Sarah

Sarah (שָׂרָה "Princess", Standard Hebrew Sara, Tiberian Hebrew Śārāh, Arabic: سارة) is the wife of Abraham as described in the Hebrew Bible.

Sarah's story is told in the Book of Genesis.

Sarah was originally called Sarai (שָׂרַי / שָׂרָי "My princess", Standard Hebrew Saray, Tiberian Hebrew Śāray / Śārāy) and lived with her husband, then called Abram (אברם) in the city of Haran.

When God told Abram to leave his homeland and journey to an unknown land (later identified as Canaan), Sarai accompanied him.

However, when they arrived they were met with a famine, and decided to take refuge in Egypt.

Fearing that Sarai's beauty would put his life in danger if their true relationship became known, Abram proposed that she pass as his sister.

As Abram had feared, Sarai was taken by Pharaoh, who rewarded Abram richly on her account.

However, God struck Pharoah and all his house with severe plagues, after which Pharaoh suspected the truth.

He censured Abram and bade him to take his wife and depart.

According to the classic Jewish commentaries, Pharoah was nevertheless impressed with Abram's righteousness, and sent his own daughter, Hagar, to be a handmaid to Sarah.

While God promised Abram that he would yet be a father of nations, Sarai remained childless.

To help her husband fulfill his destiny, she offered her Egyptian handmaid Hagar to him as a concubine.

Hagar became pregnant immediately, and began to despise her mistress.

Sarai bitterly upbraided her husband, and Abram responded that she should do with her handmaid as she deemed best.

Sarai's harsh treatment of Hagar forced the handmaid to flee to the desert, where she encountered an angel who announced that her children would be numerous and urged her to return to her mistress.

After Hagar returned, she bore Abraham a son whom he named Ishmael.

Afterwards God changed the names of both Abraham and Sarah to help them fulfill their new destiny as progenitors of the future nation of Israel.

In Hebrew, the name Abram means "father of Aram," the country where Abraham was born, and Sarai means "my princess," referring to her relationship with her husband.

Now their names would be Abraham, meaning "father of many," and Sarah, meaning "princess [of all]."

Then God sent three angels in the guise of men to inform the couple of the impending birth of Isaac.

Abraham laughed with joy at the news, as he would be 100 years old at the time of the birth, but Sarah laughed with doubt, as she would be 90 years old and the ways of women had long since ceased for her.

Abraham next moved to Gerar, where again Sarah was again taken by the ruler to become his wife after she claimed Abraham was her brother.

Abimelech, however, was warned by God in a dream not to touch Sarah.

When Abimelech reproved Abraham for the deception, Abraham justified himself by explaining that Sarah was the daughter of his father but not of his mother (Gen. 20:1-12).

Immediately after this incident, Sarah bore a son, Isaac.

God instructed Abraham to name him after the laughter which Abraham had made when his son's birth was prophesied by the angel.

According to Rashi, people questioned whether the 100-year-old Abraham really was the father of the child, as he and Sarah had lived together for decades without conceiving.

Instead, people gossiped that Abimelech was the true father.

For this reason, according to Rashi, God made Isaac's features exactly the same as Abraham's, so no one could claim a different paternity.

As Isaac grew up, his older half-brother Ishmael began to mock him, and Sarah demanded that Abraham send away both Hagar and Ishmael to protect Isaac.

Years later, at the death of Abraham, Isaac and Ishmael came together again to bury their father in the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron (Gen. 25:9).

Sarah died in Kirjath-arba (קרית ארבע), or Hebron, at the age of 127 years.

Her death prompted Abraham to purchase a family burial plot, and he approached Ephron the Hittite to sell him the Cave of Machpelah (Cave of the Patriarchs).

Ephron demanded an exhorbitant price of 400 pieces of silver, which Abraham paid in full.

The Cave of Machpelah would eventually be the burial site for all three Jewish patriarchs and three of the four matriarchs—Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob and Leah.

Rachel was buried on the road to Bethlehem.

No further reference to Sarah is found in the Hebrew canon, except in Isa. Ii. 2, where the prophet appeals to his hearers to "look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you."

