Genesis 21:9-34

Sarah Turns against Hagar

9 Now Sarah saw ¹the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, ²mocking.

10 Therefore she said to Abraham, "³Drive out this maid and her son, for the son of this maid shall not be an heir with my son Isaac."

11 ⁴The matter distressed Abraham greatly because * of his son.

12 But God said to Abraham, "Do not be distressed because of the lad and your maid; whatever * Sarah tells you, listen to her, for ⁵through Isaac your descendants shall be named.

13 "And of ⁶the son of the maid I will make a nation also, because he is your descendant."

14 So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar, putting them on her shoulder, and gave her the boy, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered about in the wilderness of Beersheba.

15 When the water in the skin was used up, she left the boy under one of the bushes.

16 Then she went and sat down opposite * him, about a bowshot * away, for she said, "Do not let me see the boy die." And she sat opposite * him, and ⁷lifted up her voice and wept.

17 God ⁸heard the lad crying; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, "What is the matter with you, Hagar? ⁹Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the lad where * he is.

18 "Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him by the hand, ¹⁰for I will make a great nation of him."

19 Then God ¹¹opened her eyes and she saw ¹²a well of water; and she went and filled the skin with water and gave the lad a drink.

20 ¹³God was with the lad, and he grew; and he lived in the wilderness and became an archer *.

21 ¹⁴He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

Covenant with Abimelech

22 Now it came about at that time that ¹⁵Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, "¹⁶God is with you in all that you do;

23 now therefore, ¹⁷swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my offspring or with my posterity, but according to the kindness that I have shown to you, you shall show to me and to the land in which you have sojourned."

24 Abraham said, "I swear it."

25 But Abraham complained to Abimelech because * of the well of water which the servants of Abimelech ¹⁸had seized.

26 And Abimelech said, "I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, nor * did I hear of it until today."

27 Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and ¹⁹the two of them made a covenant.

28 Then Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.

29 Abimelech said to Abraham, "What do these seven ewe lambs mean, which you have set by themselves?"

30 He said, "You shall take these seven ewe lambs from my hand so that it may be a ²⁰witness to me, that I dug this well."

31 Therefore * he called that place ²¹Beersheba, because there the two of them took an oath.

32 So they made a covenant at Beersheba; and Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, arose and returned to the land of the Philistines.

33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there ²²he called on the name of the LORD, the ²³Everlasting God.

34 And Abraham sojourned ²⁴in the land of the Philistines for many days.

Genesis 21:9-34 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.

Cross References

• 1. Gen 16:1, 4, 15
• 2. Galatians 4:29
• 3. Galatians 4:30
• 4. Genesis 17:18
• 5. Romans 9:7; Hebrews 11:18
• 6. Genesis 16:10; Genesis 21:18; Genesis 25:12-18
• 7. Jeremiah 6:26; Amos 8:10
• 8. Exodus 3:7; Deuteronomy 26:7; Psalms 6:8
• 9. Genesis 26:24
• 10. Genesis 16:10; Genesis 21:13; Genesis 25:12-16
• 11. Numbers 22:31; 2 Kings 6:17
• 12. Genesis 16:7, 14
• 13. Genesis 28:15; Genesis 39:2, 3, 21
• 14. Genesis 25:18
• 15. Genesis 20:2, 14; Genesis 26:26
• 16. Genesis 26:28; Isaiah 8:10
• 17. Joshua 2:12; 1 Samuel 24:21
• 18. Gen 26:15, 18, 20-22
• 19. Genesis 26:31
• 20. Genesis 31:48
• 21. Genesis 21:14; Genesis 26:33
• 22. Genesis 12:8
• 23. Exodus 15:18; Deuteronomy 32:40; Psalms 90:2; Psalms 93:2; Isaiah 40:28; Jeremiah 10:10; Habakkuk 1:12; Hebrews 13:8
• 24. Genesis 22:19

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "playing"
• [b]. Lit "with Isaac"
• [c]. Lit "was very grievous in Abraham's sight"
• [d]. Lit "Do not let it be grievous in your sight"
• [e]. Lit "your seed will be called"
• [f]. Lit "seed"
• [g]. I.e. a skin used as a bottle
• [h]. Lit "cast"
• [i]. Lit "look upon the death of the child"
• [j]. Lit "your"
• [k]. V 14, note 1
• [l]. Lit "dwelt"
• [m]. Lit "dwelt"
• [n]. Lit "reproved"
• [o]. Lit "except"