Hebrews 11:11-12

11:11 By faith, even though Sarah herself was barren and he was too old, ¹  he received the ability to procreate, ²  because he regarded the one who had given the promise to be trustworthy. 11:12 So in fact children ³  were fathered by one man – and this one as good as dead – like the number of stars in the sky and like the innumerable grains of sand ⁴  on the seashore. ⁵ 

Hebrews 11:17

11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. He had received the promises, ⁶  yet he was ready to offer up ⁷  his only son.

---

¹ tn Grk “past the time of maturity.”

² tn Grk “power to deposit seed.” Though it is not as likely, some construe this phrase to mean “power to conceive seed,” making the whole verse about Sarah: “by faith, even though Sarah herself was barren and too old, she received ability to conceive, because she regarded the one who had given the promise to be trustworthy.”

³ tn Grk “these”; in the translation the referent (children) has been specified for clarity.

⁴ tn Grk a collective “the sand.”

⁵ sn An allusion to Gen 22:17 (which itself goes back to Gen 15:5).

⁶ tn Here “received the promises” refers to the pledges themselves, not to the things God promised.

⁷ tn Grk “he was offering up.” The tense of this verb indicates the attempt or readiness to sacrifice Isaac without the actual completion of the deed.