Lexical Summary
Saray: Sarai, Sarai's
Original Word:שָׂרַי
Part of Speech:Proper Name Feminine
Transliteration:Saray
Pronunciation:sah-RAI
Phonetic Spelling:(saw-rah'-ee)
KJV: Sarai
NASB:Sarai, Sarai's
Word Origin:[fromH8269 (שַׂר - princes)]
1. dominative
2. Sarai, the wife of Abraham
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Sarai
Fromsar; dominative; Sarai, the wife of Abraham -- Sarai.
see HEBREWsar
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom the same as
sarDefinitiona wife of Abram
NASB TranslationSarai (16), Sarai's (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(Nö
ZMG xiii (1888). 484 Ges
§ 80l Kö
ii. 1. 427 make = foregoing, with old feminine ending ; > Lag
BN 92, Anm. *, emphasizing different in , derived from a √
, and compare
, name of a barren mountain; compare RS above, below I. ); — ; —
Genesis 11:30 (J),
Genesis 11:31 (P),
Genesis 12:5,11,17;
Genesis 16:1,2,3,5,6 (twice in verse);
Genesis 16:8 (twice in verse) (all J),
Genesis 17:15 (P);
Genesis 11:29 (J),
Genesis 16:2 (J),
Genesis 17:15 (P).
, see .
see below p.673a.
Topical Lexicon
Personal Background and Family ConnectionsSarai, later renamed Sarah, is introduced inGenesis 11:29 as the wife of Abram (later Abraham) and the half-sister daughter of Terah (Genesis 20:12). Her lineage places her within Shem’s covenantal line, and her marriage to Abram unites the promises given to that lineage with the unfolding plan of redemption that centers on Abraham.
Life Chronology in Genesis
•Genesis 11:29–31 establishes Sarai in Ur and Haran, joining Abram in the family’s migration toward Canaan.
•Genesis 12:5 records her entrance into the land of promise, underscoring her participation in every stage of Abraham’s pilgrimage.
•Genesis 12:11–17 recounts her brief sojourn in Egypt, where Pharaoh’s household suffered “severe plagues because of Abram’s wife Sarai” (Genesis 12:17), demonstrating God’s intention to preserve her for His covenant purposes.
•Genesis 16 portrays Sarai’s struggle with barrenness, her decision to offer Hagar to Abram, and the ensuing conflict.
•Genesis 17:15 marks the divine renaming: “As for your wife Sarai, do not call her Sarai, for Sarah will be her name”, sealing her place in the covenant promises.
The Struggle with Barrenness and Faith
Seventeen references to Sarai in Genesis repeatedly highlight her infertility (Genesis 11:30; 16:1). Out of cultural desperation she presents Hagar to Abram (Genesis 16:2), yet the attempt to secure a child by human means generates discord (Genesis 16:5-6). Scripture portrays her impatience honestly while affirming God’s faithfulness to fulfill His word in His timing. Sarai’s initial unbelief contrasts with her later faith, providing a theology of growth: God refines His servants through delays and disappointments.
Interactions with Foreign Kings
In Egypt (Genesis 12) and later in Gerar as “Sarah” (Genesis 20), Sarai’s beauty brings her into royal courts, but divine intervention protects her. These incidents demonstrate:
1. God’s safeguarding of the messianic line.
2. His sovereignty over pagan rulers.
3. A warning against self-preserving deception, yet also a testimony of grace toward imperfect saints.
Renaming and Covenant Significance
Changing “Sarai” to “Sarah” (Genesis 17:15) occurs immediately after the covenant of circumcision. The new name, meaning “princess,” confirms that kings and ultimately the Messiah would descend from her (Genesis 17:16). The moment signals God’s irrevocable election of Sarah as the mother of promise, excluding any alternative lineage through Hagar.
Lessons in Discipleship and Sanctification
Sarai’s life illustrates:
• God’s promises outlast human frailty.
• Waiting on the Lord refines character.
• Temporary lapses do not nullify covenant grace.
Her eventual laughter of disbelief (as Sarah inGenesis 18:12) turns to laughter of joy at Isaac’s birth (Genesis 21:6), epitomizing the transformation from doubt to faith.
New Testament Commentary
Paul references “the free woman” Sarah to expound freedom in Christ (Galatians 4:22-31), rooting gospel liberty in the history that began with Sarai.Hebrews 11:11 commends her faith, demonstrating the authenticity of her eventual trust. Peter holds her submission as a model for Christian wives (1 Peter 3:6). Each passage relies on the Genesis narrative, treating Sarai/Sarah as a single, unified witness to saving faith.
Typological and Messianic Implications
Sarai’s miraculous conception foreshadows the greater miracle of the virgin birth; both involve divinely initiated life where it was naturally impossible. Her motherhood of Isaac prefigures the coming Seed through whom all nations are blessed (Genesis 22:18;Galatians 3:16).
Ministry Applications
1. Faith communities learn endurance from Sarai’s prolonged waiting.
2. Her account encourages women facing infertility, affirming God’s compassion and purpose.
3. Couples observe the danger of bypassing God’s methods, while also seeing His readiness to forgive and restore.
4. Leaders recognize the priority of protecting covenantal purity against cultural pressures.
Conclusion
Strong’s Hebrew 8297 points not merely to a historical matriarch but to a life woven inseparably into the fabric of redemption. Sarai’s journey from barrenness to blessing, from fear to faith, and from a private name to a covenantal title magnifies the God who “calls things that are not as though they are” (seeRomans 4:17).
Forms and Transliterations
וְשָׂרַי֙ ושרי שָׂרַ֔י שָׂרַ֖י שָׂרַ֗י שָׂרַ֛י שָׂרַ֜י שָׂרַ֣י שָׂרַ֨י שָׂרָ֑י שָׂרָ֔י שָׂרָֽי׃ שרי שרי׃ śā·ray śā·rāy saRai śāray śārāy vesaRai wə·śā·ray wəśāray
Links
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Strong's Numbers •
Englishman's Greek Concordance •
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