In rabbinic literature

In Rabbinic literature, Sarah was the niece of Abraham, being the daughter of his brother Haran.

She was called also "Iscah" (Gen. xi. 29), because her beauty attracted general attention and admiration (Meg. 14a).

She was so beautiful that all other persons seemed apes in comparison (Talmud, Bava Batra 58a).

Even the hardships of her journey with Abraham did not affect her beauty (Midrash Gen. Rabbah xi. 4).

According to another explanation, she was called Iscah because she had prophetic vision (Meg. l.c.).

She was superior to Abraham in the gift of prophecy (Midrash Exodus Rabbah i. 1.).

She was the "crown" of her husband; and he obeyed her words because he recognized this superiority on her part (Gen. R. xlvii. 1).

She was the only woman whom God deemed worthy to be addressed by Him directly, all the other prophetesses receiving their revelations through angels (ib. xlv. 14).

On their journeys Abraham converted the men, and Sarah the women (ib. xxxix. 21).

She was called originally "Sarai," i.e., "my princess," because she was the princess of her house and of her tribe; later she was called "Sarah" = "princess," because she was recognized generally as such (Talmud Berachot 13a; Genesis Rabbah xlvii. 1).

Repetitions in the narrative

The story of Sarah's life, brief and incomplete as it is, presents nevertheless curious repetitions, e.g., the incident with Pharaoh and a similar incident with Abimelech (Gen. xii. 10 et seq. and xx. 1 et seq.).

Marriages with half-sisters were, in primitive matriarchy, regarded as anything but incestuous.

From the point of view of the history of culture these episodes are very instructive.

But some consider it improbable that Abraham would have run the risk twice.

Moreover, a similar incident is reported in regard to Isaac and Rebecca (ib. xxvi. 6-11).

This recurrence causes some to hold that none of the accounts is to be accepted as historical; they maintain that all three are variations of a theme common to the popular oral histories of the Patriarchs.

That women were married in the way here supposed is not to be doubted.

The purpose of the story is to extol the heroines as most beautiful and show that the Patriarchs were under the special protection of the Deity.

The promise of Isaac and the explanation of the name are given in duplicate.

First, Abraham is the recipient of the promise, and he laughs (ib. xvii. 15-21).

In the second narrative (ib. xviii.) Abraham again is given the promise, but Sarah laughs.

Finally, the name receives a third justification in Sarah's exclamation at his birth (ib. xxi. 6).

