Discovery BoxGenesis 17:16-17 
Context17:16 I will bless her and will give you a son through her. I will bless her and she will become a mother of nations. 1 Kings of countries 2 will come from her!”
17:17 Then Abraham bowed down with his face to the ground and laughed 3 as he said to himself, 4 “Can 5 a son be born to a man who is a hundred years old? 6 Can Sarah 7 bear a child at the age of ninety?” 8
1 tn Heb “she will become nations.”
2 tn Heb “peoples.”
3 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.
4 tn Heb “And he fell on his face and laughed and said in his heart.”
5 tn The imperfect verbal form here carries a potential nuance, as it expresses the disbelief of Abraham.
6 tn Heb “to the son of a hundred years.”
7 sn It is important to note that even though Abraham staggers at the announcement of the birth of a son, finding it almost too incredible, he nonetheless calls his wife Sarah, the new name given to remind him of the promise of God (v. 15).
8 tn Heb “the daughter of ninety years.”
