Genesis 21:15

15 And the water was exhausted from the flask; and she cast the child under one of the shrubs,

Genesis 21:15 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 21:15

And the water was spent in the bottle
It was all drank up by them, being thirsty, having wandered about some time in a wilderness, where they could not replenish their bottle: the Jewish writers say F5 that when Hagar came into the wilderness, she began to wander after the idols of the house of Pharaoh her father, and immediately the water ceased from the bottle, or was drank up by Ishmael, being seized with a burning fever:

and she cast the child under one of the shrubs;
not from off her shoulder, but out of her hand or bosom; being faint through thirst, he was not able to walk, and she, being weary in dragging him along in her hand, perhaps sat down and held him in her lap, and laid him in her bosom; but, imagining he was near his end, she laid him under one of the shrubs in the wilderness, to screen him from the scorching sun, and there left him; the Greek version is, "under one of the fir trees", and so says Josephus F6: some Jewish writers F7 call them juniper trees; and some make this to be Ishmael's own act, and say, that, being fatigued with thirst, he went and threw himself under the nettles of the wilderness F8, see ( Job 30:7 ) .


FOOTNOTES:

F5 Pirke Eliezer, ut supra. (c. 30.) Targ. Jon. in loc.
F6 Antiqu. l. 1. c. 12. sect. 3.
F7 Bereshit, ut supra. (sect. 53. fol. 47. 4.)
F8 Pirke Eliezer, ut supra. (c. 30.)

Genesis 21:15 In-Context

13 But also the son of the handmaid will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.
14 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a flask of water, and gave [it] to Hagar, putting [it] on her shoulder -- and the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.
15 And the water was exhausted from the flask; and she cast the child under one of the shrubs,
16 and she went and sat down over against [him], a bow-shot off; for she said, Let me not behold the death of the child. And she sat over against [him], and lifted up her voice and wept.
17 And God heard the voice of the lad. And the Angel of God called to Hagar from the heavens, and said to her, What [aileth] thee, Hagar? Fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad there, where he is.
The Darby Translation is in the public domain.