Genesis 17:17-19
New Catholic Bible
17 Abraham bowed down to the earth and laughed[a] when he thought, “Shall a man who is one hundred years old have a son? And Sarah, who is ninety years old, can she give birth?” 18 Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live in your presence!”
19 But God said, “No, but Sarah, your wife, shall bear you a son, and you shall name him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an eternal covenant, that I will be his God and the God of his descendants after him.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Genesis 17:17 Abraham . . . laughed: here, in the Priestly tradition, Abraham prostrates himself in adoration and laughs, not out of disbelief (since he is performing an act of worship) but out of amazement at such a paradoxical announcement: the whole idea is too much for him to dare hope for it, and he declares himself satisfied if Ishmael, his son, can inherit the divine promises.
Genesis 17:17-19
New International Version
17 Abraham fell facedown;(A) he laughed(B) and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old?(C) Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?”(D) 18 And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael(E) might live under your blessing!”(F)
19 Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son,(G) and you will call him Isaac.[a](H) I will establish my covenant with him(I) as an everlasting covenant(J) for his descendants after him.
Footnotes
- Genesis 17:19 Isaac means he laughs.
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