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Genesis16:1–16

Hagar and Ishmael

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Genesis 16:1–16 — Hagar and Ishmael. Each verse below carries the full apparatus: the Berean Standard Bible, the vocalized original (tap any word), and a parsed breakdown of every term transcribed from the interlinear. Synthesized commentary, canonical threads, and the reading of Christ gather at the end, over the whole unit.

1

Now Abram’s wife Sarai had borne him no children, but she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

’aḇ·rām ’ê·šeṯ wə·śā·ray yā·lə·ḏāh lōw lō wə·lāh miṣ·rîṯ šip̄·ḥāh ū·šə·māh hā·ḡār

Word by word11 · parsed
אַבְרָ֔ם’aḇ·rāmNow Abram’sH87
√ ʼAbrâm — Abram, the original name of AbrahamNounpropermasculine singular
Sâray — the named subject stands first; the chapter is, at root, the story of her initiative and its cost.
אֵ֣שֶׁת’ê·šeṯwifeH802
√ ʼishshâh — a womanNounfeminine singular construct
וְשָׂרַי֙wə·śā·raySaraiH8297
√ Sâray — Sarai, the wife of AbrahamConjunctive wawNounproperfeminine singular
יָלְדָ֖הyā·lə·ḏāhhad borneH3205
√ yâlad — to bear youngVerbQalPerfectthird person feminine singular
yâlad, to bear — the same verb that will name Ishmael's birth in v. 15 and that the angel will speak over Hagar in v. 11. Its negation here is the engine of the plot.
ל֑וֹlōwhim
Prepositionthird person masculine singular
לֹ֥אno [children]H3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absAdverbNegative particle
The bare negative (“not”) lands at the clause's hinge — Sarai had borne nothing, after ten years in the land of promise (cf. v. 3).
וְלָ֛הּwə·lāhbut
Conjunctive wawPrepositionthird person feminine singular
מִצְרִ֖יתmiṣ·rîṯshe had an EgyptianH4713
√ Mitsrîy — a Mitsrite, or inhabitant of MitsrajimNounproperfeminine singular
שִׁפְחָ֥הšip̄·ḥāhmaidservantH8198
√ shiphchâh — a female slave (as a member of the household)Nounfeminine singular
shiphchâh, a female slave “as a member of the household” — Hagar belongs to Sarai before she is ever given to Abram; the whole tragedy follows from a thing owned being made a wife.
וּשְׁמָ֥הּū·šə·māhnamedH8034
√ shêm — an appellation, as amark or memorial of individualityConjunctive wawNounmasculine singular constructthird person feminine singular
הָגָֽר׃hā·ḡārHagarH1904
√ Hâgâr — Hagar, the mother of IshmaelNounproperfeminine singular
Hâgâr — a rare name (it recurs in only ten verses of the Hebrew Bible). The commentators connect it with the Arabic root “to flee,” which the chapter twice acts out (vv. 6, 8); whether the name is cause or echo, the text leaves open.
2

So Sarai said to Abram, “Look now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Please go to my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

śā·ray wat·tō·mer ’el- ’aḇ·rām hin·nêh- nā Yah·weh ‘ă·ṣā·ra·nî mil·le·ḏeṯ nā bō- ’el- šip̄·ḥā·ṯî ’ū·lay ’ib·bā·neh mim·mɛn·nå̄h ’aḇ·rām way·yiš·ma‘ lə·qō·wl śā·rāy

Word by word20 · parsed
שָׂרַ֜יśā·raySo SaraiH8297
√ Sâray — Sarai, the wife of AbrahamNounproperfeminine singular
וַתֹּ֨אמֶרwat·tō·mersaidH559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person feminine singular
אֶל־’el-toH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
אַבְרָ֗ם’aḇ·rāmAbramH87
√ ʼAbrâm — Abram, the original name of AbrahamNounpropermasculine singular
הִנֵּה־hin·nêh-LookH2009
√ hinnêh — lo!Interjection
נָ֞אnowH4994
√ nâʼ — 'I pray', 'now', or 'then'Interjection
יְהוָה֙Yah·wehthe LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
Yahweh — Sarai names the covenant LORD as the one who closed her womb; her remedy, by contrast, is entirely her own contrivance.
עֲצָרַ֤נִי‘ă·ṣā·ra·nîhas prevented meH6113
√ ʻâtsâr — to incloseVerbQalPerfectthird person masculine singularfirst person common singular
‘âtsar, to enclose/restrain — used of God shutting the heavens (Deut 11:17) and the womb (here, Gen 20:18). The barrenness is confessed as divine act, which makes the workaround a quiet act of unbelief.
מִלֶּ֔דֶתmil·le·ḏeṯfrom bearing [children]H3205
√ yâlad — to bear youngPreposition-mVerbQalInfinitive construct
נָא֙PleaseH4994
√ nâʼ — 'I pray', 'now', or 'then'Interjection
בֹּא־bō-goH935
√ bôwʼ — to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)VerbQalImperativemasculine singular
אֶל־’el-toH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
שִׁפְחָתִ֔יšip̄·ḥā·ṯîmy maidservantH8198
√ shiphchâh — a female slave (as a member of the household)Nounfeminine singular constructfirst person common singular
אוּלַ֥י’ū·layperhapsH194
√ ʼûwlay — if notAdverb
אִבָּנֶ֖ה’ib·bā·nehI can build a familyH1129
√ bânâh — to build (literally and figuratively)VerbNifalImperfectfirst person common singular
bânâh, to build — the theological pun of the verse: a woman is “built” by children. Sarai seeks to be built through another's body.
מִמֶּ֑נָּהmim·mɛn·nå̄hby herH4480
√ min — properly, a part ofPrepositionthird person feminine singular
אַבְרָ֖ם’aḇ·rāmAnd AbramH87
√ ʼAbrâm — Abram, the original name of AbrahamNounpropermasculine singular
וַיִּשְׁמַ֥עway·yiš·ma‘listenedH8085
√ shâmaʻ — to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etcConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
shâmaʻ, to hear/obey — the hinge word. The same root will return in v. 11 when YHWH “hears” Hagar's affliction; here a husband hears a wife and the promise is detoured.
לְק֥וֹלlə·qō·wlto the voiceH6963
√ qôwl — a voice or soundPreposition-lNounmasculine singular construct
qôwl, voice — “the voice of Sarai,” a phrase that cannot help recalling Gen 3:17; Scripture marks the pattern without moralizing aloud.
שָׂרָֽי׃śā·rāyof SaraiH8297
√ Sâray — Sarai, the wife of AbrahamNounproperfeminine singular
3

So after he had lived in Canaan for ten years, his wife Sarai took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to Abram to be his wife.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

miq·qêṣ ’aḇ·rām lə·še·ḇeṯ bə·’e·reṣ kə·nā·‘an ‘e·śer šā·nîm ’aḇ·rām ’eṯ- ’ê·šeṯ- śā·ray wat·tiq·qaḥ ham·miṣ·rîṯ šip̄·ḥā·ṯāh hā·ḡār wat·tit·tên ’ō·ṯāh lə·’aḇ·rām ’î·šāh lōw lə·’iš·šāh

