Genesis 17:17
17 Then Abraham bowed down with his face to the ground and laughed ▼▼sn Laughed. The Hebrew verb used here provides the basis for the naming of Isaac: “And he laughed” is וַיִּצְחָק (vayyitskhaq); the name “Isaac” is יִצְחָק (yitskhaq), “he laughs.” Abraham’s (and Sarah’s, see 18:12) laughter signals disbelief, but when the boy is born, the laughter signals surprise and joy.
as he said to himself, ▼▼tn Heb “And he fell on his face and laughed and said in his heart.”
“Can ▼▼tn The imperfect verbal form here carries a potential nuance, as it expresses the disbelief of Abraham.
a son be born to a man who is a hundred years old? ▼▼tn Heb “to the son of a hundred years.”
Can Sarah ▼ bear a child at the age of ninety?” ▼▼tn Heb “the daughter of ninety years.”
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