Genesis 11:30
in Genesis 11But Sarai was barren; she had no children.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Sarai was barren; she had no child.
KJV
But Sarai was barren; she had no child.
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This verse in Genesis 11
Commentary
3 notes on this verseBut Sarai was barren; she had no child. Aben Ezra observes, there are some that say that Abraham was impotent, and not Sarai barren; the very reverse of the Scriptures; but as he rightly adds, his son Ishmael and his sons by Keturah show the contrary, see Gen 15:2.
This site's exposition
Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves
on Genesis 11:29-30
The wives are named, Sarai and Milcah, and the account halts on one flat line: Sarai was barren; she had no children. She waits twenty-five years for Isaac, and Rebekah at 25:21 and Rachel at 29:31 wait the same way. Barrenness stands one verse before the promise of a great nation.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
But Sarai was barren and had no children. By the counsel of Divine Providence, it happened that she was barren in her youth, so that in her old age, by bearing the son of promise, she might symbolize the holy Church, to whom it is …
The words behind it
6 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַתְּהִ֥י | vatehi | and she was | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| שָׂרַ֖י | sarai | Sarai | H8297 → | 17 times |
| עֲקָרָ֑ה | ʾakarah | barren | H6135 → | 12 times |
| אֵ֥ין | ʾein | not | H369 → | 789 times |
| לָ֖הּ | lah | [belonged] to <the> her | ||
| וָלָֽד׃ | valad | a child | H2056 → |
וַתְּהִ֥יand she was
vatehiH1961 →3559 times
שָׂרַ֖יSarai
saraiH8297 →17 times
עֲקָרָ֑הbarren
ʾakarahH6135 →12 times
אֵ֥יןnot
ʾeinH369 →789 times
לָ֖הּ[belonged] to <the> her
lah
וָלָֽד׃a child
valadH2056 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Luke 1:7But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well along in years.
it leads to
- Hebrews 11:11
By faith Sarah, even though she was barren and beyond the proper age, was enabled to conceive a child, because she considered Him faithful who had promised.
- 1 Samuel 1:2
He had two wives, one named Hannah and the other Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.
- Genesis 18:11
And Abraham and Sarah were already old and well along in years; Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.
- Genesis 25:21
Later, Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD heard his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived.
- 2 Kings 4:14
So he asked, “Then what should be done for her?” “Well, she has no son,” Gehazi replied, “and her husband is old.”
- Hebrews 11:11
Through
1 Samuel 1:2He had two wives, one named Hannah and the other Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.
it leads to
- Luke 1:7
But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well along in years.
- Judges 13:2
Now there was a man from Zorah named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, whose wife was barren and had no children.
- Genesis 4:23
Then Lamech said to his wives: “Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; wives of Lamech, listen to my speech. For I have slain a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me.
- Luke 1:7
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies7
About Genesis
This page draws on Bede, Commentary on Genesis (Hexaemeron); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.