Word by word21 · parsed
מִקֵּץ֙miq·qêṣSo afterH7093
√ qêts — an extremityPreposition-mNounmasculine singular construct
Sâray — named again as agent; the verse is bracketed by her name and Abram's, with Hagar handed across the middle.
אַבְרָ֖ם’aḇ·rām[he]H87
√ ʼAbrâm — Abram, the original name of AbrahamNounpropermasculine singular
לְשֶׁ֥בֶתlə·še·ḇeṯhad livedH3427
√ yâshab — properly, to sit down (specifically as judgePreposition-lVerbQalInfinitive construct
בְּאֶ֣רֶץbə·’e·reṣvvvH776
√ ʼerets — the earth (at large, or partitively a land)Preposition-bNounfeminine singular construct
כְּנָ֑עַןkə·nā·‘anin CanaanH3667
√ Kᵉnaʻan — Kenaan, a son a HamNounpropermasculine singular
עֶ֣שֶׂר‘e·śerfor tenH6235
√ ʻeser — ten (as an accumulation to the extent of the digits)Numberfeminine singular
‘eser, ten — the round number of completed waiting; with v. 16 it fixes Abram at eighty-five, the chronological spine the Priestly editor is careful to lay (so Cambridge).
שָׁנִ֔יםšā·nîmyearsH8141
√ shâneh — a year (as a revolution of time)Nounfeminine plural
אַבְרָ֗ם’aḇ·rām[his]H87
√ ʼAbrâm — Abram, the original name of AbrahamNounpropermasculine singular
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
אֵֽשֶׁת־’ê·šeṯ-wifeH802
√ ʼishshâh — a womanNounfeminine singular construct
שָׂרַ֣יśā·raySaraiH8297
√ Sâray — Sarai, the wife of AbrahamNounproperfeminine singular
וַתִּקַּ֞חwat·tiq·qaḥtookH3947
√ lâqach — to take (in the widest variety of applications)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person feminine singular
lâqach, to take — the verb of acquisition; Sarai disposes of her slave as property she is fully entitled to move.
הַמִּצְרִית֙ham·miṣ·rîṯher EgyptianH4713
√ Mitsrîy — a Mitsrite, or inhabitant of MitsrajimArticleNounproperfeminine singular
שִׁפְחָתָ֔הּšip̄·ḥā·ṯāhmaidservantH8198
√ shiphchâh — a female slave (as a member of the household)Nounfeminine singular constructthird person feminine singular
הָגָ֤רhā·ḡārHagarH1904
√ Hâgâr — Hagar, the mother of IshmaelNounproperfeminine singular
וַתִּתֵּ֥ןwat·tit·tênand gaveH5414
√ nâthan — to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etcConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person feminine singular
nâthan, to give — Hagar is given, never asked; her own voice does not enter the chapter until v. 8, in flight.
אֹתָ֛הּ’ō·ṯāhherH853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object markerthird person feminine singular
לְאַבְרָ֥םlə·’aḇ·rāmto AbramH87
√ ʼAbrâm — Abram, the original name of AbrahamPreposition-lNounpropermasculine singular
אִישָׁ֖הּ’î·šāhH376
√ ʼîysh — a man as an individual or a male personNounmasculine singular constructthird person feminine singular
ל֥וֹlōwto be
Prepositionthird person masculine singular
לְאִשָּֽׁה׃lə·’iš·šāhhis wifeH802
√ ʼishshâh — a womanPreposition-lNounfeminine singular
‘ishshâh, wife/woman — the same noun as in v. 1; the narrator grants Hagar the title even as the household will deny her the standing.
4

And he slept with Hagar, and she conceived. But when Hagar realized that she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

way·yā·ḇō ’el- hā·ḡār wat·ta·har wat·tê·re kî hā·rā·ṯāh wat·tê·qal bə·‘ê·ne·hā gə·ḇir·tāh

Word by word10 · parsed
וַיָּבֹ֥אway·yā·ḇōAnd he slept withH935
√ bôwʼ — to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
אֶל־’el-. . .H413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
הָגָ֖רhā·ḡārHagarH1904
√ Hâgâr — Hagar, the mother of IshmaelNounproperfeminine singular
וַתַּ֑הַרwat·ta·harand she conceivedH2029
√ hârâh — to be (or become) pregnant, conceive (literally or figuratively)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person feminine singular
hârâh, to conceive — the immediate success of the scheme is itself the seed of its disaster; fruitfulness, the thing longed for, becomes the weapon.
וַתֵּ֙רֶא֙wat·tê·reBut when [Hagar] realizedH7200
√ râʼâh — to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person feminine singular
râʼâh, to see — “when Hagar saw.” Seeing opens the chain of sight that runs to v. 13; Hagar first sees her own womb, then comes to be seen by God.
כִּ֣יthatH3588
√ kîy — (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below)Conjunction
הָרָ֔תָהhā·rā·ṯāhshe was pregnantH2029
√ hârâh — to be (or become) pregnant, conceive (literally or figuratively)VerbQalPerfectthird person feminine singular
וַתֵּקַ֥לwat·tê·qalshe began to despiseH7043
√ qâlal — to be (causatively, make) light, literally (swift, small, sharp, etcConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person feminine singular
qâlal, to be light/slight — the antonym of kâbêd (“heavy, honored”). To be “made light” is to be stripped of weight; Sarai's dignity is the casualty.
בְּעֵינֶֽיהָ׃bə·‘ê·ne·hā. . .H5869
√ ʻayin — an eye (literally or figuratively)Preposition-bNouncdcthird person feminine singular
גְּבִרְתָּ֖הּgə·ḇir·tāhher mistressH1404
√ gᵉbereth — mistressNounfeminine singular constructthird person feminine singular
gəbîrâh, mistress/lady — the rank-word; the whole offense is that the shiphchâh (v. 1) has begun to despise the gəbîrâh, slave outweighing lady.
5

Then Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be upon you! I delivered my servant into your arms, and ever since she saw that she was pregnant, she has treated me with contempt. May the LORD judge between you and me.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

śā·ray wat·tō·mer ’el- ’aḇ·rām ḥă·mā·sî ‘ā·le·ḵā ’ā·nō·ḵî nā·ṯat·tî šip̄·ḥā·ṯî bə·ḥê·qe·ḵā wat·tê·re kî hā·rā·ṯāh wā·’ê·qal bə·‘ê·ne·hā Yah·weh yiš·pōṭ bê·nî ū·ḇē·nɛ·ḵå̄

Word by word19 · parsed
שָׂרַ֣יśā·rayThen SaraiH8297
√ Sâray — Sarai, the wife of AbrahamNounproperfeminine singular
וַתֹּ֨אמֶרwat·tō·mersaidH559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person feminine singular
אֶל־’el-toH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
אַבְרָם֮’aḇ·rāmAbramH87
√ ʼAbrâm — Abram, the original name of AbrahamNounpropermasculine singular
חֲמָסִ֣יḥă·mā·sîMay the wrong done to meH2555
√ châmâç — violenceNounmasculine singular constructfirst person common singular
châmâs, violence/wrong — a near-legal accusation; Sarai charges Abram as if he were the assailant, though the plan was hers (so Henry, v. 4). The word is heavier than English “wrong.”
עָלֶיךָ֒‘ā·le·ḵā[be] upon youH5921
√ ʻal — above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsPrepositionsecond person masculine singular
אָנֹכִ֗י’ā·nō·ḵîIH595
√ ʼânôkîy — IPronounfirst person common singular
’ā·nō·ḵî, “I [myself]” — the emphatic pronoun: Sarai stresses her own giving even as she demands Abram bear the cost.
נָתַ֤תִּיnā·ṯat·tîdeliveredH5414
√ nâthan — to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etcVerbQalPerfectfirst person common singular
שִׁפְחָתִי֙šip̄·ḥā·ṯîmy servantH8198
√ shiphchâh — a female slave (as a member of the household)Nounfeminine singular constructfirst person common singular
בְּחֵיקֶ֔ךָbə·ḥê·qe·ḵāinto your armsH2436
√ chêyq — the bosom (literally or figuratively)Preposition-bNounmasculine singular constructsecond person masculine singular
וַתֵּ֙רֶא֙wat·tê·reand ever since she sawH7200
√ râʼâh — to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person feminine singular
כִּ֣יthatH3588
√ kîy — (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below)Conjunction
הָרָ֔תָהhā·rā·ṯāhshe was pregnantH2029
√ hârâh — to be (or become) pregnant, conceive (literally or figuratively)VerbQalPerfectthird person feminine singular
וָאֵקַ֖לwā·’ê·qalshe has treated me with contemptH7043
√ qâlal — to be (causatively, make) light, literally (swift, small, sharp, etcConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectfirst person common singular
qâlal recurs — “I was made light”; the same root as Hagar's offense in v. 4, knitting accuser and accused.
בְּעֵינֶ֑יהָbə·‘ê·ne·hā. . .H5869
√ ʻayin — an eye (literally or figuratively)Preposition-bNouncdcthird person feminine singular
יְהוָ֖הYah·wehMay the LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
Yahweh — Sarai invokes the covenant LORD as judge; the commentators (Calvin via Pulpit, Ainsworth) hear passion and irreverence, an oath flung in anger.
יִשְׁפֹּ֥טyiš·pōṭjudgeH8199
√ shâphaṭ — to judge, iVerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
shâphaṭ, to judge — “let YHWH judge between me and you”; a formula of grievance (cf. 1 Sam 24:12), turning a domestic quarrel into a lawsuit before God.
בֵּינִ֥יbê·nîbetween you and meH996
√ bêyn — between (repeated before each noun, often with other particles)Prepositionfirst person common singular
וּבֵינֶֽיׄךָ׃ū·ḇē·nɛ·ḵå̄. . .H996
√ bêyn — between (repeated before each noun, often with other particles)Conjunctive wawPrepositionsecond person masculine singular
6