Sarah (שָׂרָה "Princess", Standard Hebrew Sara, Tiberian Hebrew Śārāh, Arabic: سارة) is the wife of Abraham as described in the Hebrew Bible. Sarah's story is told in the Book of Genesis. Sarah was originally called Sarai (שָׂרַי / שָׂרָי "My princess", Standard Hebrew Saray, Tiberian Hebrew Śāray / Śārāy) and lived with her husband, then called Abram (אברם) in the city of Haran. When God told Abram to leave his homeland and journey to an unknown land (later identified as Canaan), Sarai accompanied him. However, when they arrived they were met with a famine, and decided to take refuge in Egypt. Fearing that Sarai's beauty would put his life in danger if their true relationship became known, Abram proposed that she pass as his sister. As Abram had feared, Sarai was taken by Pharaoh, who rewarded Abram richly on her account. However, God struck Pharoah and all his house with severe plagues, after which Pharaoh suspected the truth. He censured Abram and bade him to take his wife and depart. According to the classic Jewish commentaries, Pharoah was nevertheless impressed with Abram's righteousness, and sent his own daughter, Hagar, to be a handmaid to Sarah. While God promised Abram that he would yet be a father of nations, Sarai remained childless. To help her husband fulfill his destiny, she offered her Egyptian handmaid Hagar to him as a concubine. Hagar became pregnant immediately, and began to despise her mistress. Sarai bitterly upbraided her husband, and Abram responded that she should do with her handmaid as she deemed best. Sarai's harsh treatment of Hagar forced the handmaid to flee to the desert, where she encountered an angel who announced that her children would be numerous and urged her to return to her mistress. After Hagar returned, she bore Abraham a son whom he named Ishmael. Afterwards God changed the names of both Abraham and Sarah to help them fulfill their new destiny as progenitors of the future nation of Israel. In Hebrew, the name Abram means "father of Aram," the country where Abraham was born, and Sarai means "my princess," referring to her relationship with her husband. Now their names would be Abraham, meaning "father of many," and Sarah, meaning "princess [of all]." Then God sent three angels in the guise of men to inform the couple of the impending birth of Isaac. Abraham laughed with joy at the news, as he would be 100 years old at the time of the birth, but Sarah laughed with doubt, as she would be 90 years old and the ways of women had long since ceased for her. Abraham next moved to Gerar, where again Sarah was again taken by the ruler to become his wife after she claimed Abraham was her brother. Abimelech, however, was warned by God in a dream not to touch Sarah. When Abimelech reproved Abraham for the deception, Abraham justified himself by explaining that Sarah was the daughter of his father but not of his mother (Gen. 20:1-12). Immediately after this incident, Sarah bore a son, Isaac. God instructed Abraham to name him after the laughter which Abraham had made when his son's birth was prophesied by the angel. According to Rashi, people questioned whether the 100-year-old Abraham really was the father of the child, as he and Sarah had lived together for decades without conceiving. Instead, people gossiped that Abimelech was the true father. For this reason, according to Rashi, God made Isaac's features exactly the same as Abraham's, so no one could claim a different paternity. As Isaac grew up, his older half-brother Ishmael began to mock him, and Sarah demanded that Abraham send away both Hagar and Ishmael to protect Isaac. Years later, at the death of Abraham, Isaac and Ishmael came together again to bury their father in the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron (Gen. 25:9). Sarah died in Kirjath-arba (קרית ארבע), or Hebron, at the age of 127 years. Her death prompted Abraham to purchase a family burial plot, and he approached Ephron the Hittite to sell him the Cave of Machpelah (Cave of the Patriarchs). Ephron demanded an exhorbitant price of 400 pieces of silver, which Abraham paid in full. The Cave of Machpelah would eventually be the burial site for all three Jewish patriarchs and three of the four matriarchs—Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob and Leah. Rachel was buried on the road to Bethlehem. No further reference to Sarah is found in the Hebrew canon, except in Isa. Ii. 2, where