Did Abraham separate with Sarah after sending away Ishmael?

Question

The last time Sarah is with Abraham is when she sent away Ishmael.It is said this grieved Abraham so much

Genesis 21:10-11 ESV

So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac.” And the thing was very displeasing to Abraham on account of his son.

The next chapter deals only with Isaac and Abraham when he offered Isaac at Mount Moriah and there is no mention of Sarah

Genesis 22:1-2 ESV

After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”

It is only in chapter 23 that she is mentioned to have died at Kiriath Arba in Hebron

Genesis 23:2 ESV

Sarah died at Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.

Prior to the death of Sarah Abraham is said to have been living in Beer-sheba

Genesis 21:33-34 ESV

Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called there on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God. And Abraham sojourned many days in the land of the Philistines.

There is a curious statement which says Abraham went ot mourn his dead in Hebron

Genesis 23:2 ESV

And Sarah died at Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.

Did Abraham live with Sarah when she died?

Answer 1

The OP is not the first to observe this "separation" of Abraham and Sarah in their story.

However, I suggest that this marriage separation occurred after Abraham was instructed to offer Isaac as a sacrifice on Mt Moriah (near Jerusalem) as the OP's selected history shows. It was after the "sacrifice of Isaac" (Gen 22) and not the banishment if Ishmael, that Sarah lived in Kiriath-Arba (that is, Hebron).

This separation was probably for at least two reasons:

• Sarah was very angry with Abraham for such an act of child sacrifice, even though it was aborted
• Abraham was living in Beersheba, a long way from Hebron and perhaps, Sarah wanted to be closer to where Isaac was "sacrificed" to prevent a repetition.

[I pause to not that Mt Moriah was later called Mt Zion where the temple was built. 2 Chron 3:1.]

It was later, after the death of Sarah (Gen 23), that both Abraham and Isaac lived in Hebron (Gen 35:27, 37:14).