“The Lord remembered Sarah.” “[Lord, God of Israel …] who upheld for Your servant David, my father, what You had spoken to him” (I Kings 8:23–24). “Who upheld for Your servant” – this refers to Abraham. “What You had spoken to him” – “at the prescribed time, I will return to you.” “You spoke with Your mouth, and You fulfilled it with Your hand, on this day” (I Kings 8:24) – “the Lord remembered Sarah […and Sarah conceived, and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the appointed time that God had spoken to him]” (Genesis 21:1–2).
“He sets the barren woman at home, the mother of children is joyful” (Psalms 113:9). “He sets the barren woman at home” – this refers to Sarah, “Sarah was barren” (Genesis 11:30). “The mother of children is joyful” – “Sarah would nurse children” (Genesis 21:7). “The Lord remembered Sarah as He had said, [and the Lord did to Sarah as He had spoken]”6The verse seems to be referring to two different promises made to Sarah, one being “said” to her and the other “spoken.” – what He Himself had said to her7Genesis 18:14. was communicated with saying.8The midrash is addressing the different verbs employed in the verse, said [amar], and spoke [diber].
“The Lord did to Sarah as He had spoken” – what He had spoken to her by means of an angel.9Genesis 18:10. Rabbi Neḥemya said [the opposite]: “The Lord remembered Sarah as He had said” – what He had said to her by means of an angel was with saying. “The Lord did to Sarah as He had spoken” – what He Himself had spoken to her. Rabbi Yehuda said: “As He had said” – to grant her a son.
“As He had spoken” – to bless her with milk. Rabbi Neḥemya said to him: Was she given the tidings about milk?10Earlier (Bereshit Rabba 47:2), Rabbi Neḥemya had asserted that Sarah had never received tidings regarding her producing milk. Our verse here cannot be referring to a statement that was never made. Rather, it teaches that the Holy One blessed be He restored her to the days of her youth.
Rabbi Abahu said: I will impose fear of her upon all the nations of the world, so they will not torment her and call her the barren woman.11This sentence, too, relates to the earlier passage discussed in Bereshit Rabba 47:2. See there. Rabbi Yehuda in the name of Reish Lakish: She did not even have a womb, and the Holy One blessed be He now carved out a womb for her. Rabbi Ada said: [God said:] ‘I am a keeper of deposits [pikdonot].12The Midrash is expounding the phrase: “The Lord remembered [pakad] Sarah.”
Amalek deposited with Me bundles of thorns.’13By being an annoyance to Israel as a thorn. This was Amalek’s “deposit” to God. So the Holy One blessed be He returned bundles of thorns to them,14By treating them as thorns to be disposed of. as it is stated: “I have remembered [pakadti] that which Amalek did to Israel” (I Samuel 15:2). ‘Sarah deposited with Me mitzvot and good deeds.’ The Holy One blessed be He returned to her mitzvot and good deeds – “the Lord remembered [pakad] Sarah.”15He granted her a son who would become a righteous person and perform mitzvot and good deeds.