Parshat Lech Lecha4 min read

Why Sarah's Name Appears in Every Line of the Covenant

God could have named Abraham alone in the covenant promise. Instead the text keeps returning to Sarah. The sources insist this was not grammatical habit.

Curated by Arthur · Told by Maggid ·
Table of Contents
  1. The Covenant That Could Not Stop Saying Her Name
  2. What the Word Also Carried
  3. Abraham Falls on His Face and Laughs
  4. What Isaac's Name Confirmed About His Mother

The Covenant That Could Not Stop Saying Her Name

God has already told Abraham the news. A son will come through Sarah. The covenant will pass through Isaac. This should have been enough. The promise is made, the heir is named, the patriarch has fallen on his face and laughed. But then God keeps speaking, and keeps saying her name.

I will bless her. I will give you a son from her. I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations. Kings of peoples shall come from her (Genesis 17:16). The repetition is not accidental. The Midrash of Philo, preserving interpretive traditions from the school of Philo of Alexandria, stops at the word "also" in Genesis 17:19. God says that Sarah your wife shall also bring forth a son. The rabbis behind this reading could not let that word go. If the promise was already made, why also? If Sarah was already the named mother, why the added confirmation?

What the Word Also Carried

The question the Midrash of Philo holds is this: the divine oracle insists on drawing Sarah into the promise as a named partner, not simply as a biological function. The covenant is not being made with Abraham's house in the abstract, with descendants who will one day emerge from some woman or another. It is being made with Sarah specifically, by name, in speech that acknowledges her as a party to the agreement and not merely as the vessel through which it passes.

That matters after the years that came before. Abraham has left Ur, crossed Canaan, gone down to Egypt, returned, stood before Pharaoh, argued for Sodom. He has been active in every verse. Sarah has been in every verse with him, enduring the same journeys, the same displacements, the years in Pharaoh's house and Abimelech's house, the barrenness she carried in public while another woman bore Abraham's first son. Her endurance has been invisible to the grammar of the story. The covenant naming makes her visible.

Abraham Falls on His Face and Laughs

The Book of Jubilees, the ancient Jewish retelling of Genesis from the 2nd century BCE, keeps the sequence of Abraham's reaction intact. He falls on his face and rejoices and says in his heart: shall a son be born to a man of one hundred years? Shall Sarah, who is ninety, bring forth? The laughter is not mockery. It is the sound of a man who has heard something so far past what he dared to hope that his whole body responds before his mind can form an orderly thought.

Jubilees also records what follows the laughter: Abraham rises and circumcises Ishmael and every male in his house that same day. The obedience is immediate and physical. The covenant has arrived in speech. Abraham seals it in flesh before the night is over. Sarah is the named partner in the promise. The mark of the covenant goes into Abraham's body while Sarah waits for what her body will do next.

What Isaac's Name Confirmed About His Mother

Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Genesis, the Aramaic translation of the Torah with its own interpretive expansions, preserves God's answer to Abraham's private calculation. In truth, in real and fixed reality, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son. And you shall call his name Isaac. And with him I will confirm my covenant for an everlasting covenant to his sons after him.

Three words carry the weight: be-kushta, in truth. God is not offering a possibility or a blessing toward which nature will helpfully cooperate. God is declaring a fixed fact. The covenant needed Sarah named because the covenant needed her body to do something her body could not do on its own. The promise is not about Abraham's faith alone. It is about God entering the biological order and overriding it, and Sarah is the place where the override happens. The kings who will come from her (Genesis 17:16) will know this. They will know that the line they carry began not in the ordinary order of things but in a moment when God said Sarah's name and meant it.

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From the tradition

Sources

4 sources

The texts this telling draws on, in full. Open a card to read inline, or expand it for a wider, quieter read.

The Midrash of Philo 19:1The Midrash of Philo

Like the universe is saying, "Okay, sure, but are you really ready for this?"

That's the kind of vibe I get from this little nugget of a midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) based on (Genesis 17:19). You know the story: God’s just told Abraham, who's pushing a hundred, that he's going to have a son with Sarah, who's... well, let's just say she's also no spring chicken.

The verse in question? "Yes, be it so: behold Sarah thy wife shall also bring forth a son unto thee?" (Genesis 17:19).

The first reading, it's straightforward. Confirmation. But the Midrash of Philo, specifically Midrash 19, asks a fascinating question: Why the extra oomph? Why doesn't God just say, "Yep, you're having a kid"? Why the "Yes, be it so.. also..."?

It's like the divine oracle is adding an almost unnecessary emphasis, isn’t it? A little "just so you know..." tacked on the end.

It makes you wonder, what's the subtext here? What's hiding beneath the surface of this seemingly simple statement?

Perhaps, the also suggests that this birth is not only about fulfilling a promise to Abraham, but is ALSO about Sarah. That she, in her age and presumed infertility, is ALSO being recognized, blessed, and included in this miracle. It's not just Abraham's story; it's their story. They’d been waiting decades. They’d even tried taking matters into their own hands with Hagar. So, to have God say, "Yes, it's happening, and Sarah is also part of this..." maybe it's a way of reassuring them both that this miracle encompasses their shared journey, their shared faith, and their shared hope.

Could it be, then, that the also isn’t just an affirmation, but an acknowledgement of the long and winding road they traveled to get to this moment? A divine nod to the shared history, the struggles, and the unwavering belief that finally bore fruit?

Maybe.

