Genesis 21: Isaac is born, and Hagar and Ishmael are sent away
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What happens?
Sarah gives birth to Isaac, as God had said, when Abraham is 100 years old. Sarah wants Hagar and her son sent away; God tells Abraham to listen to her, and then cares for the mother and boy in the wilderness. Abraham and Abimelech swear an oath at a well, and the place is named Beersheba.
Who is speaking?
The narrator tells the story. Sarah, Hagar, Abraham, Abimelech and the angel of God speak. God's own words are in 2 of the 34 verses: he tells Abraham to listen to Sarah (verses 12-13). The angel of God's words to Hagar (verses 17-18) are not gold, because the text gives them to the angel. God's own words are printed in gold, and those verses are marked God speaks
1Yahweh visited Sarah as he had said, and Yahweh did to Sarah as he had spoken.
In plain English: Yahweh visited Sarah (or: took note of her) as he had said, and Yahweh did for Sarah what he had spoken.
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2Sarah conceived, and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.
In plain English: Sarah became pregnant and gave Abraham a son in his old age, at the very time God had told him.
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3Abraham called his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.
In plain English: Abraham named his son Isaac, the son born to him, whom Sarah bore him.
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4Abraham circumcised his son, Isaac, when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.
In plain English: Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.
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5Abraham was one hundred years old when his son, Isaac, was born to him.
In plain English: Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac was born to him.
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6Sarah said, “God has made me laugh. Everyone who hears will laugh with me.”
In plain English: Sarah said, "God has made me laugh. Everyone who hears about it will laugh with me (or: laugh at me)."
The Hebrew words: "Laugh" is tsachaq and "laughter" is tsechoq. The name Isaac, Yitschaq, sounds like them. In this verse "will laugh" is written with the same letters as the name.
Good to know: Abraham () and Sarah () both laughed when they were told they would have a son, and God gave him the name Isaac ().
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7She said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne him a son in his old age.”
In plain English: She said, "Who would have told Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have given him a son in his old age."
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8The child grew and was weaned. Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.
In plain English: The child grew and was weaned. On the day Isaac was weaned, Abraham held a great feast.
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9Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking.
In plain English: Sarah saw the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham mocking (or: laughing, playing).
The Hebrew word: "Mocking" is metsacheq, from tsachaq, the same word as "laugh" in . It can mean laughing, playing, or making fun.
How it is translated: In the 12 verses that use it, this Bible says "laugh" in 5 and "mock" in 3. It is "caressing" in and "play" in .
What changes: Read as "laughing" or "playing", the verse does not say the boy did anything wrong. Read as "mocking", he was making fun, but the verse does not say of whom.
Church tradition: Paul reads Hagar and Sarah as a picture of two covenants (). He says the son born "according to the flesh persecuted" the son born "according to the Spirit", and he quotes (). Genesis 21 itself does not explain the story this way.
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10Therefore she said to Abraham, “Cast out this servant and her son! For the son of this servant will not be heir with my son, Isaac.”
In plain English: So she said to Abraham, "Send this servant woman and her son away! The son of this servant woman will not share the inheritance with my son Isaac."
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11The thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight on account of his son.
In plain English: This upset Abraham very much, because of his son.
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12God said to Abraham, “Don’t let it be grievous in your sight because of the boy, and because of your servant. In all that Sarah says to you, listen to her voice. For your offspring will be named through Isaac.God speaks
In plain English: God said to Abraham, "Do not be upset about the boy and your servant woman. Listen to Sarah in everything she tells you, because your offspring will be named (or: counted) through Isaac.
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13I will also make a nation of the son of the servant, because he is your child.”God speaks
In plain English: I will also make the servant woman's son into a nation, because he is your child."
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14Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread and a container of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder; and gave her the child, and sent her away. She departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.
In plain English: Abraham got up early in the morning. He took bread and a container of water and gave them to Hagar, putting them on her shoulder, and he gave her the boy (or: and put the boy on her shoulder too) and sent her away. She left and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.
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15The water in the container was spent, and she put the child under one of the shrubs.
In plain English: When the water in the container was used up, she put the boy under one of the bushes.
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16She went and sat down opposite him, a good way off, about a bow shot away. For she said, “Don’t let me see the death of the child.” She sat opposite him, and lifted up her voice, and wept.
