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Abraham, Sarah, and the Promise of Isaac
Read the cited context and compare 7 documented textual points.
Comparison 32 of 34
Abraham, Sarah, and the Promise of Isaac
The two accounts at a glance
Bible
World English BibleVisitors announce that Sarah will bear a son; Sarah laughs at the prospect.
Qur'an
Sahih InternationalMessengers visit Abraham, bring news of Isaac, and Sarah responds with astonishment.
These are concise account summaries with exact references. Open the complete texts at these passages →
7 documented comparison points
The comparison reads the full visitor scene, hospitality, promise, Sarah's reaction, and the transition to Sodom in Genesis and all parallel Qur'anic retellings. Labels use one standard: agreement means both texts state the point; additional detail means one adds a non-conflicting detail; omission means one is silent; ambiguity means an identity or meaning is not explicit; contradiction means both texts state mutually exclusive claims. Stylistic wording alone is not counted.
The number and description of the visitors
Three men appear to Abraham, while the narration also speaks of Yahweh addressing him.
They are called honored guests or messengers, but the Qur'anic retellings do not state that there are three.
The meal Abraham serves
Abraham offers cakes, curds, milk, and a prepared calf, and the visitors eat while he stands by.
Abraham brings a roasted or fat calf, but becomes afraid when the visitors do not reach for it.
Where Sarah hears the promise
Sarah listens from the tent entrance behind Abraham.
Abraham's wife is standing nearby; in Q 51 she comes forward with a loud cry and strikes her face.
Sarah's reaction
Sarah laughs inwardly because she and Abraham are old, then denies laughing when questioned.
She laughs in Q 11 and expresses astonishment; Q 51 describes her crying out, striking her face, and calling herself barren and old. No denial of laughter is narrated.
Who is promised
Isaac is promised to Sarah, and the covenant is explicitly established with him. Jacob is not named in this visitor scene.
The messengers announce Isaac and, after Isaac, Jacob in Q 11; other retellings announce a learned son without naming him in that verse.
The timing of the birth
The visitor says Sarah will have a son when he returns at the appointed time the following year.
The promise is announced without the next-year return formula.
Abraham's response to the Sodom mission
Abraham conducts an extended intercession, asking whether the city will be spared for fifty down to ten righteous people.
Abraham argues or pleads concerning Lot's people after his fear subsides, but the numerical negotiation from fifty to ten is not narrated.
What do both texts share?
- Visitors come to Abraham with news of a son.
- Sarah responds with surprise at a late-life birth.
- Isaac is the promised child.