Many times what we read in scripture is telling us of both types of seeing, and both types of hearing.
So with this in mind,
what exactly did Sarai hear?
Let the reader decide.
In Genesis 18:10
we read about Abram and Sarai
and the visit of the 3 ‘men’.
When sitting, about mid-day, in the grove of Mamre, in front of his tent, Abram אַבְרָם looked up and unexpectedly saw three men standing at some distance from him (עליו above him, looking down upon him as he sat), viz., Jehovah (Genesis 18:13) and two angels (Genesis 19:1); all three in human form.
Perceiving at once that one of them was the Lord (אדני, i.e., God), he prostrated himself reverentially before them, and entreated them not to pass him by, but to suffer him to entertain them as his guests:
“Let a little water be fetched, and wash your feet, and recline yourselves (השּׁען( sevle to recline, leaning upon the arm) under the tree.”
Comfort your hearts:” literally: “strengthen the heart,“
For therefore (sc., to give me an opportunity to entertain you hospitably) have ye come over to your servant:”
כּן על כּי does not stand for כּי כּן על (Ges. thes. p. 682),
but means “because for this purpose” (vid., Ewald, 353).
During the meal, at which Abraham stood, and waited upon them as the host, they asked for Sarai, for whom the visit was chiefly intended.
On being told that she was in the tent, where she could hear all that passed under the tree in front of the tent. The one whom Abram addressed as Adonai (my Lord), and who is called Jehovah in Genesis 18:13, said,
“I will return to thee (חיּה כּעת) at this time, when it lives again”
(חיּה, reviviscens, without the article, Gesinius. 111, 2b), i.e.,
at this time next year; “and, behold, Sarai, thy wife, will (then) have a son.”
Sarai heard this at the door of the tent; “and it was behind Him” (Jehovah), so that she could not be seen by Him as she stood at the door. But as the fulfillment of this promise seemed impossible to her, on account of Abraham’s extreme age, and the fact that her own womb had lost the ability of conception; she laughed within herself, thinking that she was not observed. But in order that she might know that the promise was made by the omniscient and omnipotent Heavenly Father, He reproved her for laughing, saying;
“Is anything too wonderful (i.e., impossible) for Jehovah? at the time appointed I will return unto thee,”
and when her natural understanding led her to deny it, He convicted her of her heart attitude.
Abraham had also laughed at this promise, but he was not reprimanded..
Genesis 17:17
Why?
His laughing was the joy-filled outburst of astonishment and wonder; on the contrary Sarai’s was the result of doubt and unbelief, which had to be exposed by reproof, and, as the result showed, it really was by the fact that she conceived and gave birth to a son, one whom she could only have conceived in faith. Hebrews 11:11.
As the angel was speaking of the son that Sarai was to have she had positioned herself at the tent door to hear the conversation.
Several references and versions cited below.
Aramaic Bible in Plain English And he said to him, “Returning, I shall return to you at this time when she is living, and Sara your wife shall have a son”, and Sara heard at the door of the tent and it was behind him.
Literal Standard Version and He says, “Returning I return to you, about the time of life, and behold, to Sarah your wife a son.” And Sarah is listening at the opening of the tent, which is behind him;
Amplified Bible He said, “I will surely return to you at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door, which was behind him.
King James Bible And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.
Both Abram and Sarai’s names were changed:
In verse 10: According to the time of life.
In Hebrew it reads: according to the living time.
It is clear from Genesis 18:14, and 2Kings 4:16-17, that these words mean some fixed period of time, but the exact rendering has differences of opinions among scholars.
When the season revives means: next spring, is entirely separate from Middle East thinking, and one rendering of it: at the living time is a poetic but meaningless one.
I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life.
Literally, at the time reviving;i.e.when the year shall have been renewed, in the next year, or rather spring(vide Ewald, ‘Hebrews Synt.,’ § 337; Rosenmüller, Drusius, Keil, Kalisch, Lange, Ainsworth, ‘Speaker’s Commentary’); although other interpretations of the phrase have been suggested, as, e.g., “according to the time of that which is born,” i.e.at the end of nine months(Willet, Calvin, Bush, Murphy).
The more correct rendering is probablya year hence, as when the year is over it dies, and a new year lives in its place. Hebrraic/Jewish tradition is strongly in favor of this view, translating it as: according to this time next year, and interestingly adding that the season was the Passover/Peasch. The only other possible rendering is in course of time.
Which was behind him.
The LXX. has a preferable reading,
and she was behind it.
What is the LXX?
