And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have born him a son in his old age.

And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should give children suck? For I have borne him a son in his old age.

And again she said: Who would believe that Abraham should hear that Sara gave suck to a son, whom she bore to him in his old age.

And she said, Who would have said to Abraham, Sarah will suckle children? For I have borne him a son in his old age.

She saith also, 'Who hath said to Abraham, Sarah hath suckled sons, that I have born a son for his old age?'

And she said, Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would have a child at her breast? for see, I have given him a son now when he is old.

And again, she said: "Hearing this, who would believe Abraham, that Sarah breast-fed a son, to whom she gave birth, despite being elderly?"

Et dixit, Quis nuntiasset Abrahae lactare filios Sarah? quia peperi filium in senectute ejus.

Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? I understand the future tense to be here put for the subjunctive mood. And the meaning is, that such a thing would never have entered into the mind of any one. Whence she concludes, that God alone was the Author of it; and she now condemns herself for ingratitude because she had been so slow in giving credit to the angel who had told her of it. Now, since she speaks of children in the plural number, the Jews, according to their custom, invent the fable, that whereas a rumor was spread, that the child was supposititious, a great number of infants were brought by the neighbors, in order that Sarah, by suckling them, might prove herself a mother. As if, truly, this might not easily be known, when they saw Isaac hanging on her breast, [1] and as if this was not a more clear and distinct proof, that the milk, pressed out by the fingers, flowed before their eyes. But the Jews are doubly foolish and infatuated, as not perceiving, that this form of expression is of exactly the same import, as if Sarah had called herself a nurse. Meanwhile, it is to be observed, that Sarah joins the office of nurse with that of mother; for the Lord does not in vain prepare nutriment for children in their mothers' bosoms, before they are born. But those on whom he confers the honor of mothers, he, in this way, constitutes nurses; and they who deem it a hardship to nourish their own offspring, break, as far as they are able, the sacred bond of nature. If disease, or anything of that kind, is the hindrance, they have a just excuse; but for mothers voluntarily, and for their own pleasure, to avoid the trouble of nursing, and thus to make themselves only half-mothers, is a shameful corruption.

Footnotes

1 - It is here added, "Ac non clarior, et in promptu fuerit demonstratio, si lac digitis expressum ante oculos fluxisset."

And she said, (b) Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have born [him] a son in his old age.
(b) She accuses herself of ingratitude, that she did not believe the angel.

And she said, who would have said unto Abraham,.... No one a year ago could ever have thought of such a thing, much less have come and told Abraham that he should have a child or children by Sarah; the thing was incredible, and next to impossible; none but God himself, or an angel from him, could have declared this, as none but he could bring it about, the thing is so marvellous and astonishing:
that Sarah should have given children suck? that she who was ninety years of age should bear a child, and suckle it, as she did; and in doing which she set an example to her daughters to do the like, since neither age nor grandeur, nor the business of her family, were any objection to this duty of nature; and her being able to do this was a clear proof that this was truly a child of her own. The plural number may be put for the singular, as it often is, see Genesis 46:23; or Sarah might think, as she had strength given her to bear and suckle one child, she might bear and suckle more; though the phrase seems only to be expressive and descriptive of her as a nursing mother:
for I have borne him a son in his old age; See Gill on Genesis 21:2.