Genesis 21:7 - Exposition

And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham ,— מִלֶּל , the poetic word for דּבֵּר , is introduced by מִי in order to express astonishment; the meaning being that what had happened was altogether out of the ordinary course of nature, was, in fact, God's work alone (Vatablus, Calvin, Rosenmüller, Keil, Kalisch, 'Speaker's Commentary'). Less happy are τίς ἀναγγελεῖ τῳ Ἀβραὰμ ( LXX .); quis auditurum crederet Abraham quod (Vulgate); quam fidelis est ille qui dixit Abrahamo (Onkelos)— that Sarah should have given children suck? Literally, Sarah suckleth sons . "Many of the greatest saints in Holy Scripture, and even our Lord himself, were nursed by their own mothers" (Wordsworth). For I have born him a son in his old age. Literally, I have born a son to his old age. The LXX . incorrectly render ἐν τῶ γήρᾳ μου.