The Septuagint (pronounced sep-TOO-uh-jint) is a Greek translation of the Jewish/Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament. It was completed sometime between 300 to 200 BC. With the rise of Alexander the Great (336 to 323 B.C.), the Greek language became the common language. Hebrew fell out of use among the Jews, so to read the scriptures in a relevant language, Ptolemy II Philadelphus, the son of Alexander the Great’s Macedonian-Greek general Ptolemy I Soter, commissioned the translation of the Hebrew scriptures into Greek. Seventy scholars (Some sources say 72) undertook this feat, which resulted in the Septuagint translation. The word Septuagint is abbreviated and known as the LXX, which is the Roman numeral for 70. The Septuagint (LXX) was the version of the Bible used by the authors of the New Testament. Therefore, the authors sometimes quote the Septuagint rather than the Masoretic (Hebrew) text.
The door, in the physical natural realm, was an opening made by looping back the curtain, which would effectually conceal Sarai.
Verse 10. – And HE said
(the Principal Guest, as above, Who, by the very nature and terms of His announcement, identifies Himself with God/Jehoveh. If it were not Jehoveh/YHVH, and all the 3 were His angels, they would have told Abram not to bow in worship to them.)
And, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. i.e. at the time specified. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.
In the tent door which was behind him,
i.e. at the back of the One that spoke with him;
this is added here to show that He knew her laughter and inner attitude of unbelief and denial,
not by the sight of His eyes, but
by His all-seeing knowledge!
and Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him; or, “and it was behind him”; that is,
the tent door was at the back of the person speaking;
Sarai, hearing her name mentioned, got to the tent door to listen to what else might be said; and the place where she was, was behind the speaker, who stood between her and Abram, with whom he was conversing; Abram was before Him, and Sarai behind Him, so that He could not see her when she laughed, and yet He knew she did.
Then the LORD said,
וַיֹּ֗אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb – Qal – Consecutive imperfect – third person masculine singular Strong’s 559: To utter, say
“I will surely
שׁ֣וֹב (šō·wḇ)
Verb – Qal – Infinitive absolute Strong’s 7725: To turn back, in, to retreat, again
return
אָשׁ֤וּב (’ā·šūḇ)
Verb – Qal – Imperfect – first person common singular Strong’s 7725: To turn back, in, to retreat, again
to you
אֵלֶ֙יךָ֙ (’ê·le·ḵā)
Preposition | second person masculine singular Strong’s 413: Near, with, among, to
at this time next year,
כָּעֵ֣ת (kā·‘êṯ)
Preposition-k, Article | Noun – common singular construct Strong’s 6256: Time, now, when
and your wife
אִשְׁתֶּ֑ךָ (’iš·te·ḵā)
Noun – feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular Strong’s 802: Woman, wife, female
Sarah
לְשָׂרָ֣ה (lə·śā·rāh)
Preposition-l | Noun – proper – feminine singular Strong’s 8283: Sarah — ‘princess’, a wife of Abraham
will have a son!”
בֵ֖ן (ḇên)
Noun – masculine singular Strong’s 1121: A son
Now Sarah
וְשָׂרָ֥ה (wə·śā·rāh)
Conjunctive waw | Noun – proper – feminine singular Strong’s 8283: Sarah — ‘princess’, a wife of Abraham
was behind him,
אַחֲרָֽיו׃ (’a·ḥă·rāw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular Strong’s 310: The hind or following part
listening
שֹׁמַ֛עַת (šō·ma·‘aṯ)
Verb – Qal – Participle – feminine singular Strong’s 8085: To hear intelligently
at the entrance
פֶּ֥תַח (pe·ṯaḥ)
Noun – masculine singular construct Strong’s 6607: An opening, door, entrance way
to the tent.
הָאֹ֖הֶל (hā·’ō·hel)
Article | Noun – masculine singular Strong’s 168: A tent
In one Hebrew/Jewish commentary,
in the original text there is no preposition,
IN, written before the words
the tent door
So the translation would read:
Sarai HEARD the opening of the tent,
or
Heard the tent open
In Hebrew:sham’ah patach ha’ahal
Spelled with the letters:
Shin mem ayin taw pei taw cheth hei aleph hei lamed
And Sarai heard it (in) the tent door which was behind him.
The Hebrew for tent is AHAL
a word that means: dwelling place
and isn’t the normal word used for dwelling place.
It’s spelled aleph hei lamed; and used to indicate that this is:
a special dwelling place where one may receive special revelation from Adonai.
The Hebrew scholars suggest that:
what Sarai heard was not the opening of the tent flap,
but that she heard the shekinah,
the Glory of the presence of Adonai,
the opening of the divine realm of the spirit;
or we might say
heard The Fathers voice- kol/qol speaking.
However it suggests something further, like that of
an opening into heaven – a door – a portal.
This is not a new or strange concept, as we are familiar with the events at Yeshua/Jesus’ immersion. Here both He and John saw the heavens open and heard the voice of the Father; as they saw His shekinah descend upon Messiah bodily, like or, as a dove gently settling /landing. Those with spiritual ears to hear heard the voice/kol. Yet some said it thundered when the Fathers voice was heard. This was a very special moment when Father, Son and their Spirit of Holiness were present all at the same time; the Transfiguration of Messiah on the Mount was another.
