The Truth About Sarah From The Bible's Old Testament
Sarah (or Sarai) is one of the most important female characters in the Bible's Old Testament. She is described as the wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac, and later becomes known as the "Mother of Nations." Her first appearance is in the Book of Genesis, and readers soon learn she is childless. "Now Sarai was childless because she was not able to conceive," per Genesis 11.
When Abrahan is 75 years old, God tells him to leave his father's household and move to Canaan. When he and Sarai enter Egypt, Abraham fears people will be impressed by her beauty and kill him, per Genesis 12:11-12.
Years later, God talks to Abraham again and promises he will have a son. "As for Sarai, your wife, do not call her Sarai, for her name is to be Sarah. And I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will descend from her," per Genesis 17.
Given that he was 100 years old and Sarah was 90, Abraham wasn't sure it would be possible.
Sarah didn't believe she could conceive
The Bible has several stories of miraculous pregnancies, and Sarah's was the most significant in the Old Testament. After God promised them a son, Abraham was full of hopes, but Sarah was full of doubt and fear. According to Britannica, Sarah was so eager to give Abraham a child that she gave her slave, Hagar, to her husband. Hagar had a son, and years later, they were sent into the desert.
God repeated the promise, but Sarah was still not convinced and laughed. Despite her doubts, Sarah got pregnant and gave birth to a child named Isaac. "God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me. And she said, 'Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age,'" per Genesis 21.
Sarah appeared a few times after she gave birth. Per Genesis 23, she died when she was 127 years old and was buried in Hebron.