9. Isaac Born, Ishmael Banished (Genesis 21)
by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson
Audio (32:41)
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Gustave Doré (1832-1883), "Hagar and Ishmael in the Wilderness,"
engraving from La Sainte Bible (1865). While Ishmael is depicted as a
child by most artists, he must have been about 16 when he and his mother were
sent away.
Larger image.
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This chapter contains extremes in emotion -- laughter and joy, jealousy,
rage, anguish, hopelessness, and finally life beyond despair. As you read it,
look to find yourself among the characters and listen for the word God would
speak to you in your situation.
The Birth of Isaac to Sarah (21:1-7)
Isaac has been a long time in coming. Ever since Abraham and Sarah were
married -- perhaps in Ur of the Chaldeans -- they have wanted children. Since
coming to Canaan, God has promised Abraham successively that he would have (1)
offspring, then (2) a son, and finally (3) a son by Sarah his wife. There have
been obstacles, to be sure. Beautiful Sarah is taken into Pharaoh's harem, then
delivered by God. In desperation, she gives her maidservant Hagar to Abraham and
now watches as Hagar's son Ishmael grows into a young man. Most recently Sarah
has been abducted once again, this time by Abimelech, king of Gerar, and is
again delivered by God. Now the day that she gives birth has come and she is
overjoyed.
"Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did
for Sarah what he had promised. Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to
Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him. Abraham gave
the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him. When his son Isaac was eight days
old, Abraham circumcised him, as God commanded him. Abraham was a hundred
years old when his son Isaac was born to him.
Sarah said, 'God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears
about this will laugh with me.' And she added, 'Who would have said to
Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his
old age.'" (21:1-7)
Notice how carefully the narrator records that the Lord did exactly what he
had promised he would do, when he said he would do it -- "at the very time God
had promised him" (21:2). God has been gracious to Sarah. "Gracious" (NIV),
"visited" (KJV), and "dealt with" (NRSV) translate the Hebrew verb pāqad
in verse 1. The basic meaning is "to exercise oversight over a subordinate,
either in the form of inspecting or of taking action to cause a considerable
change in the circumstances of the subordinate either for the better or for the
worse."[1] God as Sarah's divine overseer and suzerain has watched out for her
and blessed her with a child.
All around Abraham's camp there is laughing. Sarah exclaims, "God has brought
me laughter and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me" (21:6). The
baby's very name "Isaac" means "he laughs." This is the name God gave Abraham
when he first told him of the birth. Abraham had fallen facedown and laughed
when he heard it (17:17), so God told him, "Your wife Sarah will bear you a son,
and you will call him Isaac" -- he laughs (17:19). Isaac's name is forever a
reminder of how God keeps his word even though his servants may laugh at the
impossibility of the promise.
Ishmael Mocks Isaac (21:8-10)
Time passes and Isaac is weaned, perhaps by the time he is two or three.[2]
By now Isaac's step-brother Ishmael is probably 16 years old.
"The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned
Abraham held a great feast. But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the
Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, and she said to Abraham, 'Get rid
of that slave woman and her son, for that slave woman's son will never share
in the inheritance with my son Isaac.'" (21:8-10)
Just what did Ishmael do to so enrage Sarah? "Mocking" (NIV, KJV) or
"playing" (NRSV) is the Hebrew verb sāhaq. This is the word used for
laughter in verse 6 and the root of Isaac's name, yishāq, "he laughs."
But in the Piel stem, it can mean "to mock, to play." The word is used of Lot's
sons-in-law thinking that Lot was mocking them when he warned them of Sodom's
imminent destruction (19:14). Later in his life, Isaac was observed "sporting
with Rebekah his wife" (26:8), that is caressing or fondling her. When Joseph
rejected her, Potiphar's wife complains that her husband brought the Hebrew
slave into their house "to insult us" (NRSV), "to mock us" (KJV), "to make sport
of us" (NIV). This verb can refer to children playing (Zechariah 8:5),
tambourines and dancing (1 Samuel 18:6-7) or to celebrate (2 Samuel 6:5, 21).[3]
In our passage there seem to be two possibilities:
- Sarah sees Ishmael playing with her son, as if he's one of the
family, and becomes enraged that he is a member of the family. The NRSV's
translation "playing with her son Isaac" draws on the Septuagint and Vulgate
translations that include the words "with her son Isaac," which are missing in
the Hebrew Masoretic text.
