The Birth of Ishmael The narrative in this chapter contains Israelite traditions respecting the birth, name, and dwelling-place of Ishmael. (_a_) It explains how the Israelites acknowledged the Ishmaelites to be an older branch of their own stock, dwelling on their southern borders. (_b_) It illu... [ Continue Reading ]
Hagar and her Flight into the Desert. (J, P.) 1. _handmaid_ or "maidservant," as in Genesis 12:16. The wife generally had a female slave, who was her own property, and not under the husband's control: see Genesis 29:24; Genesis 29:29; Genesis 30:3-7; Genesis 30:9; Genesis 30:12. _an Egyptian_ It is... [ Continue Reading ]
_it may be that I shall obtain children by her_ Heb. lit. _be builded by her_; the same expression occurs in Genesis 30:3; the idea is that of the building up of a house (cf. Ruth 4:11; Deuteronomy 25:9). The suggestion which Sarai here makes, may be illustrated from Genesis 30:3-4; Genesis 30:9. Ch... [ Continue Reading ]
_And Sarai Abram's wife_ This verse is P's duplicate version of Genesis 16:1, adding the number of years that Abram had dwelt in Canaan.... [ Continue Reading ]
_was despised in her eyes_ Compare the story in 1 Samuel 1, where the two wives are both "free," and one is childless. Here the "free" wife, the mistress (_gebéreth_), gives her own maidservant (_âmâh_) to her husband; and is then jealous for her own dignity.... [ Continue Reading ]
_My wrong_ i.e. may the wrong done to me be visited on thee! Sarai's passionate and unjust complaint is the utterance of jealousy. Abram is not to blame for the step which she herself had recommended in accordance with the custom of the age. The possibility, that in these cases the position of the m... [ Continue Reading ]
_in thy hand_ Abram replies, with forbearance, that Hagar is under Sarai's authority. Whether this is a formal transference of Hagar back into the power of Sarai, after she had become, as a concubine, the property of Abram, is not explained. _dealt hardly_ The same word as that rendered "afflict" ... [ Continue Reading ]
Hagar and the Angel at the Well 7. _the angel of the Lord_ The Angel, i.e. messenger, of Jehovah is the personification of Jehovah. Observe that in Genesis 16:10 He identifies Himself with Jehovah, expressing in the first person sing. what He will do (cf. Genesis 21:18; Genesis 22:15-18). In all p... [ Continue Reading ]
_And the angel of the Lord said_ Notice the triple repetition of these sayings of the Angel in Genesis 16:9, containing in Genesis 16:9 the injunction to return and submit, in Genesis 16:10 the promise of a multitude of descendants, and in Genesis 16:11 the name and character of her future son. Gene... [ Continue Reading ]
_I will greatly multiply_ The Angel of Jehovah expresses in the 1st person the promise of that which Jehovah will perform; as in Genesis 21:18; Genesis 22:15-18; Genesis 31:13.... [ Continue Reading ]
_thou shalt call his name Ishmael_ That is, _God heareth_. The name is to be given by the mother. Cf. note on Genesis 4:1; Genesis 4:25. The name "Ishmael" may mean either "God hears," or "may God hear." See also Genesis 21:17. The reason for the name is explained by the words, "because the Lord hat... [ Continue Reading ]
as _a wild-ass among men_ Lit. "a wild-ass of a man." This description of Ishmael vividly portrays the characteristics of his descendants. The wild ass, for which see Job 39:5-8; Hosea 8:9, is the typically untameable, strong, free, roaming, suspicious, and untrustworthy animal, living wild in the d... [ Continue Reading ]
_the Lord that spake unto her_ These words definitely identify the Angel with a manifestation of the Almighty; see Genesis 16:7. _Thou art a God that seeth_ LXX Σὺ ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ἐφιδών με, Lat. _Tu Deus qui vidisti me_. Hagar designates the Divine Person who had spoken to her, by the name _Êl_, with the... [ Continue Reading ]
_Beer-lahai-roi_ The R.V. marg. _the well of the living one who seeth me_is an impossible translation of the text. Another rendering is, "Well of the Seeing alive," i.e. "Where one sees God and remains alive." The popular belief was, that he who saw God would die. See previous note. Probably the na... [ Continue Reading ]
_Abram called … Ishmael_ See note on Genesis 16:11. The father here gives the name as usually in P: see notes on Genesis 4:1; Genesis 4:17; Genesis 4:25; Genesis 5:3.... [ Continue Reading ]
The Birth of Ishmael. (P.) These verses are from P, and are inserted in place of J's account of the birth of Ishmael.... [ Continue Reading ]
_fourscore and six years old_ An instance of P's careful computation of chronology. Compare the statements in Genesis 16:3 and Genesis 12:4 with the years given here.... [ Continue Reading ]