Genesis 21:17-27

17 God heard the voice of the boy, and the[a] angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, "What's wrong, Hagar? Don't be afraid, for God has heard the voice of the boy from the place where he is.
18 Get up, help the boy up, and sustain him, for I will make him a great nation."
19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the waterskin and gave the boy a drink.
20 God was with the boy, and he grew; he settled in the wilderness and became an archer.
21 He settled in the Wilderness of Paran, and his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

Abraham's Covenant with Abimelech

22 At that time Abimelech, with Phicol the commander of his army, said to Abraham, "God is with you in everything you do.
23 Now swear to me here by God that you will not break an agreement with me or with my children and descendants. As I have kept faith with you, so you will keep faith with me and with the country where you are a resident alien."
24 And Abraham said, "I swear [it]."
25 But Abraham complained to Abimelech because of the water well that Abimelech's servants had seized.
26 Abimelech replied, "I don't know who did this thing. You didn't report anything to me, so I hadn't heard about it until today."
27 Then Abraham took sheep and cattle[b] and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant.

Genesis 21:17-27 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS 21

This chapter gives an account of the conception, birth, circumcision, and weaning of Isaac, Ge 21:1-8; of the mocking of Ishmael, and of the casting out of him and his mother from Abraham's house, at the request of Sarah, which, though grievous to Abraham, he complied with at the direction of God, Ge 21:9-13; of the provision Abraham made for their departure, and of the supply they met with in the wilderness from God, where Ishmael was brought up, and where he married, Ge 21:14-21; and of a covenant between Abraham and Abimelech, king of Gerar, Ge 21:22-32; and of Abraham's planting a grove, and calling on the name of the Lord, Ge 21:33; and the chapter is closed with this observation, that Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines many days, Ge 21:34.

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. Or an
  • [b]. A covenant or treaty was regularly ratified by animal sacrifice (Gn 8:20-9:9; 15:9-17; Ex 24:8) and often involved an exchange of gifts (1 Kg 15:19; Hs 12:1). The animals here could serve both purposes.
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