But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”
—Genesis 18:15
And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him...And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.”...But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, laughing. So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac.”
—Genesis 21:2, 6, 9-10
Toward the scorners he is scornful,
but to the humble he gives favor.
—Proverbs 3:34
There is laughter, and then there is laughter. We know that laughing with others is very different from laughing at them. We know how to see through the schoolyard bully's attempt at an excuse, "We were only joking!" If we are willing to pay attention.
Sometimes the bare minimum of detail in a passage is because some details are beside the point. Or perhaps the point is for us to think carefully about what we are given.
How do we interpret of Sarah's laughter at the door? Perhaps as disbelief, if not outright mocking? The question, “Is anything too hard...?” and her fearful attempt at denial are consistent with that description. She also may have been frightened to realize that her thoughts “to herself” were not as private as she assumed.
There's some ambiguity in Sarah's response to the child they named Laughter. Most English translations I checked say, “...with me.” The ESV and RSV have “...over me.“ The NCB has “...because of me.” The LEB has “...for me.” And the Expanded Bible interpolates “...with [or at] me.” Perhaps some would laugh with Sarah in her moment of joy, while others would laugh at her unprecedented situation. And perhaps, in her joy of the moment, Sarah didn't care.
But Sarah was human—as are we. Her human weakness shows up later, when she sees Ishmael laughing. Again, the text doesn't give us any details. He could have been mocking little Isaac, or he simply could have been enjoying the feast. But we all know of people who are quick to take offense, interpreting everything said in the worst possible light.
Tragically, we probably know of people who would begrudge laughter to those on the outside.
Laughter
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers
—Psalm 1:1
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
—Psalm 126:2
But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”
—Genesis 18:15
And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him...And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.”...But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, laughing. So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac.”
—Genesis 21:2, 6, 9-10
Toward the scorners he is scornful,
but to the humble he gives favor.
—Proverbs 3:34
There is laughter, and then there is laughter. We know that laughing with others is very different from laughing at them. We know how to see through the schoolyard bully's attempt at an excuse, "We were only joking!" If we are willing to pay attention.
Sometimes the bare minimum of detail in a passage is because some details are beside the point. Or perhaps the point is for us to think carefully about what we are given.
How do we interpret of Sarah's laughter at the door? Perhaps as disbelief, if not outright mocking? The question, “Is anything too hard...?” and her fearful attempt at denial are consistent with that description. She also may have been frightened to realize that her thoughts “to herself” were not as private as she assumed.
There's some ambiguity in Sarah's response to the child they named Laughter. Most English translations I checked say, “...with me.” The ESV and RSV have “...over me.“ The NCB has “...because of me.” The LEB has “...for me.” And the Expanded Bible interpolates “...with [or at] me.” Perhaps some would laugh with Sarah in her moment of joy, while others would laugh at her unprecedented situation. And perhaps, in her joy of the moment, Sarah didn't care.
But Sarah was human—as are we. Her human weakness shows up later, when she sees Ishmael laughing. Again, the text doesn't give us any details. He could have been mocking little Isaac, or he simply could have been enjoying the feast. But we all know of people who are quick to take offense, interpreting everything said in the worst possible light.
Tragically, we probably know of people who would begrudge laughter to those on the outside.
And the Lord knows when and why we laugh.