the prophet appeals to his hearers to "look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you." In rabbinic literature In Rabbinic literature, Sarah was the niece of Abraham, being the daughter of his brother Haran. She was called also "Iscah" (Gen. xi. 29), because her beauty attracted general attention and admiration (Meg. 14a). She was so beautiful that all other persons seemed apes in comparison (Talmud, Bava Batra 58a). Even the hardships of her journey with Abraham did not affect her beauty (Midrash Gen. Rabbah xi. 4). According to another explanation, she was called Iscah because she had prophetic vision (Meg. l.c.). She was superior to Abraham in the gift of prophecy (Midrash Exodus Rabbah i. 1.). She was the "crown" of her husband; and he obeyed her words because he recognized this superiority on her part (Gen. R. xlvii. 1). She was the only woman whom God deemed worthy to be addressed by Him directly, all the other prophetesses receiving their revelations through angels (ib. xlv. 14). On their journeys Abraham converted the men, and Sarah the women (ib. xxxix. 21). She was called originally "Sarai," i.e., "my princess," because she was the princess of her house and of her tribe; later she was called "Sarah" = "princess," because she was recognized generally as such (Talmud Berachot 13a; Genesis Rabbah xlvii. 1). Repetitions in the narrative The story of Sarah's life, brief and incomplete as it is, presents nevertheless curious repetitions, e.g., the incident with Pharaoh and a similar incident with Abimelech (Gen. xii. 10 et seq. and xx. 1 et seq.). Marriages with half-sisters were, in primitive matriarchy, regarded as anything but incestuous. From the point of view of the history of culture these episodes are very instructive. But some consider it improbable that Abraham would have run the risk twice. Moreover, a similar incident is reported in regard to Isaac and Rebecca (ib. xxvi. 6-11). This recurrence causes some to hold that none of the accounts is to be accepted as historical; they maintain that all three are variations of a theme common to the popular oral histories of the Patriarchs. That women were married in the way here supposed is not to be doubted. The purpose of the story is to extol the heroines as most beautiful and show that the Patriarchs were under the special protection of the Deity. The promise of Isaac and the explanation of the name are given in duplicate. First, Abraham is the recipient of the promise, and he laughs (ib. xvii. 15-21). In the second narrative (ib. xviii.) Abraham again is given the promise, but Sarah laughs. Finally, the name receives a third justification in Sarah's exclamation at his birth (ib. xxi. 6). °	TESTO PARALLELO INCASELLATO Scopri come è facile capire l'inglese se c'è a fianco la traduzione parallela incasellata!
	Sarah (שָׂרָה "Princess", Standard Hebrew Sara, Tiberian Hebrew Śārāh, Arabic: سارة) is the wife of Abraham as described in the Hebrew Bible.	Sara (שָׂרָה “Principessa”, in ebraico standard Sara, in ebraico tiberiano Śārāh, in arabo: سارة) è la moglie di Abram, come descritto nella Bibbia ebraica.
	Sarah's story is told in the Book of Genesis.	La storia di Sara è raccontata nel libro della Genesi.
	Sarah was originally called Sarai (שָׂרַי / שָׂרָי "My princess", Standard Hebrew Saray, Tiberian Hebrew Śāray / Śārāy) and lived with her husband, then called Abram (אברם) in the city of Haran.	Sara originariamente era chiamata Sarai (שָׂרַי / שָׂרָי “Mia principessa”, in ebraico standard Saray, in ebraico tiberiano Śāray / Śārāy) e viveva con suo marito, allora chiamato Abram (אברם), nella città di Carran.
	When God told Abram to leave his homeland and journey to an unknown land (later identified as Canaan), Sarai accompanied him.	Quando Dio disse ad Abramo di lasciare la sua patria e di mettersi in viaggio verso una terra sconosciuta (più tardi identificata come Canaan), Sarai lo accompagnò.
	However, when they arrived they were met with a famine, and decided to take refuge in Egypt.	Comunque, una volta arrivati, si imbatterono in una carestia e decisero di rifugiarsi in Egitto.
	Fearing that Sarai's beauty would put his life in danger if their true relationship became known, Abram proposed that she pass as his sister.	Temendo che la bellezza di Sarai potesse mettere in pericolo la propria vita, se si fosse scoperta la loro vera relazione, Abram suggerì di farla passare per sua sorella.
