Genesis 21
21
The Birth of Isaac
1The Lord came to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised.#Gn 17:16; 18:10; Gl 4:23 2Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time God had told him.#Gn 17:21; 18:10,14; Heb 11:11 3Abraham named his son who was born to him — the one Sarah bore to him — Isaac.#Gn 17:19 4When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God had commanded him.#Gn 17:10,12; Ac 7:8 5Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.#Gn 17:1,17; Rm 4:19
6Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and everyone who hears will laugh with me.”#21:6 Isaac = He Laughs; Gn 17:19#Gn 18:12–15 7She also said, “Who would have told Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne a son for him#21:7 Sam, Tg Jonathan; MT omits him in his old age.”
Hagar and Ishmael Sent Away
8The child grew and was weaned, and Abraham held a great feast on the day Isaac was weaned. 9But Sarah saw the son mocking — the one Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham.#Gn 16:1,15; Gl 4:29 10So she said to Abraham, “Drive out this slave with her son, for the son of this slave will not be a coheir with my son Isaac!” #Gl 4:30
11This was very distressing to#21:11 Lit was very bad in the eyes of Abraham because of his son. 12But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed#21:12 Lit “Let it not be bad in your eyes about the boy and about your slave. Whatever Sarah says to you, listen to her, because your offspring will be traced through Isaac,#Rm 9:7; Heb 11:18 13and I will also make a nation of the slave’s son#Gn 16:10; 21:18; 25:12–18 because he is your offspring.”
14Early in the morning Abraham got up, took bread and a waterskin, put them on Hagar’s shoulders, and sent her and the boy away. She left and wandered in the Wilderness of Beer-sheba. 15When the water in the skin was gone, she left the boy under one of the bushes 16and went and sat at a distance, about a bowshot away, for she said, “I can’t bear to watch the boy die!” While she sat at a distance, she#21:16 LXX reads the boy wept loudly.#Jr 6:26; Am 8:10
17God heard the boy crying, and the#21:17 Or an angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What’s wrong, Hagar? Don’t be afraid, for God has heard the boy crying from the place where he is. 18Get up, help the boy up, and grasp his hand, for I will make him a great nation.” 19Then God opened her eyes,#Nm 22:31; 2Kg 6:17–18,20; Lk 24:16,31 and she saw a well. So she went and filled the waterskin and gave the boy a drink. 20God was with the boy, and he grew; he settled in the wilderness and became an archer. 21He settled in the Wilderness of Paran, and his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
Abraham’s Covenant with Abimelech
22At that time Abimelech, accompanied by Phicol the commander of his army,#Gn 20:2; 26:1,26 said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do.#Gn 26:28 23Swear to me by God here and now, that you will not break an agreement with me or with my children and descendants. As I have been loyal to you, so you will be loyal to me and to the country where you are a resident alien.”
24And Abraham said, “I swear it.” 25But Abraham complained to Abimelech because of the well that Abimelech’s servants had seized.#Gn 26:15,18,20–22
26Abimelech replied, “I don’t know who did this thing. You didn’t report anything to me, so I hadn’t heard about it until today.”
27Abraham took flocks and herds and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant.#Gn 26:31 28Abraham separated seven ewe lambs from the flock. 29And Abimelech said to Abraham, “Why have you separated these seven ewe lambs?”
30He replied, “You are to accept the seven ewe lambs from me so that this act#21:30 Lit that it will serve as my witness that I dug this well.” 31Therefore that place was called Beer-sheba#21:31 = Well of the Oath, or Seven Wells#Gn 26:33 because it was there that the two of them swore an oath. 32After they had made a covenant at Beer-sheba, Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, left and returned to the land of the Philistines.
33Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beer-sheba, and there he called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God.#Ps 45:6; 48:14; 90:2; 93:2; Is 40:28; Jr 10:10; Rm 16:26; Heb 13:8 34And Abraham lived as an alien in the land of the Philistines for many days.
© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Genesis 21
21
Isaac Is Born
1And the Lord #1 Sam. 2:21visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah #Gen. 17:16, 19, 21; 18:10, 14; (Gal. 4:23, 28)as He had spoken. 2For Sarah #Acts 7:8; Gal. 4:22; Heb. 11:11, 12conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, #Gen. 17:21; 18:10, 14; Gal. 4:4at the set time of which God had spoken to him. 3And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him—whom Sarah bore to him—#Gen. 17:19, 21Isaac. 4Then Abraham #Acts 7:8circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, #Gen. 17:10, 12; Lev. 12:3as God had commanded him. 5Now #Gen. 17:1, 17Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6And Sarah said, #Gen. 18:13; Ps. 126:2; Is. 54:1“God has made me laugh, and all who hear #Luke 1:58will laugh with me.” 7She also said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? #Gen. 18:11, 12For I have borne him a son in his old age.”
Hagar and Ishmael Depart
8So the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac was weaned.
9And Sarah saw the son of Hagar #Gen. 16:1, 4, 15the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, #(Gal. 4:29)scoffing. 10Therefore she said to Abraham, #Gen. 25:6; 36:6, 7; Gal. 3:18; 4:30“Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac.” 11And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham’s sight #Gen. 17:18because of his son.
12But God said to Abraham, “Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for #Matt. 1:2; Luke 3:34; (Rom. 9:7, 8); Heb. 11:18in Isaac your seed shall be called. 13Yet I will also make #Gen. 16:10; 17:20; 21:18; 25:12–18a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed.”
14So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water; and putting it on her shoulder, he gave it and the boy to Hagar, and #John 8:35sent her away. Then she departed and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba. 15And the water in the skin was used up, and she placed the boy under one of the shrubs. 16Then she went and sat down across from him at a distance of about a bowshot; for she said to herself, “Let me not see the death of the boy.” So she sat opposite him, and lifted her voice and wept.
17And #Ex. 3:7; Deut. 26:7; Ps. 6:8God heard the voice of the lad. Then the #Gen. 22:11angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her, “What ails you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. 18Arise, lift up the lad and hold him with your hand, for #Gen. 16:10; 21:13; 25:12–16I will make him a great nation.”
19Then #Gen. 3:7; Num. 22:31; 2 Kin. 6:17; Luke 24:31God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink. 20So God #Gen. 28:15; 39:2, 3, 21was with the lad; and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness, #Gen. 16:12and became an archer. 21He dwelt in the Wilderness of Paran; and his mother #Gen. 24:4took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
A Covenant with Abimelech
22And it came to pass at that time that #Gen. 20:2, 14; 26:26Abimelech and Phichol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, #Gen. 26:28; Is. 8:10“God is with you in all that you do. 23Now therefore, #Josh. 2:12; 1 Sam. 24:21swear to me by God that you will not deal falsely with me, with my offspring, or with my posterity; but that according to the kindness that I have done to you, you will do to me and to the land in which you have dwelt.”
24And Abraham said, “I will swear.”
25Then Abraham rebuked Abimelech because of a well of water which Abimelech’s servants #Gen. 26:15, 18, 20–22had seized. 26And Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, nor had I heard of it until today.” 27So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them #Gen. 26:31; 31:44; 1 Sam. 18:3made a covenant. 28And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.
29Then Abimelech asked Abraham, #Gen. 33:8“What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves?”
30And he said, “You will take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, that #Gen. 31:48, 52they may be my witness that I have dug this well.” 31Therefore he #Gen. 21:14; 26:33called that place Beersheba, because the two of them swore an oath there.
32Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba. So Abimelech rose with Phichol, the commander of his army, and they returned to the land of the Philistines. 33Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and #Gen. 4:26; 12:8; 13:4; 26:25there called on the name of the Lord, #Gen. 35:11; Ex. 15:18; Deut. 32:40; 33:27; Ps. 90:2; 93:2; Is. 40:28; Jer. 10:10; Hab. 1:12; Heb. 13:8the Everlasting God. 34And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines many days.
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.