- Sarah sees Ishmael mocking or making fun of Isaac -- or maybe even
hurting Isaac -- and becomes enraged that this son of a servant girl is
bothering her son, Abraham's heir. Paul says that Ishmael "persecuted" Isaac
(Galatians 4:29), perhaps referring to this incident -- whether by verbal or
physical abuse we don't know.[4]
At any rate, Sarah comes to Abraham in a tiff and demands, "Get rid of that
slave woman and her son, for that slave woman's son will never share in the
inheritance with my son Isaac." "Get rid of" (NIV) or "cast out" (KJV, NRSV) is
the Hebrew noun gārash. The root denotes "an effective separation between
persons or groups, expulsion." The word also functions in the Old Testament as
the term for divorce, though Sarah isn't asking Abraham to divorce Hagar, but to
disinherit Hagar's son Ishmael.[5]
"Share in the inheritance" (NIV), "be heir with" (KJV), or "inherit along
with" (NRSV) is the Hebrew verb yārash, which, in civil matters, means
"to become an heir."[6] The Code of Hammurabi (18th century BC) indicates that
the son of slave woman had a legal claim on his father's property.
"If his wife bear sons to a man, or his maid-servant have borne
sons, and the father while still living says to the children whom his
maid-servant has borne: "My sons," and he count them with the sons of his
wife; if then the father die, then the sons of the wife and of the
maid-servant shall divide the paternal property in common. The son of the
wife is to partition and choose."[7]
Could Sarah be asking Abraham to act contrary to legal principles? Perhaps
so, if the legal understanding represented by the Code of Hammurabi had
influence or standing in Canaan. Abraham's family came from Mesopotamia, so this
is possible.[8]
God Consoles Abraham regarding Ishmael (21:11-13)
"The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son.
But God said to him, 'Do not be so distressed about the boy and your
maidservant. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac
that your offspring will be reckoned. I will make the son of the maidservant
into a nation also, because he is your offspring.'" (21:11-13)
Abraham is devastated. "Distressed/distressing" (NIV, NRSV) or "grievous"
(KJV) is the Hebrew verb rā‘a‘, "be bad, evil." Here is seems to refer to
the experience of emotional pain.[9] Abraham loves this 16-year-old and has
looked on him as his heir, one who bears his genes (though the Hebrews would
have thought of this in terms of "seed"). Abraham has watched the child become a
young man, hunted with him, and begun to enjoy his company as an almost-grown
son. And now Sarah is determined to rid him and Hagar from the family once for
all.
But God gives Abraham a three-fold word:
- Abraham is to grant Sarah's demand that Hagar and Ishmael be sent
away.
- God reminds him that Isaac, not Ishmael, is to be the true heir to
the spiritual promises of God. Perhaps Abraham needs reminding. God has told him
this clearly before: "But my covenant I will establish with Isaac..."
(17:18-21), but perhaps he has put it out of his mind. God tells Abraham that
his offspring will be "named"[10] through Isaac.
- Abraham is assured that God will indeed bless Ishmael also, since he
too is Abraham's son. The blessing is that he will be looked to as the head of a
nation (see also 17:20). "Nation" in verses 13 and 18 is the Hebrew noun
gôy, "nation, people ... referring to specifically defined political,
ethnic or territorial groups of people."[11] Ishmael loses his inheritance as a
son, but gains an inheritance as a nation or people.
Have you ever had to endure a hard thing, something beyond you and your
ability to control events? This is how Abraham felt. Abraham still aches from
the pain of loss, but God consoles him with clear direction as well as insight
into what God is doing.
Hamilton comments,
"In one point Sarah is correct, but for the wrong reason: Ishmael
will not share the inheritance with Isaac, but that is not because of
Sarah's pettiness or jealously, or skullduggery. It is because God has
decreed that Abraham's line of promise will be continued through Isaac. Here
is an instance of God using the wrath of a human being to accomplish his
purposes. A family squabble becomes the occasion by which the sovereign
purposes and programs of God are forwarded."[12]
Verses 11-13 remind me of Judges 14:14, where Sampson impetuously chooses a
Philistine wife against his parents' wishes. The narrator explains, "His parents
did not know that this was from the Lord, who was seeking an occasion to
confront the Philistines...." Throughout the Bible, God is at work, in spite of
the pettiness or sinfulness of human beings, to work his will and bring about
his purposes (Joshua 11:20; 1 Kings 12:15; 2 Kings 6:3; 2 Chronicles 10:15; 2
Chronicles 22:7; 25:20; Psalm 115:3). Note that after Sarah's death, Abraham
marries again and fathers six sons, but also sends them away from his son Isaac
-- this time to the east, bearing gifts from his fortune to help sustain them
(25:6).