“Here,” said Abram, “your servant is in your hands. Do whatever you want with her.” Then Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she fled from her.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

hin·nêh way·yō·mer ’aḇ·rām ’el- śā·ray šip̄·ḥā·ṯêḵ bə·yā·ḏêḵ ‘ă·śî- haṭ·ṭō·wḇ bə·‘ê·nā·yiḵ lāh śā·ray wat·tə·‘an·ne·hā wat·tiḇ·raḥ mip·pā·ne·hā

Word by word15 · parsed
הִנֵּ֤הhin·nêhHereH2009
√ hinnêh — lo!Interjection
וַיֹּ֨אמֶרway·yō·mersaidH559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
אַבְרָ֜ם’aḇ·rāmAbramH87
√ ʼAbrâm — Abram, the original name of AbrahamNounpropermasculine singular
אֶל־’el-H413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
שָׂרַ֗יśā·rayH8297
√ Sâray — Sarai, the wife of AbrahamNounproperfeminine singular
שִׁפְחָתֵךְ֙šip̄·ḥā·ṯêḵyour servantH8198
√ shiphchâh — a female slave (as a member of the household)Nounfeminine singular constructsecond person feminine singular
בְּיָדֵ֔ךְbə·yā·ḏêḵis in your handsH3027
√ yâd — a hand (the open one (indicating power, means, direction, etcPreposition-bNounfeminine singular constructsecond person feminine singular
yâd, hand — “in your hand,” i.e. in your power (so Poole). Abram, husband to both, hands the second wife back to the first's authority.
עֲשִׂי־‘ă·śî-DoH6213
√ ʻâsâh — to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest applicationVerbQalImperativefeminine singular
הַטּ֣וֹבhaṭ·ṭō·wḇwhatever you wantH2896
√ ṭôwb — good (as an adjective) in the widest senseArticleAdjectivemasculine singular
ṭôwb, good — “the good in your eyes”; the phrase of free discretion (cf. Gen 19:8) here licenses harshness.
בְּעֵינָ֑יִךְbə·‘ê·nā·yiḵH5869
√ ʻayin — an eye (literally or figuratively)Preposition-bNouncdcsecond person feminine singular
לָ֖הּlāhwith her
Prepositionthird person feminine singular
שָׂרַ֔יśā·rayThen SaraiH8297
√ Sâray — Sarai, the wife of AbrahamNounproperfeminine singular
וַתְּעַנֶּ֣הָwat·tə·‘an·ne·hātreatedH6031
√ ʻânâh — to depress literally or figuratively, transitive or intransitive (in various applications, as follows)Conjunctive wawVerbPielConsecutive imperfectthird person feminine singularthird person feminine singular
‘ânâh, to afflict/humble — the load-bearing word. It will return in v. 9 as the angel's command (“humble yourself”) and underlies Ishmael's name-saying in v. 11 (“your affliction,” ‘ŏnî). One root threads oppression, submission, and divine hearing.
וַתִּבְרַ֖חwat·tiḇ·raḥ[Hagar] so harshly that she fledH1272
√ bârach — to bolt, iConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person feminine singular
bârach, to flee — the verb of Hagar's name; she does what she is called. Poole judges the flight itself “contrary to God's command.”
מִפָּנֶֽיהָ׃mip·pā·ne·hāfrom herH6440
√ pânîym — the face (as the part that turns)Preposition-mNounmasculine plural constructthird person feminine singular
7

Now the angel of the LORD found Hagar by a spring of water in the desert—the spring along the road to Shur.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

mal·’aḵ Yah·weh way·yim·ṣā·’āh ‘al- ‘ên ham·ma·yim bam·miḏ·bār ‘al- hā·‘a·yin bə·ḏe·reḵ šūr

Word by word11 · parsed
מַלְאַ֧ךְmal·’aḵNow the angelH4397
√ mălʼâk — a messengerNounmasculine singular construct
mal’âk, messenger — the Angel of YHWH; the church Fathers and Reformers largely read him as a pre-incarnate appearing of the Son (so Poole, Geneva, Gill), the freethinkers as a created angel (so some cited by the Pulpit). The text supplies the data; v. 10 and v. 13 force the question.
יְהוָ֛הYah·wehof the LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
וַֽיִּמְצָאָ֞הּway·yim·ṣā·’āhfoundH4672
√ mâtsâʼ — properly, to come forth to, iConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singularthird person feminine singular
mâtsâʼ, to find — the seeking-finding of the lost; the first person God pursues in Genesis is a foreign bondwoman in flight.
עַל־‘al-[Hagar] byH5921
√ ʻal — above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsPreposition
עֵ֥ין‘êna springH5869
√ ʻayin — an eye (literally or figuratively)Nouncommon singular construct
‘ayin, eye/spring — the same noun glossed “spring” here and “eyes” in vv. 4–6; Hebrew makes the well an eye, and the chapter is about who is seen.
הַמַּ֖יִםham·ma·yimof waterH4325
√ mayim — waterArticleNounmasculine plural
בַּמִּדְבָּ֑רbam·miḏ·bārin the desertH4057
√ midbâr — a pasture (iPreposition-b, ArticleNounmasculine singular
midbâr, wilderness — the uninhabited place; the desert road to Egypt, the way of return Hagar had chosen (so Keil).
עַל־‘al-. . .H5921
√ ʻal — above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsPreposition
הָעַ֖יִןhā·‘a·yinthe springH5869
√ ʻayin — an eye (literally or figuratively)ArticleNouncommon singular
בְּדֶ֥רֶךְbə·ḏe·reḵalong the roadH1870
√ derek — a road (as trodden)Preposition-bNouncommon singular construct
שֽׁוּר׃šūrto ShurH7793
√ Shûwr — Shur, a region of the DesertNounproperfeminine singular
Shûr — the desert frontier before Egypt (Gen 25:18; Ex 15:22); Hagar is heading home to Egypt, away from the promise, when grace overtakes her.
8

“Hagar, servant of Sarai,” he said, “where have you come from, and where are you going?” “I am running away from my mistress Sarai,” she replied.

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Hebrew — tap a word ↓

hā·ḡār šip̄·ḥaṯ śā·ray way·yō·mar ’ê- miz·zeh ḇāṯ wə·’ā·nāh ṯê·lê·ḵî ’ā·nō·ḵî bō·ra·ḥaṯ mip·pə·nê gə·ḇir·tî śā·ray wat·tō·mer