	As Abram had feared, Sarai was taken by Pharaoh, who rewarded Abram richly on her account.	Dal momento che Abram aveva avuto paura, Sarai fu condotta davanti al Faraone, il quale, grazie a lei ricompensò abbondantemente Abram.
	However, God struck Pharoah and all his house with severe plagues, after which Pharaoh suspected the truth.	Ma Dio colpì il Faraone e tutta la sua casa con grandi piaghe dopo che il Faraone aveva sospettato la verità.
	He censured Abram and bade him to take his wife and depart.	Rimproverò Abram e gli ordinò di riprendersi sua moglie e partire.
	According to the classic Jewish commentaries, Pharoah was nevertheless impressed with Abram's righteousness, and sent his own daughter, Hagar, to be a handmaid to Sarah.	Secondo i classici commenti ebraici, nonostante ciò il Faraone rimase impressionato dalla rettitudine di Abram e gli mandò sua figlia Agar come schiava per Sara.
	While God promised Abram that he would yet be a father of nations, Sarai remained childless.	Anche se Dio aveva promesso ad Abram che sarebbe diventato padre di molti popoli, Sarai continuava a rimanere senza figli.
	To help her husband fulfill his destiny, she offered her Egyptian handmaid Hagar to him as a concubine.	Per aiutare suo marito ad adempiere il suo destino, Sarai gli mise a disposizione la sua schiava egiziana Agar come concubina.
	Hagar became pregnant immediately, and began to despise her mistress.	Agar rimase subito incinta e incominciò a disprezzare la sua padrona.
	Sarai bitterly upbraided her husband, and Abram responded that she should do with her handmaid as she deemed best.	Sarai rimproverò terribilmente suo marito e Abram rispose dicendo che poteva fare della sua schiava quello che riteneva meglio.
	Sarai's harsh treatment of Hagar forced the handmaid to flee to the desert, where she encountered an angel who announced that her children would be numerous and urged her to return to her mistress.	Il trattamento crudele che Sarai riservò ad Agar spinse la schiava a fuggire nel deserto, dove incontrò un angelo che le annunciò che i suoi figli sarebbero stati numerosi e la incoraggiò a ritornare dalla sua padrona.
	After Hagar returned, she bore Abraham a son whom he named Ishmael.	Dopo il suo ritorno, Agar partorì ad Abram un figlio, al quale egli diede nome Ismaele.
	Afterwards God changed the names of both Abraham and Sarah to help them fulfill their new destiny as progenitors of the future nation of Israel.	In seguito Dio cambiò entrambi i nomi di Abram e Sara per aiutarli ad adempiere il loro destino come progenitori della futura nazione di Israele.
	In Hebrew, the name Abram means "father of Aram," the country where Abraham was born, and Sarai means "my princess," referring to her relationship with her husband.	In ebraico il nome Abram significa “padre di Aram,” il paese dove nacque Abram e Sarai significa “mia principessa,” in riferimento alla sua relazione con suo marito.
	Now their names would be Abraham, meaning "father of many," and Sarah, meaning "princess [of all]."	Ora i loro nomi sarebbero stati Abramo, che significa “padre di una moltitudine” e Sara, “principessa [di tutti].”
	Then God sent three angels in the guise of men to inform the couple of the impending birth of Isaac.	Poi Dio inviò tre angeli dall’aspetto di uomini per annunciare alla coppia l’imminente nascita di Isacco.
	Abraham laughed with joy at the news, as he would be 100 years old at the time of the birth, but Sarah laughed with doubt, as she would be 90 years old and the ways of women had long since ceased for her.	Alla notizia Abramo rise di gioia, poiché al tempo della nascita avrebbe avuto 100 anni, ma Sara rise dubitando, poiché avrebbe avuto 90 anni e da molto tempo le era cessato ciò che avviene regolarmente alle donne.
	Abraham next moved to Gerar, where again Sarah was again taken by the ruler to become his wife after she claimed Abraham was her brother.	In seguito Abramo si trasferì a Gerar, dove Sara fu nuovamente condotta davanti al re perché diventasse sua moglie, dopo che aveva affermato che Abramo era suo fratello.
	Abimelech, however, was warned by God in a dream not to touch Sarah.	Però Abimelech fu messo in guardia da Dio in sogno di non toccare Sara.
	When Abimelech reproved Abraham for the deception, Abraham justified himself by explaining that Sarah was the daughter of his father but not of his mother (Gen. 20:1-12).	Quando Abimelech rimproverò Abramo per l’inganno, Abramo si giustificò spiegando che Sara era la figlia di suo padre ma non di sua madre (Gn 20, 1-12).