In plain English: She went and sat down facing him, a good way off, about as far as an arrow flies, because she said, "Let me not see the child die." She sat there facing him, and she cried out loud and wept.
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17God heard the voice of the boy. The angel of God called to Hagar out of the sky, and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Don’t be afraid. For God has heard the voice of the boy where he is.
In plain English: God heard the boy's voice. The angel of God called to Hagar from the sky and said to her, "What is wrong, Hagar? Do not be afraid, because God has heard the boy's voice there where he is.
Good to know: The boy is not named in this chapter. When he was named Ishmael, the reason given was "Yahweh has heard" (). Here the verse says twice that God heard him. The Hebrew for "God heard" sounds like his name.
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18Get up, lift up the boy, and hold him with your hand. For I will make him a great nation.”
In plain English: Get up, lift the boy up, and hold him by the hand, because I will make him into a great nation."
Good to know: The angel speaks about God ("God has heard", ), then says "I will make him a great nation", much like God's own promise in . The text does not explain this.
Church tradition: Some churches read "the angel of God" as God himself appearing. Others read him as an angel who speaks for God. Genesis 21 does not say which.
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19God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. She went, filled the container with water, and gave the boy a drink.
In plain English: Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. She went and filled the container with water and gave the boy a drink.
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20God was with the boy, and he grew. He lived in the wilderness, and as he grew up, he became an archer.
In plain English: God was with the boy, and he grew. He lived in the wilderness, and as he grew up he became an archer.
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21He lived in the wilderness of Paran. His mother got a wife for him out of the land of Egypt.
In plain English: He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother found him a wife from the land of Egypt.
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22At that time, Abimelech and Phicol the captain of his army spoke to Abraham, saying, “God is with you in all that you do.
In plain English: At that time Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham, "God is with you in everything you do.
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23Now, therefore, swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son’s son. But according to the kindness that I have done to you, you shall do to me, and to the land in which you have lived as a foreigner.”
In plain English: So now swear to me here by God that you will not deceive me, or my son, or my grandson. Show me, and the land where you have lived as a foreigner, the same kindness I have shown you."
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24Abraham said, “I will swear.”
In plain English: Abraham said, "I will swear."
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25Abraham complained to Abimelech because of a water well, which Abimelech’s servants had violently taken away.
In plain English: Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well of water that Abimelech's servants had taken by force.
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26Abimelech said, “I don’t know who has done this thing. You didn’t tell me, and I didn’t hear of it until today.”
In plain English: Abimelech said, "I do not know who did this. You did not tell me, and I did not hear about it until today."
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27Abraham took sheep and cattle, and gave them to Abimelech. Those two made a covenant.
In plain English: Abraham took sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant (a binding agreement).
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28Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.
In plain English: Abraham set seven female lambs from the flock apart by themselves.
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29Abimelech said to Abraham, “What do these seven ewe lambs, which you have set by themselves, mean?”
In plain English: Abimelech asked Abraham, "What do these seven female lambs that you have set apart mean?"
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30He said, “You shall take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, that it may be a witness to me, that I have dug this well.”
In plain English: He said, "Take these seven female lambs from me, as a witness for me that I dug this well."
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31Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because they both swore an oath there.
In plain English: So he named that place Beersheba, because the two of them swore an oath there.
The Hebrew words: Be'er means a well. Sheba sounds like both "seven" and "swore", so Beersheba can be heard as "well of the oath" or "well of seven".
Good to know: The verse links the name to the oath. The seven lambs () fit the other meaning. Beersheba is named again in , when Isaac's servants find water there.
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32So they made a covenant at Beersheba. Abimelech rose up with Phicol, the captain of his army, and they returned into the land of the Philistines.
In plain English: So they made a covenant at Beersheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, got up and went back to the land of the Philistines.
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33Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of Yahweh, the Everlasting God.
In plain English: Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of Yahweh, the Everlasting God.
Good to know: "The Everlasting God" is El Olam. El is a word for God, and olam means a very long time, or forever.
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34Abraham lived as a foreigner in the land of the Philistines many days.
In plain English: Abraham lived as a foreigner in the land of the Philistines for a long time.
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