Word by word15 · parsed
הָגָ֞רhā·ḡārHagarH1904
√ Hâgâr — Hagar, the mother of IshmaelNounproperfeminine singular
Hâgâr — God speaks her name; she is the first person in Scripture addressed by name by the Angel of YHWH, a dignity withheld from her in the household.
שִׁפְחַ֥תšip̄·ḥaṯservantH8198
√ shiphchâh — a female slave (as a member of the household)Nounfeminine singular construct
shiphchâh, maidservant — the angel restores the relational fact she fled; not to crush her but to send her back along the only road where the promise can reach her son.
שָׂרַ֛יśā·rayof SaraiH8297
√ Sâray — Sarai, the wife of AbrahamNounproperfeminine singular
וַיֹּאמַ֗רway·yō·marhe saidH559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
אֵֽי־’ê-whereH335
√ ʼay — where? hence how?Interrogative
’ay, where? — the interrogative of the lost; the same shape as God's “Where are you?” to Adam (Gen 3:9) and “Where is your brother?” to Cain (Gen 4:9). God's questions seek, they do not inform Him.
מִזֶּ֥הmiz·zeh. . .H2088
√ zeh — the masculine demonstrative pronoun, this or thatInterrogative
בָ֖אתḇāṯhave you come fromH935
√ bôwʼ — to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)VerbQalPerfectsecond person feminine singular
וְאָ֣נָהwə·’ā·nāhand whereH575
√ ʼân — where?Conjunctive wawInterrogative
תֵלֵ֑כִיṯê·lê·ḵîare you goingH1980
√ hâlak — to walk (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)VerbQalImperfectsecond person feminine singular
אָנֹכִ֖י’ā·nō·ḵîI amH595
√ ʼânôkîy — IPronounfirst person common singular
בֹּרַֽחַת׃bō·ra·ḥaṯrunning awayH1272
√ bârach — to bolt, iVerbQalParticiplefeminine singular
bârach, to flee (participle) — Hagar names her own act with the verb of her name; her honesty (“I am fleeing from my mistress”) is the turning point Lange and others commend.
מִפְּנֵי֙mip·pə·nêfromH6440
√ pânîym — the face (as the part that turns)Preposition-mNouncommon plural construct
גְּבִרְתִּ֔יgə·ḇir·tîmy mistressH1404
√ gᵉbereth — mistressNounfeminine singular constructfirst person common singular
שָׂרַ֣יśā·raySaraiH8297
√ Sâray — Sarai, the wife of AbrahamNounproperfeminine singular
וַתֹּ֕אמֶרwat·tō·mershe repliedH559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person feminine singular
9

So the angel of the LORD told her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her authority.”

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Hebrew — tap a word ↓

mal·’aḵ Yah·weh way·yō·mer lāh šū·ḇî ’el- gə·ḇir·têḵ wə·hiṯ·‘an·nî ta·ḥaṯ yā·ḏe·hā

Word by word10 · parsed
מַלְאַ֣ךְmal·’aḵSo the angelH4397
√ mălʼâk — a messengerNounmasculine singular construct
יְהוָ֔הYah·wehof the LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
וַיֹּ֤אמֶרway·yō·mertoldH559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
לָהּ֙lāhher
Prepositionthird person feminine singular
שׁ֖וּבִיšū·ḇîReturnH7725
√ shûwb — to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point)VerbQalImperativefeminine singular
shûb, to return/repent — the verb of turning; the angel's first word to the fugitive is the word the prophets will press on a runaway nation. Return is the road by which the promise (v. 10) reaches her.
אֶל־’el-toH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
גְּבִרְתֵּ֑ךְgə·ḇir·têḵyour mistressH1404
√ gᵉbereth — mistressNounfeminine singular constructsecond person feminine singular
וְהִתְעַנִּ֖יwə·hiṯ·‘an·nîand submitH6031
√ ʻânâh — to depress literally or figuratively, transitive or intransitive (in various applications, as follows)Conjunctive wawVerbHitpaelImperativefeminine singular
‘ânâh (Hitpael), humble yourself — the same root as “afflicted” (v. 6) and “affliction” (v. 11); the command is hard, and the commentators feel it (Cambridge calls vv. 9–11 a triple repetition, perhaps editorial).
תַּ֥חַתta·ḥaṯto her authorityH8478
√ tachath — the bottom (as depressed)Preposition
tachath, under — beneath “her hands”; submission framed spatially, returning Hagar to the authority she had escaped, now under promise rather than mere force.
יָדֶֽיהָ׃yā·ḏe·hā. . .H3027
√ yâd — a hand (the open one (indicating power, means, direction, etcNounfeminine dual constructthird person feminine singular
10

Then the angel added, “I will greatly multiply your offspring so that they will be too numerous to count.”

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Hebrew — tap a word ↓

mal·’aḵ Yah·weh way·yō·mer lāh har·bāh ’ar·beh ’eṯ- zar·‘êḵ wə·lō mê·rōḇ yis·sā·p̄êr

Word by word11 · parsed
מַלְאַ֣ךְmal·’aḵThen the angelH4397
√ mălʼâk — a messengerNounmasculine singular construct
יְהוָ֔הYah·weh. . .H3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
וַיֹּ֤אמֶרway·yō·meraddedH559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
לָהּ֙lāh
Prepositionthird person feminine singular
הַרְבָּ֥הhar·bāhI will greatly multiplyH7235
√ râbâh — to increase (in whatever respect)VerbHifilInfinitive absolute
râbâh (infinitive absolute + imperfect), surely multiply — the doubled construction of solemn certainty; the same formula God speaks to Abraham at Moriah (Gen 22:17), now spoken over Ishmael's mother.
אַרְבֶּ֖ה’ar·beh. . .H7235
√ râbâh — to increase (in whatever respect)VerbHifilImperfectfirst person common singular
’ar·beh, “I will multiply” — first-person divine speech in the Angel's mouth; the strongest single ground for identifying him with YHWH (so Barnes, Cambridge, Pulpit).
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
זַרְעֵ֑ךְzar·‘êḵyour offspringH2233
√ zeraʻ — seedNounmasculine singular constructsecond person feminine singular
zeraʻ, seed — the covenant word; its appearance here dignifies Ishmael's posterity (the “twelve princes,” Gen 17:20) without making them the promised line through Isaac.
וְלֹ֥אwə·lōso thatH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absConjunctive wawAdverbNegative particle
מֵרֹֽב׃mê·rōḇthey will be too numerousH7230
√ rôb — abundance (in any respect)Preposition-mNounmasculine singular
יִסָּפֵ֖רyis·sā·p̄êrto countH5608
√ çâphar — properly, to score with a mark as a tally or record, iVerbNifalImperfectthird person masculine singular
çâphar, to count — “shall not be counted for multitude,” the same uncountable-as-stars-and-sand idiom of the Abrahamic promise (Gen 15:5; 32:12).
11

The angel of the LORD proceeded: “Behold, you have conceived and will bear a son. And you shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard your cry of affliction.

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Hebrew — tap a word ↓

mal·’aḵ Yah·weh way·yō·mer lāh hin·nāḵ hā·rāh wə·yō·laḏt bên wə·qā·rāṯ šə·mōw yiš·mā·‘êl kî- Yah·weh ’el- šā·ma‘ ‘ā·nə·yêḵ

Word by word16 · parsed
מַלְאַ֣ךְmal·’aḵThe angelH4397
√ mălʼâk — a messengerNounmasculine singular construct
יְהוָ֔הYah·wehof the LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
וַיֹּ֤אמֶרway·yō·merproceededH559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
לָהּ֙lāh. . .
Prepositionthird person feminine singular
הִנָּ֥ךְhin·nāḵBeholdH2009
√ hinnêh — lo!Interjectionsecond person feminine singular
הָרָ֖הhā·rāhyou have conceivedH2030
√ hâreh — pregnantAdjectivefeminine singular
hâreh, pregnant — the adjective/verbal “thou art with child”; K&D note the same construction recurs of Samson's mother (Judg 13:5,7), another angelic birth-announcement.
וְיֹלַ֣דְתְּwə·yō·laḏtand will bearH3205
√ yâlad — to bear youngConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectsecond person feminine singular
בֵּ֑ןbêna sonH1121
√ bên — a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etcNounmasculine singular
וְקָרָ֤אתwə·qā·rāṯAnd you shall name himH7121
√ qârâʼ — to call out to (iConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectsecond person feminine singular
qârâʼ, to call/name — the mother is to name the child, a maternal privilege (cf. Cambridge); the naming-before-birth marks Ishmael among a short list (Isaac, Josiah, the Messiah — so Gill).
שְׁמוֹ֙šə·mōw. . .H8034
√ shêm — an appellation, as amark or memorial of individualityNounmasculine singular constructthird person masculine singular
יִשְׁמָעֵ֔אלyiš·mā·‘êlIshmaelH3458
√ Yishmâʻêʼl — Jishmael, the name of Abraham's oldest son, and of five IsraelitesNounpropermasculine singular
Yishmâʻêl, “God hears” — the name preaches the verse: affliction unheard below is heard above.
כִּֽי־kî-forH3588
√ kîy — (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below)Conjunction
יְהוָ֖הYah·wehthe LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
Yahweh — the reason-clause names the covenant LORD as the hearer, though the name itself says El; the narrator equates them (Barnes).
אֶל־’el-. . .H413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
שָׁמַ֥עšā·ma‘has heardH8085
√ shâmaʻ — to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etcVerbQalPerfectthird person masculine singular
shâmaʻ, to hear — the root of the name and the answer to v. 2's tragic “hearing”; God's hearing redeems the chapter's first, faithless hearing.
עָנְיֵֽךְ׃‘ā·nə·yêḵyour cry of afflictionH6040
√ ʻŏnîy — depression, iNounmasculine singular constructsecond person feminine singular
‘ŏnî, affliction — the noun of vv. 6, 9; what was inflicted and then commanded is now what God has heard.
12

He will be a wild donkey of a man, and his hand will be against everyone, and everyone’s hand against him; he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.”

