Genesis 21:7-17

7 And again she said, Who should hear, and believe to Abraham (And she added, For who would have said to Abraham), that Sarah should give sucking to a son, whom she childed to him, (when he is) now an eld man?
8 Therefore the child increased, and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast in the day of his weaning (and Abraham made a great feast on the day of his weaning).
9 And when Sarah saw the son of Hagar (the) Egyptian, playing, or doing idolatry, with Isaac her son, (And when Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, mocking her son Isaac,)
10 she said to Abraham, Cast out this handmaid and her son; for the son of the handmaid shall not be heir with my son Isaac. (she said to Abraham, Send away this slave-girl and her son; for the slave-girl's son shall not be heir with my son Isaac.)
11 Abraham took this heavily for his son; (And Abraham took this heavily, or was deeply troubled, for Ishmael was also his son;)
12 and God said to him, Be it not seen sharp to thee on the child, and on thine handmaid; all things which Sarah saith to thee, hear thou her voice, for in Isaac (the) seed shall be called to thee; (but God said to him, Do not thou fret over the boy and the slave-girl; hear thou all the things which Sarah saith to thee, for thy promised descendants shall come through Isaac;)
13 but also I shall make the son of the handmaid into a great folk, for he is thy seed. (but I shall also make the son of the slave-girl into a great nation, for he is also thy descendant.)
14 And so Abraham rose early, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and put it on Hagar's shoulder, and he betook (to) her the child , and let go her; and when she had gone, she went out of the way in the wilderness of Beersheba. (And so Abraham rose up early, and took some bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it to Hagar, and put it on her shoulder, and he gave the boy to her, and sent her away; and when she had gone out a ways, she went off the way into the wilderness of Beersheba.)
15 And when the water in the bottle was ended, she cast away the child under a tree that was there; (And when there was no more water in the bottle, she pushed the boy away under a tree that was there;)
16 and she went away, and she sat (down) even against (him), as far as a bow may cast; for she said, I shall not see the child dying (I shall not watch my own child die!); and she sat (over) against (him), and raised [up] her voice, and wept.
17 Forsooth the Lord heard the voice of the child, and the angel of the Lord called Hagar from heaven, and said, What doest thou, Hagar? do not thou dread, for God hath heard the voice of the child, from the place wherein he is. (And the Lord heard the boy crying, and the angel of the Lord called to Hagar from heaven, and said, What doest thou, Hagar? do not thou fear, for God hath heard your boy crying from where he is.)

Genesis 21:7-17 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.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.