There is no way to second-guess God. But consider what we're told about
Ishmael's character. In 16:12 (and confirmed in 25:18) we are told, "He will be
a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand
against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers." Isaac's
character seems to be much more docile. If Ishmael had not been sent away when
he was, Isaac might not have been able to withstand him.
This passage brings up pain for many people. You may have been on the
receiving end of rejection -- from your father or mother, from your wife or
husband. You may have been sent away and are still struggling with the emotional
scars. Where is God? He is with you! God has not forsaken you, in spite
of the injustice and hurt and pain you have suffered. Just as God sustained
Hagar and Ishmael with his special help, so God will sustain you.
Recently, I heard a woman testify that she never knew her father. People
called her "illegitimate." But one day she met Jesus and became a part of the
family of God. "What can be more legitimate than to be part of God's family?"
she exalted. God looks out for the widow and the orphan -- especially
(Deuteronomy 10:18; Psalm 10:14-18; 68:5; 103:6; 146:9; Proverbs 23:10-11;
Jeremiah 49:11; James 1:27). "God sets the lonely in families" (Psalm 68:6) --
and for many, that family is the fellowship of the family of God.
Q3. In what ways has God blessed Abraham in this
difficult chapter 21? Given what we know about Ishmael's character (16:12;
25:18), how has Abraham been blessed that he sent him away? How has Isaac
been blessed? What might have happened if Ishmael hadn't been sent away?
Have you ever been rejected or sent away? Where is God in all of this?
http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/index.php?act=ST&f=60&t=259
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Abraham Sends Hagar and Ishmael Away (21:14-16)
"Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water
and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off
with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the desert of Beersheba.
When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of
the bushes. Then she went off and sat down nearby, about a bowshot away, for
she thought, 'I cannot watch the boy die.' And as she sat there nearby, she
began to sob." (21:14-16)
Abraham does this very hard thing "early the next morning" (21:14) after God
had spoken to him, just as he will begin his journey to sacrifice Isaac on Mt.
Moriah "early the next morning" (22:3). Abraham doesn't put off doing the hard
things, perhaps because he knows if he delays, he may never follow through.
Abraham is obedient to God.
Hagar wanders hopelessly in the desert around Beersheba where Abraham has
been staying.[13] When their water runs out, she lays her dying teenager under
the meager shelter of a desert shrub and goes where she can't see him. In her
hour of desperation, she utters one of the first prayers recorded in the Bible,
"Let me not look on the death of the child" (21:16).[14]
An Angel Helps Hagar and Ishmael (21:17-21)
Now Hagar begins to cry.[15] But it is not her cry, but
Ishmael's cry that prompts God's action. Ishmael is the special
recipient of Abraham's blessing -- and God's concern.
"God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from
heaven and said to her, 'What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God
has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Lift the boy up and take him by
the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.'
Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went
and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.
God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and
became an archer. While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got
a wife for him from Egypt." (21:17-21)
This is the second time that an angel of the Lord speaks to Hagar to protect
her and Ishmael (see 16:7-12). This time the angel tells her not to be
afraid, that God has heard the boy's voice. That she is not to quit, but to pick
up her son and take him by the hand. Then her eyes are opened to see a well in
the middle of the desert. Where death and desolation was all she could see a
minute before, now she sees hope. God promises a future for Ishmael and God
provides the sustenance they need to survive.
Growing up in the desert or wilderness may seem like a bleak prospect to you,
but, as part of Abraham's household, Hagar and Ishmael have been encamped at the
edge of the desert for years. If they have water, they know how to survive.
Mother and nearly-grown son now begin a life in the wilderness of Paran. This
location seems to be in the northeast section of the Sinai peninsula, southwest
of Edom and south of the wilderness of Zin near the Judean mountains, but as far
north as Kadesh or even Beer-sheba (Numbers 13:3, 26).[16] Ishmael grows to
manhood in the desert and becomes a skilled archer, no doubt killing small
animals that provide clothing and food for them. When he is older, Hagar returns
to her native Egypt and finds a wife for her son.
