Sarah

Also known as: Iscah · Family: Abraham's family · Role: wife of Abraham · First appears: In The Fiery Furnace

After Haran’s death, his daughter Sarah became the wife of Abraham. In the meantime, she aided him in his pious undertaking. When Isaac was born to them in their old age, Sarah and Abraham were rejuvenated; “the lines in Sarah's face were smoothed out.”

During their sojourn in Egypt, Pharaoh’s men brought Sarah to the palace. Pharaoh gave her a marriage contract and his possessions, including Goshen, and gave his daughter Hagar to Sarah as a slave. An angel prevented Pharaoh from touching Sarah, and Pharaoh returned her to Abraham “pure and untouched.” After three months, Sarah and Abraham departed for Canaan. Later, Sarah freed Hagar and gave her to Abraham as a wife. When Hagar became pregnant and treated Sarah contemptuously, Sarah exacted slave services from her and tormented her; Hagar then fled after losing her unborn child.

Among the Philistines, Abimelech took Sarah into his house as his wife. After God commanded him to return her, he acknowledged that she was Abraham’s wife and sent her back. Sarah and Abraham’s son Isaac was born on the first day of Passover. When Abraham departed with Isaac, Sarah saw them off and returned to the tent. Satan told her that Abraham had taken Isaac to sacrifice him, and the account says her grief led to her death. Another account says that after she heard Isaac was alive, her joy was so great that her soul left her body. Abraham buried her in the Cave of Machpelah, and her death dealt him a blow from which he did not recover. Sarah recognized Michael (A Herald of Death) as an angel of the Lord; another account says she died from grief when she could not find Abraham. Later, Isaac took Rebekah to his mother’s tent, and Rebekah proved worthy to succeed Sarah and comforted Isaac after his mother’s death.