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Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·hū yih·yeh pe·re ’ā·ḏām yā·ḏōw ḇak·kōl kōl wə·yaḏ bōw yiš·kōn wə·‘al- pə·nê ḵāl ’e·ḥāw

Word by word14 · parsed
וְה֤וּאwə·hūHeH1931
√ hûwʼ — he (she or it)Conjunctive wawPronounthird person masculine singular
יִהְיֶה֙yih·yehwill beH1961
√ hâyâh — to exist, iVerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
פֶּ֣רֶאpe·rea wild donkeyH6501
√ pereʼ — the onagerNounmasculine singular construct
pereʼ, wild ass/onager — a rare word (ten verses), drawn straight from the wilderness-poetry of Job 39; freedom, not mere savagery, is the dominant note (Keil, Cambridge).
אָדָ֔ם’ā·ḏām[of a] manH120
√ ʼâdâm — ruddy iNounmasculine singular
יָד֣וֹyā·ḏōwand his handH3027
√ yâd — a hand (the open one (indicating power, means, direction, etcNounfeminine singular constructthird person masculine singular
yâd, hand — repeated in mirror; the hand against all and all against the hand. Benson: the aggression is the sin, the universal enmity the punishment.
בַכֹּ֔לḇak·kōlwill be against everyoneH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholePreposition-b, ArticleNounmasculine singular
כֹּ֖לkōland everyone’sH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholeNounmasculine singular
וְיַ֥דwə·yaḏhandH3027
√ yâd — a hand (the open one (indicating power, means, direction, etcConjunctive wawNounfeminine singular construct
בּ֑וֹbōwagainst him
Prepositionthird person masculine singular
יִשְׁכֹּֽן׃yiš·kōnhe will liveH7931
√ shâkan — to reside or permanently stay (literally or figuratively)VerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
shâkan, to dwell/tabernacle — Gill renders it “he shall tabernacle,” i.e. dwell in tents; the nomad's life as destiny.
וְעַל־wə·‘al-in hostilityH5921
√ ʻal — above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsConjunctive wawPreposition
פְּנֵ֥יpə·nêtowardH6440
√ pânîym — the face (as the part that turns)Nouncommon plural construct
pânîym, face — “before the face of his brothers,” the phrase Gen 25:18 reuses of Ishmael's death “in the presence of all his brethren,” closing the prophecy's arc.
כָל־ḵālallH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholeNounmasculine singular construct
אֶחָ֖יו’e·ḥāwhis brothersH251
√ ʼâch — a brother (used in the widest sense of literal relationship and metaphorical affinity or resemblance (like father))Nounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine singular
’âch, brother — “all his brothers,” the other Abrahamic and related peoples (Edom, Midian, Israel — so Gill, Benson); the wild son lives among kin he is set against.
13

So Hagar gave this name to the LORD who had spoken to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “Here I have seen the One who sees me!”

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Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wat·tiq·rā šêm- Yah·weh had·dō·ḇêr ’ê·le·hā ’at·tāh ’êl ro·’î kî ’ā·mə·rāh hă·lōm hă·ḡam rā·’î·ṯî ’a·ḥă·rê rō·’î

Word by word15 · parsed
וַתִּקְרָ֤אwat·tiq·rāSo [Hagar] gaveH7121
√ qârâʼ — to call out to (iConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person feminine singular
qârâʼ, to call/name — the verb governs the chapter's climax: Hagar names God. Whether this is invocation or naming, the commentators split (Pulpit), but the act is hers.
שֵׁם־šêm-this nameH8034
√ shêm — an appellation, as amark or memorial of individualityNounmasculine singular construct
יְהוָה֙Yah·wehto the LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
Yahweh — the narrator flatly calls the speaker YHWH, settling for the reader what v. 7 left open: the Angel is the LORD.
הַדֹּבֵ֣רhad·dō·ḇêrwho had spokenH1696
√ dâbar — perhaps properly, to arrangeArticleVerbQalParticiplemasculine singular
אֵלֶ֔יהָ’ê·le·hāto herH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPrepositionthird person feminine singular
אַתָּ֖ה’at·tāhYou areH859
√ ʼattâh — thou and thee, or (plural) ye and youPronounsecond person masculine singular
אֵ֣ל’êlthe GodH410
√ ʼêl — strengthNounmasculine singular construct
’êl, God — the generic name for deity, here bound to “seeing”; Hagar's theology is forged in the desert, not the tent.
רֳאִ֑יro·’îwho sees meH7210
√ rŏʼîy — sight, whether abstractly (vision) or concretely (a spectacle)Nounmasculine singular
rŏʼî, seeing/sight — the keyword of the whole chapter (vv. 4, 5, 6, 7's “eye/spring”) gathered into a divine name; the unseen slave meets the God who sees.
כִּ֣יforH3588
√ kîy — (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below)Conjunction
אָֽמְרָ֗ה’ā·mə·rāhshe saidH559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)VerbQalPerfectthird person feminine singular
הֲלֹ֛םhă·lōmHereH1988
√ hălôm — hitherAdverb
הֲגַ֥םhă·ḡamI haveH1571
√ gam — properly, assemblageConjunction
רָאִ֖יתִיrā·’î·ṯîseenH7200
√ râʼâh — to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)VerbQalPerfectfirst person common singular
râʼâh, to see — Hagar's wonder is that she has seen God and survived (so K&D, Pulpit, citing Ex 33:20; Judg 13:22); the verse trembles between terror and grace.
אַחֲרֵ֥י’a·ḥă·rê. . .H310
√ ʼachar — properly, the hind partNounmasculine plural construct
רֹאִֽי׃rō·’îthe One who sees meH7200
√ râʼâh — to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)VerbQalParticiplemasculine singular constructfirst person common singular
rōʼî (participle), the One seeing me — the closing word turns the human act of seeing into the divine fact of being seen; the chapter's pivot from a slave's eyes to God's.
14

Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi. It is located between Kadesh and Bered.

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Hebrew — tap a word ↓

‘al- kên lab·bə·’êr qā·rā bə·’êr la·ḥay rō·’î hin·nêh ḇên- qā·ḏêš ū·ḇên bā·reḏ

Word by word12 · parsed
עַל־‘al-ThereforeH5921
√ ʻal — above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsPreposition
כֵּן֙kên. . .H3651
√ kên — properly, set uprightAdverb
לַבְּאֵ֔רlab·bə·’êrthe wellH875
√ bᵉʼêr — a pitPreposition-l, ArticleNounfeminine singular
bᵉʼêr, well — a desert well; the place of God's seeing becomes a fixed landmark, later Isaac's own dwelling (Gen 24:62; 25:11), where the line of promise settles by the well of grace to the outcast.
קָרָ֣אqā·rāwas calledH7121
√ qârâʼ — to call out to (iVerbQalPerfectthird person masculine singular
qârâʼ, to call — the naming verb again; revelation crystallizes into geography.
בְּאֵ֥רbə·’êrvvvH883
√ Bᵉʼêr la-Chay Rôʼîy — Beer-Lachai-Roi, a place in the DesertPreposition
לַחַ֖יla·ḥayvvvH883
√ Bᵉʼêr la-Chay Rôʼîy — Beer-Lachai-Roi, a place in the DesertPreposition
רֹאִ֑יrō·’îBeer-lahai-roiH883
√ Bᵉʼêr la-Chay Rôʼîy — Beer-Lachai-Roi, a place in the DesertNounproperfeminine singular
Bᵉʼêr la-Chay Rôʼîy — a very rare proper name (three verses in all of Scripture), and all three orbit this episode and Isaac's life by it; the well of the seeing God anchors the next generation.
הִנֵּ֥הhin·nêhIt is locatedH2009
√ hinnêh — lo!Interjection
בֵין־ḇên-betweenH996
√ bêyn — between (repeated before each noun, often with other particles)Preposition
קָדֵ֖שׁqā·ḏêšKadeshH6946
√ Qâdêsh — Kadesh, a place in the DesertNounproperfeminine singular
Qâdêš, Kadesh — a known desert site (Gen 14:7); Bered is otherwise unknown, and the commentators (Barnes, Cambridge, Keil) cannot fix it — an honest gap in the geography.
וּבֵ֥יןū·ḇên. . .H996
√ bêyn — between (repeated before each noun, often with other particles)Conjunctive wawPreposition
בָּֽרֶד׃bā·reḏand BeredH1260
√ Bered — Bered, the name of a place south of Palestine, also of an IsraeliteNounproperfeminine singular
15

And Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne.

