Why Does Jehovah Ask Abraham, “Is Anything Too Hard for Jehovah?” (Genesis 18:14)?
- Edward D. Andrews
- 22 hours ago
- 3 min read
The Setting of Genesis 18 and the Weight of the Promise
Genesis 18 places Abraham at the terebinths of Mamre, living as a resident alien in Canaan while holding firmly to Jehovah’s covenant promise that his offspring would become a great nation. Jehovah had already clarified that the covenant line would come through Sarah, not through human shortcuts or cultural expectations (Genesis 17:15–21). The tension in the narrative is not whether Abraham and Sarah want the promise, but whether the promise can arrive through bodies that have reached old age. Sarah’s laughter, therefore, is not presented as playful humor; it functions as a window into the limits of human strength and the temptation to measure Jehovah’s word by human capacity.
When Jehovah asks, “Is anything too hard for Jehovah?” (Genesis 18:14), He is not requesting information. He is confronting the silent calculations of the human heart. The question exposes the real issue: whether faith will rest on what Abraham and Sarah can see and feel, or whether faith will rest on what Jehovah has spoken. The passage anchors the promise to Jehovah’s appointed time: “At the appointed time I will return to you … and Sarah will have a son” (Genesis 18:14). The certainty is not grounded in Abraham’s vitality or Sarah’s fertility, but in Jehovah’s faithfulness and power.
The Meaning of “Too Hard” and Jehovah’s Absolute Ability
The force of Genesis 18:14 is not merely that Jehovah can do difficult things; it is that nothing He has purposed is beyond His ability to carry out. In the Hebrew expression, the idea is that nothing is “too extraordinary,” “too wonderful,” or “too difficult” for Jehovah to accomplish when He has declared it. This is why the question is framed in covenant context. Jehovah is not offering Abraham generic optimism. He is tying Abraham’s confidence to Jehovah’s character as the God Who speaks truthfully and acts powerfully.
Scripture consistently presents Jehovah as the One for Whom creation itself is not a barrier but an expression of His will. Jeremiah prays, “Nothing is too difficult for you” (Jeremiah 32:17), and the point is not poetic exaggeration. It is theological reality: Jehovah’s power is never in competition with created limitations. Likewise, when the angel speaks of the virgin conception, the statement carries the same theological logic: “With God nothing will be impossible” (Luke 1:37). In each case, the message is the same: Jehovah’s word stands because Jehovah stands behind it.
Why Jehovah Uses a Question Instead of a Lecture
Jehovah’s question serves several pastoral and spiritual purposes at once. First, it corrects unbelief without crushing the person. Jehovah’s correction is direct, but it is framed to draw Abraham and Sarah back to truth rather than to humiliate them. Second, it calls them to examine what they have allowed to govern their expectations. Sarah has measured the promise by the reality of her age; Jehovah calls her to measure reality by His promise. Third, it teaches that faith is not a vague feeling but a settled confidence in Jehovah’s ability to do what He says at the time He appoints.
This is why the narrative includes Sarah’s denial—“I did not laugh”—and Jehovah’s calm exposure—“No, but you did laugh” (Genesis 18:15). Jehovah is not confused by our attempts to hide doubt behind polite words. He addresses what is real, because He is committed to forming genuine trust. He does not ask Abraham and Sarah to pretend they are strong. He teaches them to rely on Him precisely where they are weak.
How This Question Strengthens Faith Without Feeding Presumption
Genesis 18:14 is not permission to invent desires and then demand Jehovah fulfill them. The question is tied to a specific word Jehovah has spoken and a specific purpose He has declared. Biblical faith is confidence in Jehovah’s promises, not confidence in human wishes baptized with religious language. Abraham’s faith grows as Jehovah’s word becomes the controlling reference point for what Abraham expects (Genesis 21:1–2). “Jehovah visited Sarah as he had said,” and the text intentionally stacks phrases that emphasize Jehovah’s reliability: “as he had said,” “as he had promised,” “at the appointed time” (Genesis 21:1–2).
The same pattern appears in Christian living. Believers are called to pray with confidence, to ask according to Jehovah’s will, and to trust that He hears and answers in harmony with His purpose (1 John 5:14). Genesis 18:14 trains the heart to stop treating human limitation as the final word. It also trains the heart to treat Jehovah’s spoken promises as more solid than shifting circumstances. That is the difference between living by sight and living by faith anchored to Scripture.
About the Author
EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. He has authored over 220+ books. In addition, Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV).
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