Hagar and Ishmael have been dealt a harsh blow, but with God's help they both
survive and eventually prosper. We don't see Ishmael again until he and Isaac
together bury their father 73 years hence (25:9). The Bible lists the names of
Ishmael's 12 sons, who become tribal leaders in their own right (25:13-16).
Ishmael himself lives to the age of 137 (25:17). The "nation" that Ishmael's
offspring begin to populate encompasses "the area from Havilah to Shur, near the
border of Egypt, as you go toward Asshur." (25:18)
Abraham Swears Faithfulness to Abimelech at Beer-sheba (21:22-24)
The narrator gives us another brief glimpse of life on the desert frontier --
water rights -- this time concerning Abraham's dealings with Abimelech. If you
recall in chapter 20 (which we considered in Lesson 2), about a year before
Isaac's birth, Abraham and Sarah had sojourned in Gerar, possibly because of a
famine or drought. At that time Abraham, fearful of being killed, tells
Abimelech, the Philistine king of Gerar, that Sarah is his sister. Sarah is
taken into the king's household, but doesn't have sexual relations with him
before God warns Abimelech, who immediately sets things right. Abimelech offers
1000 shekels of silver to cover the offense against Sarah and "brought sheep and
cattle and male and female slaves and gave them to Abraham" (20:14-16).
I recall these events to remind us that Abimelech and Abraham already have
some history together.
"At that time Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his forces said
to Abraham, 'God is with you in everything you do. Now swear to me here
before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or my
descendants. Show to me and the country where you are living as an alien the
same kindness (hesed) I have shown to you.' Abraham said, 'I swear
it.'" (21:22-24)
Why does Abimelech come with Phicol, his general, to parley with Abraham?
Because he sees God's blessing on him and fears him. He has heard the account of
Abraham and his private army of 310 men defeating the Mesopotamian army. Abraham
has lied to him before -- to prevent being killed when Abimelech abducts his
"sister." And God has told Abimelech that Abraham is a prophet. Abimelech has
seen Abraham's prayer heal him and his wives. Abraham is a man to be reckoned
with and Abimelech doesn't exactly trust him.
So Abimelech and his general come to Abraham, not as a military force seeking
to impose a treaty upon Abraham, but as a weaker people seeking to protect
themselves from one who might be a threat to them. Abimelech uses covenant
language in his request. In verses 27 and 32 -- "made a treaty" (NIV) or "made a
covenant" (KJV, NRSV) -- the narrator uses two words we've seen in Chapter 15
(Lesson 4) -- the verb kārat, "cut (make) a covenant" and the noun berit,
"covenant, treaty." "Deal falsely" in verse 23 is another word associated with
covenants. The Hebrew verb shāqar means, "deal falsely, be false." It is
used of the breaking of a promise, being false to a treaty or commitment.[17]
Abimelech asks Abraham to take a solemn oath to be faithful to their
relationship with each other.
"Kindness" (NIV, KJV) or "dealt loyally" (NRSV) in verse 23 is the Hebrew
noun hesed. There is some dispute among scholars about whether hesed
involves obligation "practiced in an ethically binding relationship of
relatives, hosts, allies, friends, and rulers" or whether hesed is freely
given, where "kindness" or "mercy" are more appropriate translations. Perhaps
the KJV translation "loving kindness," though archaic, is close to the mark.[18]
According to Hamilton, by the word hesed, Abimelech calls Abraham to
"behavior which is appropriate to a covenant relationship,"[19] that is,
kindness, mercy, and faithfulness to his word.
Abimelech asks Abraham to swear to these things and Abraham takes a solemn
oath. "Swear" in verse 24 is the Hebrew verb sheba’, "swear, seven." The
verb might be translated literally as "to seven oneself" or "to bind oneself by
seven things."[20]
Abimelech Acknowledges Abraham's Ownership of a Well (21:25-32)
We get a hint of this seven-fold nature of swearing in the next part of these
negotiations.
"Then Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well of water that
Abimelech's servants had seized. But Abimelech said, 'I don't know who has
done this. You did not tell me, and I heard about it only today.'
So Abraham brought sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech, and
the two men made a treaty. Abraham set apart seven ewe lambs from the flock,
and Abimelech asked Abraham, 'What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs
you have set apart by themselves?'
He replied, 'Accept these seven lambs from my hand as a witness that
I dug this well.'
So that place was called Beersheba, because the two men swore an
oath there.