	Immediately after this incident, Sarah bore a son, Isaac.	Immediatamente dopo questo avvenimento, Sara diede alla luce un figlio, Isacco.
	God instructed Abraham to name him after the laughter which Abraham had made when his son's birth was prophesied by the angel.	Dio, in seguito alla risata che Abramo aveva fatto quando la nascita di suo figlio fu predetta dall’angelo, istruì Abramo su come chiamarlo.
	According to Rashi, people questioned whether the 100-year-old Abraham really was the father of the child, as he and Sarah had lived together for decades without conceiving.	Secondo il pensiero di Rashi, la gente metteva in dubbio che Abramo con i suoi 100 anni fosse veramente il padre del bambino, dato che lui e Sara avevano convissuto per decenni senza concepire figli.
	Instead, people gossiped that Abimelech was the true father.	Invece la gente faceva pettegolezzi che il vero padre fosse Abimelech.
	For this reason, according to Rashi, God made Isaac's features exactly the same as Abraham's, so no one could claim a different paternity.	Per questa ragione, secondo Rashi, Dio fece i lineamenti di Isacco esattamente uguali a quelli di Abramo, così che nessuno potesse sostenere una diversa paternità.
	As Isaac grew up, his older half-brother Ishmael began to mock him, and Sarah demanded that Abraham send away both Hagar and Ishmael to protect Isaac.	Quando Isacco divenne adulto, il suo fratellastro maggiore Ismaele incominciò a prenderlo in giro e Sara, per proteggere Isacco, pretese che Abramo mandasse via sia Agar che Ismaele.
	Years later, at the death of Abraham, Isaac and Ishmael came together again to bury their father in the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron (Gen. 25:9).	Anni più tardi, alla morte di Abramo, Isacco e Ismaele si riunirono per seppellire il loro padre nella Caverna dei Patriarchi a Ebron (Gn 25, 9).
	Sarah died in Kirjath-arba (קרית ארבע), or Hebron, at the age of 127 years.	Sara morì in Kirjath-Arba ( ), o Ebron, all’età di 127 anni.
	Her death prompted Abraham to purchase a family burial plot, and he approached Ephron the Hittite to sell him the Cave of Machpelah (Cave of the Patriarchs).	La sua morte spinse Abramo ad acquistare un luogo di sepoltura per la famiglia e avvicinò Efron l’Ittita perché gli vendesse la Caverna di Macpela (Caverna dei Patriarchi).
	Ephron demanded an exhorbitant price of 400 pieces of silver, which Abraham paid in full.	Efron pretese il prezzo esorbitante di 400 pezzi d’argento, che Abramo pagò per intero.
	The Cave of Machpelah would eventually be the burial site for all three Jewish patriarchs and three of the four matriarchs—Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob and Leah.	La Caverna di Macpela sarebbe diventata col tempo il luogo di sepoltura per tutti e tre i patriarchi ebraici e per tre delle quattro matriarche—Abramo e Sara, Isacco e Rebecca e Giacobbe e Lia.
	Rachel was buried on the road to Bethlehem.	Rachele fu sepolta sulla strada per Betlemme.
	No further reference to Sarah is found in the Hebrew canon, except in Isa. Ii. 2, where the prophet appeals to his hearers to "look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you."	Nei libri sacri ebraici non si trovano ulteriori riferimenti a Sara, eccetto che in Isaia 51, 2, dove il profeta fa appello ai suoi ascoltatori: “Guardate ad Abramo vostro padre, a Sara che vi ha partorito”
	In rabbinic literature	Nella letteratura rabbinica
	In Rabbinic literature, Sarah was the niece of Abraham, being the daughter of his brother Haran.	Nella letteratura rabbinica, Sara era la nipote di Abramo, essendo la figlia di suo fratello Aran.
	She was called also "Iscah" (Gen. xi. 29), because her beauty attracted general attention and admiration (Meg. 14a).	Veniva anche chiamata “Isca” (Gn 11, 29, perché la sua bellezza attirava l’attenzione e l’ammirazione generale (Megilla 14a).
	She was so beautiful that all other persons seemed apes in comparison (Talmud, Bava Batra 58a).	Era talmente bella che tutte le persone in confronto a lei sembravano scimmie (Talmud, Bava Batra 58a).
	Even the hardships of her journey with Abraham did not affect her beauty (Midrash Gen. Rabbah xi. 4).	Neanche le privazioni subite nel suo viaggio con Abramo avevano intaccato la sua bellezza (Midrash Genesis Rabba 11, 4).