In Mark 1:10 He saw heaven torn open:
The word translated here as torn openfrom the Greek verb: schizo; is a dramatic word that appears only in Mark’s account, hinting at the beginning B’resheet – Genesis– when the heavens and the earth were created from nothing by the Word of God; where again Father, Son and Spirit of Holiness were recorded as being together.
Likewise, the image of HolySpirit descending and a Voice speaking from heaven suggests the creation account.
Another occasion which we are familiar with is Acts 2:2 .
There came a sound from heaven…
The text translated literally from the Greek reads as: suddenly there came a sound from heaven as being borne along by a violent wind.
The word SOUND in Greek is echos.
Another easily recognizable word from our own language! It basically means: a sound or noise, possibly a roaring noise like the wind blowing violently, howling as in a very severe storm..
In Aramaic the word that is used here for
SOUND is QALA which means a VOICE.
Giving or creating a picture or image of:
the heavens opening and a voice coming out through this opening like a doorway or portal, a connecting point between realms.
There are multiple examples throughout the Bible of spiritual eyes and ears being opened so that the invisible becomes visible. This is the faith we are to have, that even when we don’t see it we are to believe and know it is still there.Our reminder is in Hebrews 11:1; Faith is the substance of things hoped for…. Recall Elisha and the chariots in 2kings 6:17.
For שָׂרָי Saray Sarai, it was a message she found hard to accept even though she had walked with YHVH/God for 90 years, seen many miracles and known His presence.
It is said that a Divine Cloud “was attached” to the tent of Sarai and maybe this was the moment it came and remained?
In Exodus 33:7 we read of the Glory cloud at the entrance to Moses tent:
7 Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the “tent of meeting.” Anyone inquiring of the Lord would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp.8 And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent.9 As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the Lord spoke with Moses.
In Luke 1 there is another example of what seems impossible in human terms: Zacharias a man who faithfully served Adonai, he and his wife had prayed for a child for years. Then Gabriel appeared to him while he was alone in the temple. Zacharias was afraid and didn’t believe the message that their prayers were to be answered and was struck dumb for his unbelief. It seemed impossible for both Sarai and Zacharias when they were told something was about to happen, even though it was a long awaited desire that was to be fulfilled; it was one that for them that seemed impossible..
Why?
because they were focused on this natural realm with natural understanding of what they could physically see. They did not allow their minds to go beyond this natural earthly realm/ dimension, so it seemed impossible to them.
For with God nothing is impossible.
Genesis 18:14.
Jesus/Yeshua said it in Matthew 19:26
And looking upon them Jesus said to them, With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.
With God nothing is impossible and this is where that well known quote comes from. They both could only have shown, or have revealed to them, what was reflected in their own minds. We ourselves are often a barrier to things our Heavenly Father’s Spirit is trying to reveal to us, and unless we allow our minds to move beyond this physical world/realm; we cannot be shown the true wonders that He can perform and neither can He reveal to us the greater works that we are to do! John 14:12. Those that He plans to accomplish in and through us. We must begin to believe our Heavenly Father for what to us seems to be the impossible in the natural. Begin to believe for the supernatural, the impossible, because we serve the supernatural God of gods Lord of lords and King of kings. We limit Him by our mindset, our thinking and our view of what we see as reality.
This is why we like Paul, Ephesians 1:8, must request that the eyes of our understanding be enlightened, opened to see….. and as Messiah challenges us to have our ears opened to hear what the spirit is saying to the churches/ecclesia..Revelation 2:29.
We must position ourselves like Sarai, to see and hear heaven opened to us.
Ephesians 4:1. This means we must walk in a manner worthy of the calling, of being the vessel that is infilled with His Shekinah Glory…
Would the Spirit of Holiness settle gently on us today?
Have we prepared a home worthy for Him to dwell in?
If Sarai did
Yarah,
hear a heavenly portal open, and if she saw into the realm of the spirit and experienced the Shekinah Glory… maybe she did perceive that with Jehoveh/YHVH/God
nothing is impossible!
Our faith, trust and belief in the impossible becoming reality, needs to develop, increase and mature; because the days that lie ahead are going to test the very foundation of all that we say we believe! We MUST be firmly rooted and grounded in His Word and in our unshakeable relationship with our Heavenly Father, Messiah and their Spirit of Holiness.
Phil.3:10, Know Him and the power of His resurrection as our truth, as our personal reality.
We MUST be certain that nothing, absolutely nothing will cause us to waver or stumble; whatever we hear or see in this natural realm.
שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם,
Shalom aleikhem
chaverim and mishpachah!
Peace to friends and family.
Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week.
Make certain Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.
It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.
You are very precious in His sight.
Not sure ..you can be…
SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute,
SAY IT RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name.
This week is a postscript to