After the treaty had been made at Beersheba, Abimelech and Phicol
the commander of his forces returned to the land of the Philistines."
(21:25-32)
Abimelech secures what he needs -- a peace treaty from an increasingly
powerful neighbor. As negotiations progress, Abraham also brings requests to the
table. It turns out that Abimelech's men have stolen a well that Abraham's men
have dug. In the desert, water rights are vital to survival. Abimelech disclaims
any knowledge of his men's actions and questions Abraham by saying, "This is the
first I've heard about this!"
But as they are exchanging gifts to seal their treaty,[21] Abraham makes it a
point to show Abimelech the seven female lambs he has set apart. Abimelech asks
about them, hoping to get even more in the bargain. This is what Abraham has
been waiting for. He offers the seven lambs to Abimelech with the agreement that
by accepting them, Abimelech accepts Abraham's stipulation that the well is
Abraham's.[22] So Abimelech accepts the seven ewe lambs -- with the strings
attached that he give up claim to the well.
Up to this time Beer-sheba has not been a town, but a settlement near a well.
Now it is named Beer-sheba, which means "well of seven," in reference to the
seven ewe lambs that confirmed in an oath Abraham's claim to the well. The
Hebrew words for "seven" and "oath" are the same (shāba‘).
Abraham Calls on El-Olam in Beer-sheba (21:33-34)
"Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called
upon the name of the LORD, the Eternal God. And
Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines[23] for a long time."
(21:33-34)
As we've seen in the past, Abraham has often dwelt near trees. The tamarisk
tree may be a kind of monument to God's faithfulness. Later, Jacob sets up a
pillar (28:22) and altar (33:20) in God's honor. However, there is no evidence
that Abraham offers under the trees the kind of pagan worship for which the
Canaanites were known -- idolatry and prostitution practiced "under every green
tree" (Deuteronomy 12:2; 1 Kings 14:23; 2 Kings 16:4; 17:10; 2 Chronicles 28:4;
Isaiah 57:5; Jeremiah 2:20; 3:6, 13; 17:2; Ezekiel 6:13; 20:47).
The Eternal God (21:33)
In Beer-sheba, Abraham realizes something important and special about God --
he "called upon the name of the LORD, the Eternal God."
Here Abraham uses a different name for God -- in Hebrew el-‘ôlām. El,
of course, is the generic word for God. ‘ôlām means
"forever, everlasting." The word is used more than three hundred times to
indicate indefinite continuance into the very distant future, and occasionally
to refer to the past as well.[24]
Abraham is an old, old man, but he recognizes that God will outlive him and
live on and on to bless his descendents after him. Abraham now understands God
as the One, who in Isaiah's words, "inhabits eternity" (Isaiah 57:15, NRSV). God
is "from everlasting to everlasting" (Psalm 41:13), his throne has been
established "from all eternity" (Psalm 93:2). We are just tiny specks in the
great expanse of time. "What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man
that you care for him?" (Psalm 8:4).
The amazing thing is that this eternal God cares about Abraham -- and you and
me. He doesn't owe us anything. He has no obligation toward us. We are peons in
his presence, but by his grace he reaches out toward us.
In the Middle Bronze Age he talks to Abraham and loves him, he blesses him
and his children after him. The Eternal God refers to Abraham as his "friend"
(James 2:23; Isaiah 41:8). In the twenty-first century, this same Eternal God
talks to us, loves us, and befriends
us.
Just as Abraham was struck with the realization of God's eternity, so we
discover that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever"
(Hebrews 13:8). Jesus and his Father are "the Alpha and the Omega, the First and
the Last, the Beginning and the End" (Revelation 1:8, 17-18; 21:6; 22:13).
Hallelujah!
When we unite our lives with Jesus Christ by faith and baptism, we unite
ourselves with the Eternal One and will share eternal life with him for ever and
ever. In this eternal life, God completes he plan for us that we read in John
3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that
whosoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life" -- with
the Eternal God.
Prayer
Thank you, Eternal God, El-Olam, for your awesome love toward Abraham and me,
and my brothers and sisters. We don't deserve your love, but you love us in
spite of ourselves. We struggle with your plan for our lives. Sometimes we face
hard things that we don't understand -- and may never understand in this
lifetime. But we do trust you. O Eternal One, who revealed yourself in Jesus
Christ. We do trust you. Amen and Amen!
