sarah Your Wife?' Cultural
Poetics of Gender and Nationhood in the Hebrew Bible?" Harvard
Theological Review, 1998.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Shkop, Esther M., "And Sarah Laughed..." Tradition,
1997.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Steinberg, Naomi, "The Genealogical Framework of the
Family Stories in Genesis," Semeia, 1989.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Thomas-Smith, Karen, "Seeing through the Eyes of Our
Sister, Hagar: An Expository Sermon on Genesis 16:1-16, 21:1-21 and John
4:5-14," Review & Expositor, 2008.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Thompson, John L., "Hagar, Victim or Villain? Three
Sixteenth-Century Views," The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 1997.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Umansky, Ellen M., "God's Covenant with Israel: A
Midrash on Genesis 17 and 21," Reconstructionist, 1998.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Unger, John, "Faith in the Face of Doubt, Genesis 18
(Sermon)," Direction, 1989.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Vogels, Walter A., "Hospitality in Biblical
Perspective," Liturgical Ministry, 2002.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Whybray, Roger N., "The Immorality of
God: Reflections on Some Passages in Genesis, Job, Exodus and Numbers,"
Journal of the Study of the Old Testament, 1996. (Section on this
text begins on page 99)
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Alston, Wallace M., Jr., "Genesis
18:1-11, Expository Article," Interpretation, 1988.
- Reviews:
- Review: Lothar Ruppert, Genesis, ein kritischer und theologischer Kommentar: 11,27 - 25, 18. Echter Verlag, 2002. Reviewed by David L. Petersen in SBL's Review of Biblical Literature. (Review is in English.)
- Review: Tammi J. Schneider, Sarah: Mother of Nations. Continuum, 2004. Review by Carol Dempsey, Review of Biblical Literature, 2005.
- Taylor, Marion Ann and Heather E. Weir, eds., Let Her Speak for Herself: Nineteenth-Century Women Writing on Women in Genesis, Baylor University Press, 2006. Review by Frances Klopper, Review of Biblical Literature, 2008.
- Sermons:
- "Something Too Wonderful," Barry Robinson, Keeping the Faith in Babylon, at at Richard J. Fairchild's Sermon & Lectionary Resources. (Year A)
- "Is Anything Too Hard for God?" John Jewell, 1999. (Year A)
- "Faith in the Face of Doubt," John Unger, Direction, 1989.
- "Keep on Laughing," Ben Patterson, Direction, 1989.
- "The Strangers in Our Midst," the Rev. Dr. Kathlyn James, Day 1, 1997.
- Liturgy:
- Calls to Worship, Joanna Harader, Spacious Faith, 2011.
- With Children:
- "Abraham - Father of Many Nations," "Isaac," Illustrating the Story (lessons, children's sermons), coloring pages, activity sheets, crafts, children's songs. MSSS Crafts.
- The Story of Abraham and Sarah, activities & crafts for children, DLTK's Printable Crafts for Kids.
- "Surprise Company!" Linda Edwards, The Children's Chapel.
- "Child of Promise," Linda Edwards, The Children's Chapel.
- "Three Men Visit Abraham and Sarah," Sunday School Lessons: Family Bible Study, art projects, music, stories, etc.
- "Isaac Is Born," children's study, puzzles, coloring sheet, etc. Higher Praise Christian Center.
- Drama:
- "We Are on Our Way," A Children's Drama Based on the Abraham Story, by Helen Walter, Reformed Worship.
- "Hear My Prayers," Nina Wallestad, Dramatic License. Conditions of Use.
- "Lot" monologue, Ross Olson.
- Graphics & Bulletin Materials:
- Clip Art, Genesis 18:1, Fr. Richard Lonsdale, Resources for Catholic Educators.
- Clip Art, Julius Schnoor von Carolsfeld woodcuts, World Mission Collection, Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.
- Hymns and Music:
- At Oremus Hymnal:
- Hymnary.org, hymns, scores, media, information.
- Hymns, midi files, scores at Blue Letter Bible/Cyber Hymnal:
- Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's Art Index:
- Movies scenes with the following themes, listed at The Text This Week's Movie Concordance:
- Study links and resources for the Book of Genesis
