Sarah (Sarai)

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Sarah (Sarai) was Abraham's wife and Isaac's mother. She was the first matriarch of the Hebrew people. She was very beautiful. Her beauty is described in detail in an Aramaic text that was discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran. Abraham, at times, claimed that Sarah was his sister, because he feared that someone would kill him out of lust for Sarah.

Sarah was unable to conceive a child for many years. So she gave her handmaiden, Hagar, to Abraham for the purpose of having a child. Hagar gave birth to Ishmael. The Lord told Abraham that he and Sarah would have a son. When Sarah heard this, she laughed because she thought she was too old to have a child. However, she did have a child, and they named him Isaac.

The name Isaac means "to laugh". Sarah lived to the age of 127. She died in Hebron and was buried there in the cave of Machpelah. In the New Testament, Sarah is mentioned in Romans 4:19 in the context of Abraham's faith. In Hebrews 11:11, she is cited for her devout faith. She is also mentioned in 1 Peter 3:6 in the context of her submissiveness to her husband Abraham. The story of Sarah is found in Genesis, chapters 11-23.

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