Key Verses
"But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was
mocking, and she said to Abraham, 'Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for
that slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.'"
(Genesis 21:9-10)
"Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called upon the
name of the Lord, the Eternal God." (Genesis 21:33)
References
Common Abbreviations
http://www.jesuswalk.com/abraham/refs.htm
- TWOT #1802, citing Speiser, BASOR 149:21, for a root meaning of
"attend to with care" or "take note."
- We're not sure at what age a child was weaned, perhaps as old as three (2
Maccabees 7:27) or even older (1 Samuel 1:22, 24).
- J. Barton Payne, TWOT #1905; Hamilton, Genesis 2:78-79.
- The Greek verb is diōkō, "to harass someone, especially because of
beliefs, persecute" (BDAG 254).
- Harold G. Stigers, TWOT #388. Adam and Even were driven out of the Garden of
Eden (3:24), Cain expelled for murdering Abel (4:14), and the Israelites are
expelled from Egypt (Exodus 6:1; 10:11; 11:1; 12:39).
- John E. Hartley, TWOT #920. In military matters yārash means to gain
control over a certain area by conquering and expelling the current inhabitants
of that area, "dispossess, drive out, cast out, seize." In Israel's history it
takes on its double force -- to inherit and to dispossess.
- Code of Hammurabi, §§ 170.
- Hamilton, Genesis 2:80, note 27.
- G. Herbert Livingston, TWOT #2191.
- "Reckoned" (NIV), "called" (KJV), or "named for you" (NRSV) is the common
Hebrew verb qārā’, "call, name" (Leonard J. Coppes, TWOT #2063.
- Gerard Van Groningen, TWOT #326e.
- Hamilton, Genesis 2:81.
- "Wandered" is the Hebrew verb tā‘ā, "err, stagger, stray, wander."
This is the verb used in the familiar passage, "All we like sheep have gone
astray..." (Isaiah 53:6) (Ronald F. Youngblood, TWOT #2531). Hamilton (Genesis
2:83, note 34) translates it, "wandered hopelessly," citing Trible (Other
Woman, p. 234): "The verb wander (t‘h) connotes uncertainty, lack or
loss of direction, and even destitution."
- Unlike the NIV, which records Hagar's reflections as a thought, the Hebrew
uses the word ’āmar, which usually means, "speak, say" (Charles L.
Feinberg, TWOT #118).
- "Began to sob" (NIV) translates two verbs "she lifted up her voice and wept"
(KJV, NRSV). "Wept" is the Hebrew verb bākā, "to weep, cry, shed tears"
(John N. Oswalt, TWOT #243).
- Hamilton, Genesis 2:85; Victor P. Hamilton, TWOT #1728.
- Hermann J. Austel, TWOT #2461.
- R. Laird Harris, TWOT #698.
- Hamilton, Genesis 2:89, who cites Sakenfeld, Meaning of Hesed,
p. 72.
- BDB 989; Gary G. Cohen, TWOT #2318.
- The gifts should not be seen as a bribe, but "a gift to cement a pact of
friendship" (Hamilton, Genesis 2:91).
- Hamilton (Genesis 2:92) observes: "In accepting [the ewe lambs]
Abimelech becomes involved in a legal transaction which binds him as a witness
to the fact that Abraham is the legitimate owner of this particular well. The
lambs are to be 'a witness' (or 'proof,' ‘ēdā). No sacrificial activity
is involved, nor is there any covenant meal. The parties swear to the pact
simply in words. In accepting the lambs, Abimelech releases rights over the well
and concedes ownership to the patriarch." Perhaps you can recall a similar kind
of legal transaction in the Book of Ruth (chapter 4). Boaz offers Naomi's next
of kin the opportunity to redeem a piece of land, that is buy it from Naomi, but
when the man accepts it Boaz mentions that with the land he is obligated to take
Ruth and beget children by her. The cost of the "gift" is too much, and the man
relinquishes his right to Ruth -- and Boaz is free to marry her.
- Hamilton sees the Philistines of Genesis as the first wave of Sea Peoples
from the Aegean, and that the later Philistines represent the last wave (about
1200 BC). "These early Philistines would then represent some earlier Aegean
group, such as the Caphtorim from Crete" (Hamilton, Genesis 2:94).
- Allan A. MacRae, TWOT #1631a.
Part of Disciple Lessons
from the Faith of Abraham
Copyright © 1985-2012, Ralph F. Wilson. <pastor
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