What is the meaning of Genesis 21:5? Abraham was - The simple mention of Abraham’s name anchors us in the covenant story God began in Genesis 12. • Genesis 12:1-3 reminds us that God called Abram, promising to bless all nations through him. • Genesis 15:6 records, “Abram believed the LORD, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” underscoring that faith, not human strength, drives the narrative. - Every time the text highlights Abraham, it points back to God’s faithfulness to His word (cf. Hebrews 6:13-15). a hundred years old - The verse states, “Abraham was a hundred years old…”—a deliberate emphasis on human impossibility. • Genesis 17:17 shows Abraham laughing at the idea of fatherhood at such an age, revealing just how improbable this birth was. • Romans 4:19 notes that Abraham “faced the fact that his body was as good as dead…yet he did not waver through unbelief.” - God waited until all natural hope was gone so that credit could go nowhere but to Him (cf. Judges 7:2). - For readers today, the detail encourages trust when circumstances seem past solving; God’s power is not limited by age, time, or biology. when his son Isaac was born to him - The timing phrase (“when”) underlines fulfillment: not a vague promise, but an actual, historical moment (see Genesis 21:2). - “His son Isaac” links to the name Isaac, which means “he laughs,” turning earlier doubtful laughter (Genesis 17:17; 18:12-15) into joyful fulfillment. - “Was born to him” stresses personal ownership—a son not adopted or symbolic, but physically born, establishing the promised line leading to Christ (Luke 3:34). - Galatians 4:28 draws a parallel: “Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise,” connecting believers directly to this miracle of grace. summary Genesis 21:5 marks the moment when God’s impossible promise becomes living proof in a newborn child. Abraham, long past natural ability, receives Isaac precisely as God said, confirming that divine faithfulness triumphs over human limitations and securing the covenant line through which blessing flows to the world. |
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