	According to another explanation, she was called Iscah because she had prophetic vision (Meg. l.c.).	Secondo un’altra spiegazione, era chiamata Isca a causa delle sue visioni profetiche (Meg. l.c.)
	She was superior to Abraham in the gift of prophecy (Midrash Exodus Rabbah i. 1.).	Nel dono della profezia era superiore ad Abramo (Midrash Exodus Rabba 1, 1).
	She was the "crown" of her husband; and he obeyed her words because he recognized this superiority on her part (Gen. R. xlvii. 1).	Era la “corona” di suo marito; ed egli obbediva alle sue parole perché riconosceva questa superiorità da parte sua (Gen. R. 57, 1).
	She was the only woman whom God deemed worthy to be addressed by Him directly, all the other prophetesses receiving their revelations through angels (ib. xlv. 14).	Era l’unica donna che Dio considerò degna di rivolgersi a Lui direttamente, mentre tutte le altre profetesse ricevevano le loro rivelazioni per mezzo di angeli (Ib. 45, 14).
	On their journeys Abraham converted the men, and Sarah the women (ib. xxxix. 21).	Durante i loro viaggi Abramo convertiva gli uomini e Sara le donne (Ib. 39, 21).
	She was called originally "Sarai," i.e., "my princess," because she was the princess of her house and of her tribe; later she was called "Sarah" = "princess," because she was recognized generally as such (Talmud Berachot 13a; Genesis Rabbah xlvii. 1).	Originariamente era chiamata “Sarai”, cioè “mia principessa”, perché era la principessa della sua casa e della sua tribù; più tardi venne chiamata “Sara” = “principessa,” perché venne riconosciuta come tale in generale (Talmud Berachot 13a; Genesis Rabba 47, 1).
	Repetitions in the narrative	Ripetizioni nella narrativa
	The story of Sarah's life, brief and incomplete as it is, presents nevertheless curious repetitions, e.g., the incident with Pharaoh and a similar incident with Abimelech (Gen. xii. 10 et seq. and xx. 1 et seq.).	La storia della vita di Sara, breve e incompleta com’è, offre tuttavia curiose ripetizioni, per esempio l’episodio con il Faraone e quello analogo con Abimelech (Gn 12, 10 ss e 20, 1 ss).
	Marriages with half-sisters were, in primitive matriarchy, regarded as anything but incestuous.	Nel matriarcato primitivo i matrimoni con le sorellastre erano considerati tutt’altro che incestuosi.
	From the point of view of the history of culture these episodes are very instructive.	Dal punto di vista della storia della cultura questi episodi sono molto istruttivi.
	But some consider it improbable that Abraham would have run the risk twice.	Ma alcuni considerano improbabile che Abramo abbia voluto correre il rischio due volte.
	Moreover, a similar incident is reported in regard to Isaac and Rebecca (ib. xxvi. 6-11).	Inoltre, un episodio simile è raccontato riguardo a Isacco e Rebecca (Ib. 26, 6-11).
	This recurrence causes some to hold that none of the accounts is to be accepted as historical; they maintain that all three are variations of a theme common to the popular oral histories of the Patriarchs.	Questa ripetizione induce qualcuno a credere che nessuna delle descrizioni sia da accettare come storica; essi sostengono che tutt’e tre sono variazioni sul tema comune nella tradizione popolare orale riguardante i Patriarchi.
	That women were married in the way here supposed is not to be doubted.	Il fatto che le donne venissero prese in moglie nel modo supposto qui non è da mettere in dubbio.
	The purpose of the story is to extol the heroines as most beautiful and show that the Patriarchs were under the special protection of the Deity.	Lo scopo della racconto è di esaltare l’eroina come la più bella e dimostrare che i Patriarchi erano sotto la speciale protezione della Divinità.
	The promise of Isaac and the explanation of the name are given in duplicate.	La promessa di Isacco e la spiegazione del suo nome sono dati doppiamente.
	First, Abraham is the recipient of the promise, and he laughs (ib. xvii. 15-21).	Innanzitutto, Abramo è il destinatario della promessa e ride (Ib. 17, 15-21).
	In the second narrative (ib. xviii.) Abraham again is given the promise, but Sarah laughs.	Nella seconda narrazione (Ib. 18) la promessa viene donata ad Abramo una seconda volta, ma è Sara a ridere.
	Finally, the name receives a third justification in Sarah's exclamation at his birth (ib. xxi. 6).	Infine, il nome (di Isacco) riceve una terza giustificazione nell’esclamazione di Sara per la sua nascita (Ib. 21, 6).