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Hebrew — tap a word ↓

hā·ḡār wat·tê·leḏ lə·’aḇ·rām bên ’aḇ·rām way·yiq·rā šem- yiš·mā·‘êl bə·nōw ’ă·šer- hā·ḡār yā·lə·ḏāh

Word by word12 · parsed
הָגָ֛רhā·ḡārAnd HagarH1904
√ Hâgâr — Hagar, the mother of IshmaelNounproperfeminine singular
Hâgâr — named first; the returned fugitive is now the bearer of Abram's firstborn, vindicating her vision (Pulpit: “acknowledging the truth of Hagar's vision”).
וַתֵּ֧לֶדwat·tê·leḏboreH3205
√ yâlad — to bear youngConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person feminine singular
yâlad, to bear — the chapter's first word negated (v. 1) now stands fulfilled; barrenness answered, though not by the promised route.
לְאַבְרָ֖םlə·’aḇ·rāmAbramH87
√ ʼAbrâm — Abram, the original name of AbrahamPreposition-lNounpropermasculine singular
בֵּ֑ןbêna sonH1121
√ bên — a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etcNounmasculine singular
אַבְרָ֧ם’aḇ·rāmand AbramH87
√ ʼAbrâm — Abram, the original name of AbrahamNounpropermasculine singular
וַיִּקְרָ֨אway·yiq·rāgaveH7121
√ qârâʼ — to call out to (iConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
qârâʼ, to call/name — Abram names the child, enacting the angel's word brought to him by Hagar (so Gill); the household receives heaven's naming.
שֶׁם־šem-the nameH8034
√ shêm — an appellation, as amark or memorial of individualityNounmasculine singular construct
יִשְׁמָעֵֽאל׃yiš·mā·‘êlIshmaelH3458
√ Yishmâʻêʼl — Jishmael, the name of Abraham's oldest son, and of five IsraelitesNounpropermasculine singular
Yishmâʻêl — “God hears,” given exactly as commanded in v. 11; the name now stands on a living child.
בְּנ֛וֹbə·nōwto the sonH1121
√ bên — a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etcNounmasculine singular constructthird person masculine singular
אֲשֶׁר־’ă·šer-H834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
הָגָ֖רhā·ḡār[she]H1904
√ Hâgâr — Hagar, the mother of IshmaelNounproperfeminine singular
יָלְדָ֥הyā·lə·ḏāhhad borneH3205
√ yâlad — to bear youngVerbQalPerfectthird person feminine singular
16

Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to him.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·’aḇ·rām šə·mō·nîm wə·šêš šā·nîm ben- šā·nāh hā·ḡār ’eṯ- bə·le·ḏeṯ- yiš·mā·‘êl lə·’aḇ·rām

Word by word11 · parsed
וְאַבְרָ֕םwə·’aḇ·rāmAbramH87
√ ʼAbrâm — Abram, the original name of AbrahamConjunctive wawNounpropermasculine singular
שְׁמֹנִ֥יםšə·mō·nîmwas eighty-sixH8084
√ shᵉmônîym — eighty, also eightiethNumbercommon plural
shᵉmônîym, eighty — with v. 3's “ten years,” the Priestly chronology is exact: Abram is eighty-six, eleven years after entering Canaan (Barnes). Genesis is careful with its calendar.
וְשֵׁ֣שׁwə·šêš. . .H8337
√ shêsh — six (as an overplus beyond five or the fingers of the hand)Conjunctive wawNumberfeminine singular
שָׁנִ֑יםšā·nîmyearsH8141
√ shâneh — a year (as a revolution of time)Nounfeminine plural
בֶּן־ben-oldH1121
√ bên — a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etcNounmasculine singular construct
ben, son (of years) — the Hebrew age-idiom; in a chapter about getting a son, a man is measured as a “son of” his years.
שָׁנָ֖הšā·nāh. . .H8141
√ shâneh — a year (as a revolution of time)Nounfeminine singular
הָגָ֥רhā·ḡārwhen HagarH1904
√ Hâgâr — Hagar, the mother of IshmaelNounproperfeminine singular
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
בְּלֶֽדֶת־bə·le·ḏeṯ-boreH3205
√ yâlad — to bear youngPreposition-bVerbQalInfinitive construct
yâlad (infinitive), in bearing — the chapter's keyword one last time; the unit opens and closes on the verb of birth, frame matching frame.
יִשְׁמָעֵ֖אלyiš·mā·‘êlIshmaelH3458
√ Yishmâʻêʼl — Jishmael, the name of Abraham's oldest son, and of five IsraelitesNounpropermasculine singular
Yishmâʻêl — the name stands as the unit's last word but one; the son who is “God hears” closes the account, before the silence of thirteen years (so K&D on v. 15) until ch. 17.
לְאַבְרָֽם׃סlə·’aḇ·rāmto himH87
√ ʼAbrâm — Abram, the original name of AbrahamPreposition-lNounpropermasculine singular

The verse-by-verse work is done. What follows gathers the whole unit. All three layers below are machine-generated (⚙). Weigh them; they have no authority.

Grand Commentary — the unit, read whole

synthesis · verify

AI synthesis — woven from the public-domain voices above and the original text; generated and fallible.

i. The empty hand, and the hand that fills it — 1–3

The unit is bolted to a single negation. Sarai יָלְדָ֖ה ל֑וֹ לֹ֥א — “bore not to him” — and the Pulpit Commentary catches the relational sting of the literal Hebrew: “literally, bare not to him.” Against that void the chapter sets a human remedy, narrated with Sarai as the agent of every verb: she took, she gave. Ten years of waiting (v. 3) have, in Ellicott's words, “not only tried his faith, but brought him and Sarai to the conclusion that the promised seed was to be obtained by other means.” The verb behind Sarai's hope, אִבָּנֶ֖ה (’ib·bā·neh, “I shall be built”), is the chapter's first pun: Ellicott unpacks how “ben= a son … baith … =a house, and bânâh= to build, all belong to the same root.” The verdict of the older voices divides honestly. Matthew Henry: “Unbelief worked, God's almighty power was forgotten.” The Geneva annotator is gentler, reading in Sarai one who “had respect for God's promise, which could not be accomplished without issue.” Keil & Delitzsch hold the two together: the plan “seemed a judicious one,” and yet “they were both of them soon to learn, that their thoughts were the thoughts of man and not of God.”

