sarai

Sarai is a feminine given name of Hebrew origin that appears in the Hebrew Bible as the original name of the wife of Abram (later renamed Abraham). The narrative tradition later changes her name to Sarah, a transformation often understood as part of a divine redefinition of her role and status within the biblical story.

In the Genesis account, Sarai is described as Abram’s wife and as barren for many years. To fulfill the promise that Abram would become the ancestor of a great nation, Sarai and Abram bear a child through Sarai’s maidservant Hagar, producing Ishmael. Later, God renews the promise of a son to Sarai, and she laughs at the prospect; she subsequently gives birth to Isaac when she is about 90 years old. Isaac becomes the child of the covenant, and Sarai is portrayed as the matriarch through whom the lineage of Israel proceeds.

Sarai dies at the age of 127 in the region of Hebron, and Abraham purchases the Cave of Machpelah as a tomb for her, an acquisition that becomes a family burial site. The name change from Sarai to Sarah is often highlighted as a key moment in the biblical narrative, signaling a shift in her role from wife to matriarch within the patriarchal story.

In modern usage, Sarai is recognized as a variant form of Sarah and is used as a given name in various Jewish, Christian, and secular contexts. In Islamic tradition, a similar figure is acknowledged as the wife of Abraham (Ibrahim) and the mother of Isaac.