The mysterious disappearance of Sarah.

ONE OF THE UNRESOLVED MYSTERIES OF THE MIDDLE chapters of the Genesis narrative is the location of one of its central figures--the matriarch Sarah--for over 30 years. (1) The last time Sarah appears alive is in Genesis 21, when she is in her early 90s, dwelling with her husband Abraham and their son Isaac in or around Beersheba (Genesis 21:9 ff.) Abraham and Isaac figure prominently in Genesis 22 (the Akeidah, the Binding of Isaac), but Sarah is conspicuously absent. Abraham returns to Beersheba at the close of Genesis 22. The text does not say, however, that Abraham returned to Sarah at Beersheba.

Her notable absence in Genesis 22 becomes even more problematic as Genesis 23 begins. There, we learn that Sarah has died at age 127 and that she was some 25 miles north of Beersheba at Kiryat Arba/Hebron when she died.

The text gives us no reason why Sarah, at such an advanced age, should be living so far from home. It also gives no indication that Abraham and Sarah were dwelling together at the period of her death. In fact, the opposite would appear to be the case. A bit further in the text, Genesis 23:19 states that "Abraham stayed in Beersheba," using the word [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] (va-yeshev), a verb nearly always used to indicate permanent residence. (2) Likewise, there is no indication that Sarah's beloved son Isaac is present at her funeral. Clearly, Abraham was not with her when she died; Genesis 23 unambiguously states this. The literal text explains that he traveled to Kiryat Arba/Hebron to mourn Sarah (Genesis 23:2). (3) Abraham has no permanent connection to Hebron (4); he says as much as he begins negotiating with the local inhabitants to purchase land for a family burial plot. Sarah, too, would seem to be unattached to the place where she died, for if she was a resident, it is inconceivable that Abraham would have needed to purchase a burial plot for her.

Where, then, was Sarah living for three decades--and more? As shall be shown below, Genesis 24:67 provides a major clue to Sarah's whereabouts when the Torah explains that after Isaac met Rebekah, he "brought her into the tent of his [now deceased] mother Sarah, and he took Rebekah as his wife."

Using primarily biblical texts, but also midrashic, traditional and modern commentaries, I propose solutions to the mystery surrounding Sarah's whereabouts during her final 30 years, why she died in the environs of Hebron, and the significance for Sarah of the locale of B'er L'chai Ro-i. (5) These suggestions are an alternative way of understanding the received tradition. The proposals in this article are speculation. Some may see this as a form of modern midrash, understanding the ancient text in a newly imaginative way. The speculation, however, is based on clues buried within the Genesis text. This rereading explains why, of all places, Isaac dwells for a time at B'er L'chai Ro-i. It fixes Isaac's age at the Akeidah at 13. It provides a different picture of the relationship between Sarah and Hagar. Finally, it offers an answer to Sarah's missing years.

In this strange and wonderful foundational narrative, many possibilities exist, possibilities in themselves that are both intriguing and full of intrigue. Biblical characters, just as we in our own day, have multiple reasons for saying what they do. The surface explanation may disguise hidden meanings. What is said, and what is meant, may be two different matters.

Where was Sarah?