ii. The weight that shifts: contempt, complaint, and flight — 4–6

Success is the catastrophe. Hagar conceives, and at once her mistress is וַתֵּקַ֥ל (wat·tê·qal) — not merely “despised” but made light, weighed and found wanting; Keil & Delitzsch render it precisely, “her mistress became little in her eyes.” The fault-line, as Barnes sees, runs back to the plan itself: “The contempt of her maid was unjustifiable. But it was the natural consequence of Sarai's own improper and imprudent step.” Sarai's answer is a cry of חֲמָסִ֣י (ḥămāsî, “my violence”), the Flood-word for outrage; Ellicott paraphrases, “May the wrong done to me be avenged upon thee.” The Cambridge Bible names it plainly — “the utterance of jealousy” — and clears Abram, who “is not to blame for the step which she herself had recommended.” Abram cedes the matter with a phrase of bitter discretion, הַטּ֣וֹב בְּעֵינָ֑יִךְ (“the good in your eyes”), and Sarai afflicts (וַתְּעַנֶּ֣הָ, ‘ânâh — the Egypt-bondage verb of Gen 15:13) the Egyptian, who flees (וַתִּבְרַ֖ח, bârach), living out her own name. The commentators differ over Hagar's guilt — Cambridge insists “There is no evidence that her conduct was insolent,” against Ellicott, Henry, and Gill — and the text does not finally rule.

iii. The God who finds, hears, and is seen — 7–14

Then the first מַלְאַ֧ךְ יְהוָ֛ה (mal’aḵ Yahweh) in Scripture finds her — and Gill denies it is chance: “it shows that his eye was upon her, and he had a concern for her.” The Cambridge Bible registers the staggering claim the figure makes: “in Genesis 16:10 He identifies Himself with Jehovah, expressing in the first person sing. what He will do.” That first-person promise — הַרְבָּ֥ה אַרְבֶּ֖ה, “multiplying I will multiply” — is, the Pulpit says, “language altogether inappropriate in the lips of a creature.” The child is to be יִשְׁמָעֵ֔אל, “God hears,” and Barnes notes the deliberate cross-naming: “"El," the Mighty, will hear; but "Jehovah," the Lord (Yahweh), heard her humiliation.” He will be a פֶּ֣רֶא אָדָ֔ם, a “wild-ass man,” the noble untamable onager of Job 39 — Ellicott calls it “a very noble creature … great speed, love of solitude, and an untamable fondness of liberty.” The summit is Hagar's: she becomes the only person in the Hebrew Bible to name God, calling him אֵ֣ל רֳאִ֑י (’êl ro·’î). Keil & Delitzsch read her wonder as survival after vision — “Hagar was astonished that she had seen God and remained alive” — while Cambridge hears chiefly gratitude, “joy and thankfulness for having seen Jehovah, and for having lived afterwards.” The well keeps the memory: Beer-lahai-roi, in Ellicott's gloss, “the well where God has been seen, and the beholder still lives.”

iv. The son, the age, the frame that closes — 15–16

The chapter ends where it began, on one verb. In v. 1 Sarai bore not (yâlad); now Hagar וַתֵּ֧לֶדbore. Abram, who had been told nothing directly, names the child Ishmael, and Gill supplies the missing link: “Hagar upon her return reported to Abram the whole of the conversation she had with the angel; wherefore Abram believing what she said … gave him this name.” The closing chronology is exact — Abram “a son of eighty and six years” — which the Cambridge Bible reads as “an instance of P’s careful computation of chronology.” And Keil & Delitzsch hear the long quiet that follows: Abram “regarded it probably as the promised seed, until, thirteen years afterwards, the counsel of God was more clearly unfolded to him.” The remedy of the flesh has produced a real son and a real silence; the promise will have to wait for chapter 17.

Read under Sola Scriptura — this tool’s own fallible reading (⚙)

Read under Sola Scriptura — judged by Scripture, and offered to be judged by it — Genesis 16 is the anatomy of a faith that tries to help God keep His word. The chapter is framed by one Hebrew verb, yâlad (“to bear”): negated in v. 1, fulfilled in v. 15, repeated in the closing date of v. 16. Between that empty hand and that filled one lies a stretch of entirely human verbs — Sarai takes, gives, afflicts; Abram listens to the voice of his wife (the Eden phrase, Gen 3:17); Hagar flees. None of it is what God promised, and all of it is exactly what people do when a promise is slow. The text neither airbrushes the patriarchs nor pretends the scheme worked: it produced a real child and real grief, and left the covenant line still unborn. Yet the deepest word of the chapter is not human failure but divine sight. The God who is never said to speak to Sarai or Abram here finds, hears, and lets Himself be seen — by the one person in the story with no rights, no standing, and no name on anyone's lips but His. That a foreign slave woman in flight is the first human in Scripture to give God a name (El-Roi) is the chapter's quiet thunder: the promise is bigger than the people carrying it, and grace runs first to the runaway. This is the tool's fallible reading, set out to be tested against the Word it serves.

Grace reaches the runaway first — the only person in the chapter with no name on anyone's lips but God's becomes the only person in Scripture to name God. (An interpretive line, not a verse.)

Canonical Threads — out to the whole of Scripture

cross-refs · verify

AI-generated connections. Each carries a verification badge with a recorded basis; contested links are flagged.

The God who sees marks the map: Beer-lahai-roi and Isaac verbal / quotation — confirmed

Hagar's naming of God leaves a name on the land — בְּאֵ֥ר לַחַ֖י רֹאִ֑י, Beer-lahai-roi (16:14) — and that exact, otherwise-unknown place-name resurfaces only twice more in all of Scripture, both times as the dwelling of Isaac, the child of promise (Gen 24:62; 25:11). The son of the bondwoman's vision becomes the home of the son of the free woman. The Verifier records the shared rare lexeme H883 Bᵉʼêr la-Chay Rôʼîy (in only 3 verses) — a genuine verbal anchor, not a thematic guess.

Genesis 16:14 · Genesis 24:62 · Genesis 25:11

basis: shared rare lexeme H883 Bᵉʼêr la-Chay Rôʼîy (the place-name itself, in only 3 verses of the Hebrew Bible) — Gen 16:14 ↔ 24:62 ↔ 25:11; a verbal link of the proper name, all three orbiting Hagar's well and Isaac's life by it

The wild-ass man and the onager of Job verbal / quotation — confirmed

The angel's portrait of Ishmael, פֶּ֣רֶא אָדָ֔ם (“a wild-ass of a man,” 16:12), draws on a rare word — pereʼ, the desert onager — whose great poetic description is Job 39:5–8, the passage nearly every commentator here cites (Ellicott, Poole, Cambridge, Keil). The shared lexeme is uncommon (H6501 pereʼ, in 10 verses), so the verbal link is real: Genesis sketches in a phrase the creature Job paints at length — untamable, free, at home in the wilderness. The note is liberty, not mere savagery.

Genesis 16:12 · Job 39:5

basis: shared rare lexeme H6501 pereʼ “wild ass / onager” (in only 10 verses) — Gen 16:12 ↔ Job 39:5; the commentators uniformly read Gen 16:12 through the Job 39 onager, and the Verifier confirms the verbal tie

“Hagar the Egyptian, Sarai's servant”: the opening line and the toledot of Ishmael verbal / quotation — confirmed

The roll-call that opens the chapter — הָגָר the מִצְרִית (Egyptian), שִׁפְחָה (servant) of Sarai (16:1) — is gathered up almost word-for-word when Genesis later writes the genealogy of Ishmael: “the descendants of Ishmael … whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's servant, bore to Abraham” (Gen 25:12). The Verifier scores this the nearest neighbour to 16:1 in all of Scripture (0.80), on a cluster of low-frequency terms: the rare name H1904 Hâgâr (10 vv) plus H4713 Mitsrîy (62 vv) and H8198 shiphchâh (58 vv). The narrator deliberately re-states Hagar's full standing at the head of Ishmael's line — Egyptian, slave, given by Sarai — so the genealogy never forgets the cost of the chapter that produced it; the wild son's twelve princes (Gen 25:13–16) are filed under his mother's bondwoman title.

Genesis 16:1 · Genesis 25:12

basis: shared rare lexeme H1904 Hâgâr (the proper name, in only 10 verses) plus the uncommon pair H4713 Mitsrîy (62 vv) and H8198 shiphchâh (58 vv) — Gen 16:1 ↔ Gen 25:12; the Verifier ranks 25:12 the single closest verse to 16:1 (score 0.80) and tiers it verbal, the toledot of Ishmael echoing the chapter's opening description of his mother almost verbatim

“God hears”: Ishmael's name and the second wilderness rescue structural / thematic — confirmed

The naming of Ishmael in 16:11 — שָׁמַ֥ע (shâmaʻ, “God hears”) — is answered in Genesis 21:17, where, after Hagar and the boy are cast out, “God heard the voice of the lad” and the angel of God again finds her in the desert. The two scenes mirror each other: the same mother, the same wilderness, the same hearing God, the name “God hears” enacted twice. The two episodes are verbally anchored — the Verifier links Gen 16 and Gen 21 by the rare proper name הָגָר (H1904 Hâgâr, in only 10 verses) — but the shâmaʻ wordplay itself rides on common vocabulary (mal’âk, shâmaʻ, qârâʼ), so the divine-hearing tie is honestly tiered structural/thematic rather than a quotation: a recurring angel-finds-and-God-hears-Hagar pattern, not a citation.

