American King James Version - AKJV - 1999
Genesis 21
1
And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had spoken.
Reference
Parallel theme
Genesis 18:10
Genesis 17:19
Matthew 24:35
Galatians 4:23
Titus 1:2
Galatians 4:28
Genesis 17:16
References Lord
Psalm 12:6
Genesis 18:14
1 Samuel 2:21
2
For Sarah conceived, and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.
Reference
Parallel theme
Hebrews 11:11
Genesis 18:14
Genesis 18:10
Luke 1:36
Genesis 17:21
Romans 9:9
References Abraham
Galatians 4:22
Acts 7:8
References God
Genesis 17:19
3
And Abraham called the name of his son that was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.
Reference
4
And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him.
Reference
References Abraham
Acts 7:8
7
And she said, Who would have said to Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have born him a son in his old age.
Reference
8
And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.
Reference
9
And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born to Abraham, mocking.
Reference
Parallel theme
Genesis 16:15
Galatians 4:29
Psalm 42:10
Psalm 22:6
Proverbs 20:11
Lamentations 1:7
2 Chronicles 30:10
2 Chronicles 36:16
References Abraham
Galatians 4:22
References Egypt
Genesis 16:1
10
Why she said to Abraham, Cast out this female slave and her son: for the son of this female slave shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.
Reference
Parallel theme
John 8:35
1 John 2:19
Matthew 22:13
Galatians 4:7
1 Peter 1:4
Genesis 17:21
Genesis 17:19
References Abraham
Genesis 25:19
Galatians 3:18
Genesis 20:11
12
And God said to Abraham, Let it not be grievous in your sight because of the lad, and because of your female slave; in all that Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac shall your seed be called.
Reference
14
And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.
Reference
📍 Beersheba
Parallel theme
Psalm 107:4
Psalm 119:60
Proverbs 27:14
Ecclesiastes 9:10
John 8:35
Genesis 26:31
Genesis 16:7
Genesis 21:31
1 Kings 19:3
References Abraham
Genesis 25:6
15
And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.
16
And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bow shot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.
Reference
17
And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel 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.
Reference
19
And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.
Reference
Parallel theme
Numbers 22:31
20
And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelled in the wilderness, and became an archer.
Reference
21
And he dwelled in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.
📍 Paran
22
And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phichol the chief captain of his host spoke to Abraham, saying, God is with you in all that you do:
Reference
Parallel theme
Genesis 26:26
Genesis 26:28
Joshua 3:7
Hebrews 13:5
Revelation 3:9
References Abraham
Genesis 20:2
References God
Isaiah 8:10
Romans 8:31
1 Corinthians 14:25
Isaiah 45:14
23
Now 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 wherein you have sojourned.
Reference
24
And Abraham said, I will swear.
25
And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water, which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away.
26
And Abimelech said, I know not who has done this thing; neither did you tell me, neither yet heard I of it, but to day.
27
And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them to Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant.
28
And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.
29
And Abimelech said to Abraham, What mean these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves?
30
And he said, For these seven ewe lambs shall you take of my hand, that they may be a witness to me, that I have dig this well.
Reference
Witness
Genesis 31:52
32
Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba: then Abimelech rose up, and Phichol the chief captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines.
📍 Beersheba
33
And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God.
Reference
📍 Beersheba
Eternal Life
Isaiah 40:28
1 Timothy 1:17
Psalm 90:2
Jeremiah 10:10
Romans 16:26
Deuteronomy 33:27
References Lord
Genesis 12:8
Genesis 4:26
34
And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines' land many days.
Summary of Genesis 21
Genesis chapter twenty-one finally brings the promised son and with him a set of tensions that will change Abraham's household for good.
The chapter begins with a simple statement that was a long time coming; the Lord indeed was gracious to Sarah as he said, and so he did for her as he promised. Sarah became pregnant and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time God promised. Abraham named him Isaac, just as God had told him in chapter seventeen, and when he was eight days old Abraham circumcised him, as God had told him to.
Abraham was a hundred years old when Isaac was born. Sarah herself said that God had granted her what was believed impossible: she had laughed, and those who heard of it would have laughed with her; who would have told Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age. Such a passage is a joyous one, a well earned respite after what has been a long and trying passage of scripture.
The child grew, and a feast was prepared on the day of Isaac's weaning. But again the tensions simmering beneath the surface of Abraham's household rise to meet him. Sarah saw Ishmael son of Hagar mocking, and she went to Abraham, demanding that Hagar and Ishmael go; Ishmael will not inherit with Isaac, she said, and the passage says that this distressed Abraham greatly, concerning his son.
But God spoke to Abraham, and told him not to be distressed over the boy, nor what Sarah said. But listen to Sarah, said God, for through Isaac your offspring will be accounted. And God tells Abraham that He will bless Ishmael also, for he is Abraham's son, and will make them a numerous nation. So in the morning Abraham brought Hagar some food and a skin of water, and sent her away, with Ishmael. It is a touching passage, the sight of Abraham sending away his son; but with God's blessing upon him, Hagar wandered in the desert of Beersheba. When the water ran out, she laid Ishmael underneath a bush, and went to look afar, too far to see him die, but she cried.
God heard the boy's cry, and the angel of God called Hagar to him from heaven, asking her what distress she had. He said not to be afraid, for God had heard the boy crying where he was. God told Hagar to look up, and she saw a well of water, which God had prepared for her. She filled young Ishmael's skin with water; the text says that God was with the boy as he grew up, and he became an archer. As he grew up, his mother obtained him a wife from Egypt, as Hagar also had been from Egypt.
