Bible Strands
Genesis 17:15
Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, do not call her Sarai, for her name is to be Sarah.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — God speaks to Abraham in Genesis 17, positioned between the covenant warning in verse 14 and the promise of a son in verse 16.
The words — The imperative לֹא תִקְרָא (lo'- tik.Ra') literally means "you will not call," directly commanding the replacement of the name Sarai.
The thread — This divine renaming pattern mirrors the Abram-to-Abraham shift in Genesis 17:5, the Jacob-to-Israel change in Genesis 32:28, and the prophetic naming of Jedidiah in 2 Samuel 12:25.
Why it lands — The text explicitly states that God alone determines the new name, requiring Abraham to accept the designation without personal negotiation or delay.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.
Cross-references
- Genesis 17:5 No longer will you be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.
- Genesis 32:28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men, and you have prevailed.”
- 2 Samuel 12:25 and sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah because the LORD loved him.