Genesis 16:11 · Genesis 21:17

basis: the Gen 16 / Gen 21 Hagar episodes share the rare name H1904 Hâgâr (10 vv) — a true verbal anchor at the episode level (Verifier: Gen 16:1 ↔ 21:17). But the specific divine-hearing motif at issue rests on common lexemes (H4397 mălʼâk 197 vv, H8085 shâmaʻ 1072 vv, H7121 qârâʼ 687 vv); so the shâmaʻ-enacting-Ishmael's-name pattern is recorded as structural/thematic, not a verbal quotation

“Before the face of all his brothers”: 16:12 and 25:18 structural / thematic — confirmed

The prophecy that Ishmael will dwell עַל־פְּנֵ֥י (“before the face of”) all his brothers (16:12) is deliberately picked up at his death notice: in Genesis 25:18 his descendants settle, and he “died, in the presence of all his brethren” (so Benson). The phrase forms an envelope around Ishmael's life. The connecting words (shâkan “dwell,” ’âch “brother,” pânîym “face”) are common, so this is a thematic/structural echo, not a verbal quotation.

Genesis 16:12 · Genesis 25:18

basis: shared lexemes H7931 shâkan “dwell” (124 vv), H251 ʼâch “brother” (571 vv), H6440 pânîym “face” (1892 vv) — all common; the tie is a deliberate narrative envelope (the prophecy of 16:12 fulfilled at 25:18), structural rather than a verbal citation

Hagar and Sarah read as the two covenants (Paul's allegory) flagged — verify source

Paul, in Galatians 4:21–31, takes this very household — the bondwoman Hagar and her son born kata sarka (“according to the flesh”) over against the free woman and the son of promise — and reads it allegorically as “two covenants,” Sinai and the Jerusalem above. Matthew Poole already cross-references it at 16:2: “the children of her bond-woman (as Hagar was, Galatians 4:22 ).” Because this is a cross-Testament tie (Greek ↔ Hebrew), no shared Strong's number is possible, and the Verifier returns no lexical overlap. It is therefore flagged: the connection is real and apostolic, but it is an interpretive (allegorical) appropriation Paul himself signals — not a verbal quotation of Genesis — and the specific allegorical mapping must be weighed as Paul's argued reading, not as a datum lying on the surface of Genesis 16.

Genesis 16:2 · Genesis 16:3 · Galatians 4:22 · Galatians 4:24

basis: cross-Testament Greek–Hebrew link — no shared original-language lexeme is possible (Verifier confirms none); Paul (Gal 4:22–24) names Hagar and reads the Hagar/Sarah household allegorically as two covenants. It is a real NT appropriation but an argued allegory, not a verbal citation of Gen 16; flagged so the interpretive leap is owned, not asserted

Christ in the Unittypology · verify

AI-generated reading; weigh it against the text.

The Angel of YHWH who finds, speaks, and is named God widely-held

The מַלְאַ֧ךְ יְהוָ֛ה (Angel of YHWH) who finds Hagar speaks in the first person as God (“I will multiply,” v. 10) and is then flatly called YHWH by the narrator and by Hagar (v. 13). The historic Reformed and patristic reading takes this figure as a pre-incarnate appearing of the Son — the Angel of the covenant (Mal 3:1). Matthew Poole states it for the tradition: “The Son of God, who oft appeared in man’s shape, before he took man’s nature, is called an Angel or Messenger, because he was the Angel of the covenant.” The Geneva note agrees the Angel “was Christ.” This is a widely-held Christological reading; it is offered as the tradition's claim, since the text itself asserts only that the Angel is identified with YHWH.

Genesis 16:7 · Genesis 16:10 · Genesis 16:13

The God who sees the outcast, and seeks the lost first novel

Hagar's אֵ֣ל רֳאִ֑י — “the God who sees me” — is, in seed, the Gospel pattern: the God who seeks and finds (the verb mâtsâʼ, v. 7) the one in flight, with no claim on Him, and lets Himself be seen and survived. The same shape recurs when the Son says He came “to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10) and tells of the shepherd who goes after the one sheep until he finds it (Luke 15:4). That grace reaches a foreign bondwoman first — before any word is recorded to Abram in this chapter — anticipates the Gospel's reach beyond the covenant household to the nations (cf. Gal 4, where Hagar's line and the free promise are set side by side). This is a typological/thematic reading, more figural than verbal, and so is marked novel rather than a fixed datum of the text.

Genesis 16:7 · Genesis 16:13 · Luke 19:10

Apparatus & Provenance

The biblical text is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain (CC0). Hebrew/Greek text, transliteration, morphology and Strong’s are transcribed from the Berean interlinear (CC0) + Strong’s lexicons (PD); the literal renderings, divergence notes, word notes and all synthesis are this tool’s own work (⚙) — fallible; verify them.

Named voices, quoted verbatim from public-domain works:

  • Albert Barnes, Notes on the Bible (1834)
  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, (1880s)
  • Charles Ellicott, Commentary for English Readers (1878)
  • Geneva Study Bible, Marginal Notes (1599)
  • Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory (1871)
  • John Gill, Exposition of the Entire Bible (1746–63)
  • Joseph Benson, Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1810s)
  • Keil & Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1860s)
  • Matthew Henry, Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible (1706)
  • Matthew Poole, Annotations upon the Holy Bible (1685)
  • The Pulpit Commentary, Spence & Exell, eds. (1880s)

Honesty notes specific to this unit. (1) Voices are verbatim. Every quoted excerpt is a contiguous substring of the public-domain commentary supplied for that verse (biblehub.com), trimmed only at the ends; nothing is paraphrased, reordered, or stitched. Where a source contains an apparent printing error — Ellicott's “El Boi” for “El Roi” at 16:13 — it is quoted as printed and flagged in an editorial note, per the verbatim rule. (2) El-Roi and Beer-lahai-roi are genuine cruxes. The Hebrew of 16:13–14 is among the hardest in Genesis; the ancient versions (LXX, Vulgate, Targums) and the modern critics (K&D, Cambridge, even conjectural emendations by Wellhausen and Ball) do not agree on whether the name means “the God who sees” or “the God who lets Himself be seen,” nor on the exact sense of Hagar's reply. The literal renderings here keep the transliterated names rather than force a single resolution the sources themselves withhold. (3) Geography is partly unknown. Kadesh is locatable; Bered “has not been ascertained” (Barnes), and the identification of Hagar's well with Ain Muweileh is a probable guess, not a fact. (4) Blame is contested. The commentators split on Hagar's guilt (Cambridge exonerates her; Ellicott, Henry, Gill assume insolence) and on Sarai's and Abram's culpability; the synthesis records the disagreement rather than adjudicating it. (5) Source-critical claims are labeled. Cambridge's J/P documentary judgments (e.g. that vv. 9–10 or vv. 15–16 are editorial) are noted as a critical view, not as a datum of the received text. (6) The Christ readings are tiered by attestation: the Angel-of-YHWH-as-pre-incarnate-Son reading is widely-held (Poole, Geneva, Gill, the Fathers); the God-who-seeks-the-lost typology is marked novel, a figural extension rather than a verbal link. (7) The Galatians 4 thread is flagged precisely because it is cross-Testament: Paul's allegory is apostolic and real, but it is an argued reading of the household, not a verbal quotation Genesis 16 supplies, and the Verifier confirms no shared original-language lexeme is possible across Greek and Hebrew.

= human, public-domain source, quoted and named. = machine synthesis, to be verified. Flagged cross-references are left visible on purpose — the verifier working in the open. “Search the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)