I. Name
The name of the matriarch Sarah śārâ (Gen. 12–15; Gen. 49.31; Isa. 51.2), alternatively spelled śārāy (Gen. 11–17), is derived from a noun *śarr- ‘sovereign; prince’, the name meaning ‘princess’ or the like (Zadok 1988:148; pace HALAT 1262). The Book of Tobit relates about another Sarah, daughter of Raguel destined to become the wife of Tobias (Tob. 2.8–9). Several proposals have been made to connect Sarah with a goddess.
II. Identity
Sarah has been interpreted as the goddess of Machpelah (Cybele; Meyer 1906:270; Gressma…