Genesis 18:10

⁸ And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.

⁹ And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.

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.

¹¹ Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.

¹² Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: Then the LORD said, “I will surely return to you at this time next year, and your wife Sarah will have a son!” Now Sarah was behind him, listening at the entrance to the tent.
KJV: 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.
WEB: He said, “I will certainly return to you at about this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.” Sarah heard in the tent door, which was behind him.
ASV: And he said, I will certainly return unto thee when the season cometh round; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard in the tent door, which was behind him.
DARBY: And he said, I will certainly return to thee at [this] time of the year, and behold, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah was listening at the tent-door, which was behind him.
BLB: And He said, “I will surely return to you according to the time of life; and behold—a son to Sarah, your wife.” And Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, and it [was] behind him.

ÅB: Da sa han[^1]: Jeg vil komme igjen til deg på denne tid neste år, og da skal Sara, din hustru, ha en sønn. Og Sara hørte det i teltdøren, for den var bak ham.
OTB: En av dem sa, “Jeg vil visselig komme tilbake til deg på denne tid neste år, og se, din kone Sara skal ha en sønn.” Sara lyttet ved inngangen til teltet, som var bak ham.
B1930: Da sa han: Jeg vil komme igjen til dig på denne tid næste år, og da skal Sara, din hustru, ha en sønn. Og Sara hørte det i teltdøren, for den var bak ham. / < Herren 1MO 18 13.>

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Genesis 21:2
For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.
Read in context
Genesis 17:21
But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.
Read in context
Romans 9:8–9
That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
Read in context
Genesis 17:19
And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.
Read in context
2 Kings 4:16–17
And he said, About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid.
Read in context
Genesis 17:16
And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.
Read in context
Galatians 4:23
But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
Read in context
Galatians 4:28
Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
Read in context