The tale turns towards a different topic; the chapter moves to Abimelech, the king of the Philistines, and his meeting with Abraham. He comes with the commander of his forces, and says to Abraham some curious words: God is with you in all that you do. He asks Abraham to swear to him that he will deal falsely by him neither him, nor his posterity. He says that he had heard that God had dealt bountifully with Abraham. And Abraham swore to him.
But Abraham made a complaint to Abimelech, saying that his servants had taken the well of water which Abraham's servants had dug. Abimelech said he knew nothing of it until now. And so they struck a covenant between themselves, and Abraham gave Abimelech sheep and cattle to mark this covenant. He also set aside seven ewe lambs, telling Abimelech that he would take them to bear witness that Abraham dug that well. And so the place was called Beersheba, from the word for oath, or because of the seven lambs.
And with this business concluded, Abimelech and his commander returned to the land of the Philistines, and Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and called there upon the name of the Lord, the eternal God. And Abraham remained in the land of the Philistines for a long while.
What makes the chapter such a rewarding one to read is that it is full of both joy and sorrow and both are deserving of our sympathy. The birth of Isaac is truly a cause for rejoicing, as his name and Sarah's laughter are both included in the verse. But the exile of Ishmael and Hagar are a source of sorrow for us; the problems of Abraham's household are not solved, but instead continue, and even though God heard Hagar and Ishmael's distress and provided for them, they are still in a desert, and will remain so until they reach Canaan. And even in Ishmael's exile there are hints of the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham; he will be the father of a nation, and will make them numerous. And so with the tensions between Ishmael and Isaac resolved, and a covenant made to Abimelech concerning the wells, Abraham found himself settling into a new home, among the Philistines, but with God's promise to him remaining true, if bittersweet.
The chapter begins with a simple statement that was a long time coming; the Lord indeed was gracious to Sarah as he said, and so he did for her as he promised. Sarah became pregnant and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time God promised. Abraham named him Isaac, just as God had told him in chapter seventeen, and when he was eight days old Abraham circumcised him, as God had told him to.
Abraham was a hundred years old when Isaac was born. Sarah herself said that God had granted her what was believed impossible: she had laughed, and those who heard of it would have laughed with her; who would have told Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age. Such a passage is a joyous one, a well earned respite after what has been a long and trying passage of scripture.
The child grew, and a feast was prepared on the day of Isaac's weaning. But again the tensions simmering beneath the surface of Abraham's household rise to meet him. Sarah saw Ishmael son of Hagar mocking, and she went to Abraham, demanding that Hagar and Ishmael go; Ishmael will not inherit with Isaac, she said, and the passage says that this distressed Abraham greatly, concerning his son.
But God spoke to Abraham, and told him not to be distressed over the boy, nor what Sarah said. But listen to Sarah, said God, for through Isaac your offspring will be accounted. And God tells Abraham that He will bless Ishmael also, for he is Abraham's son, and will make them a numerous nation. So in the morning Abraham brought Hagar some food and a skin of water, and sent her away, with Ishmael. It is a touching passage, the sight of Abraham sending away his son; but with God's blessing upon him, Hagar wandered in the desert of Beersheba. When the water ran out, she laid Ishmael underneath a bush, and went to look afar, too far to see him die, but she cried.
God heard the boy's cry, and the angel of God called Hagar to him from heaven, asking her what distress she had. He said not to be afraid, for God had heard the boy crying where he was. God told Hagar to look up, and she saw a well of water, which God had prepared for her. She filled young Ishmael's skin with water; the text says that God was with the boy as he grew up, and he became an archer. As he grew up, his mother obtained him a wife from Egypt, as Hagar also had been from Egypt.
The tale turns towards a different topic; the chapter moves to Abimelech, the king of the Philistines, and his meeting with Abraham. He comes with the commander of his forces, and says to Abraham some curious words: God is with you in all that you do. He asks Abraham to swear to him that he will deal falsely by him neither him, nor his posterity. He says that he had heard that God had dealt bountifully with Abraham. And Abraham swore to him.
But Abraham made a complaint to Abimelech, saying that his servants had taken the well of water which Abraham's servants had dug. Abimelech said he knew nothing of it until now. And so they struck a covenant between themselves, and Abraham gave Abimelech sheep and cattle to mark this covenant. He also set aside seven ewe lambs, telling Abimelech that he would take them to bear witness that Abraham dug that well. And so the place was called Beersheba, from the word for oath, or because of the seven lambs.
And with this business concluded, Abimelech and his commander returned to the land of the Philistines, and Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and called there upon the name of the Lord, the eternal God. And Abraham remained in the land of the Philistines for a long while.
What makes the chapter such a rewarding one to read is that it is full of both joy and sorrow and both are deserving of our sympathy. The birth of Isaac is truly a cause for rejoicing, as his name and Sarah's laughter are both included in the verse. But the exile of Ishmael and Hagar are a source of sorrow for us; the problems of Abraham's household are not solved, but instead continue, and even though God heard Hagar and Ishmael's distress and provided for them, they are still in a desert, and will remain so until they reach Canaan. And even in Ishmael's exile there are hints of the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham; he will be the father of a nation, and will make them numerous. And so with the tensions between Ishmael and Isaac resolved, and a covenant made to Abimelech concerning the wells, Abraham found himself settling into a new home, among the Philistines, but with God's promise to him remaining true, if bittersweet.