Or maybe the universe just likes to add a little dramatic flair to its pronouncements. After all, where would we be without a little suspense?

Full source
The Midrash of Philo 21:1The Midrash of Philo

He’s just received the earth-shattering news that he, in his old age, is going to have a son with Sarah. A son who will carry on the covenant with God. It's huge! But then comes this little verse in (Genesis 17:21): "But I will set up my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bring forth about this time in the succeeding year?"

Why that specific phrasing? Why does God emphasize "whom Sarah shall bring forth?" It almost feels… redundant, doesn’t it?

Midrash, from the Hebrew word meaning "to seek" or "to investigate," is a way of interpreting scripture, of diving deep into the text to uncover layers of meaning.

In the Midrash of Philo, we find a fascinating insight. The text explores the idea that God's promise to Abraham is directly linked to Abraham's confession and admission of faith. God is saying, "Your confession and admission of faith is on my part an admission of your wish." for a second. Your faith creates a reciprocal action from God.

The Midrash goes on to explain that Abraham's faith isn't just blind belief; it's tempered with modest awe and reverence. It's a faith that acknowledges the immensity of God and the profoundness of the promise. And because of this deep, unwavering, yet humble faith, that which has been promised, shall certainly be done. That "yes" is guaranteed.

So, back to Sarah. Why the specific mention of "whom Sarah shall bring forth"? The Midrash of Philo suggests that it's emphasizing the miraculous nature of the birth. It's not just any birth; it's a birth born of faith, a birth that defies all odds, a birth that is a direct result of the covenant between God and Abraham. And it will happen.

The “yes” is not only a response to Abraham's faith, but also a preview of the joy that is to come. It’s a taste of the unadulterated joy that will erupt when Sarah, against all expectations, brings forth Isaac.

So, what does this mean for us? Perhaps it's a reminder that our own expressions of faith, our own confessions and admissions, are powerful. They resonate with the Divine. And while we may not always receive exactly what we ask for, the Midrash of Philo suggests that our faith, when coupled with humility and reverence, opens us to receive blessings we might not even imagine. It brings a certain “yes” into our lives.

Full source
Book of Jubilees 15:21Book of Jubilees

A reader can skim over those verses in Genesis, but the Book of Jubilees gives us a peek into his immediate reaction.

the verse says, “And Abraham fell on his face, and rejoiced, and said in his heart: ‘Shall a son be born to him that is a hundred years old, and shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bring forth?’”

Can you imagine the sheer awe and maybe a little disbelief? I mean, a hundred years old! Sarah, ninety! It's a miracle of epic proportions, a evidence of God’s power to defy all odds. Abraham's response is fascinating. He doesn't just nod and accept; he's overwhelmed, expressing his astonishment internally, in his heart.

Then, Abraham, ever the compassionate father, makes a plea. "O that Ishmael might live before thee!" He’s thinking of his firstborn, the son he already loves. He wants God's blessing on Ishmael's life, too. It’s a very human moment, this concern for all his children.

And God, in His infinite wisdom and understanding, responds with reassurance. "Yea, and Sarah also will bear thee a son, and thou wilt call his name Isaac, and I shall establish My covenant with him, an everlasting covenant, and for his seed after him." The covenant, the promise, it’s all tied to Isaac. The future of the Jewish people, the lineage, everything hinges on this miraculous birth.

But God doesn't dismiss Ishmael. He acknowledges Abraham's concern. "And as for Ishmael also have I heard thee, and behold I shall bless him, and make him great, and multiply him exceedingly, and he will beget twelve princes, and I shall make him a great nation."

Isn't that remarkable? God makes a promise to bless Ishmael, too. He will be made great, father twelve princes, and become a great nation. It’s a powerful affirmation that even though the covenant is specifically through Isaac, Ishmael is not forgotten or forsaken.

What I find so beautiful about this passage from Jubilees is the balance it strikes. The unique covenant, the miracle of Isaac's birth, and the compassionate consideration for Ishmael. It reminds us that blessings aren’t always zero-sum. God's love and provision are vast enough to encompass multiple paths, multiple destinies. And it speaks to the enduring power of a parent's love, wanting the best for all their children, regardless of circumstance.

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Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Genesis 17:19Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Genesis

Abraham had asked for Ishmael to be the heir of the promise (Genesis 17:18). Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on (Genesis 17:19) preserves the Lord's answer, and it is not what Abraham requested.

In truth, be-kushta, in real and fixed reality, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son. And thou shalt call his name Izhak, Isaac. And with him I will confirm My covenant for an everlasting covenant to his sons after him.

Three words do a great deal of theological work. In truth, this is not metaphor; Sarah will carry a child. His name, Isaac, the laugher, the son whose conception begins as a father's disbelieving chuckle (Genesis 17:17). With him, the covenant established at such cost in this chapter will run through Isaac, not through Ishmael, and not through any future son.

The Targum is careful not to erase Ishmael. The next verse will bless him with twelve princes and a great nation (Genesis 17:20). But it draws the line of the covenant clearly. Blessing is wide. Covenant is specific. Ishmael gets a future. Isaac gets a Torah-future.

The Maggid hears how painful this must have been for Abraham. He has lived thirteen years loving the son he has. He is now told, gently and firmly, that the promise he has been waiting for is still a year away, and that it belongs to the child not yet conceived (Genesis 17:19). Sometimes the answer to a father's best prayer is: I have something else in mind. The Lord does not argue with Abraham's love for Ishmael. He simply widens it, and keeps the covenant on its own path.

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