CPCC Bible Study: Genesis 21

      Twenty-One's quote is

"And Sarah said, 'God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.' And she said, 'Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.'"
Verses 6 and 7, English Standard Version (link below)

2
      "harah" (conceived (last seen in Genesis 4)) and "yalad" (bore / 'brought forth' / beget) Sarah to Abraham "ben" (son / child) "zaqun" (aged / old / etc)....
      The gist of these two verses is that what GOD had promised, in His time, and the way HE said, actually happened. That being: the Old Woman had a child by the Old Man, in a year!

3
      Summary: Abraham names the baby "Isaac".
      Side comment: if you get REALLY bored, look at the direct translation from the Hebrew for this verse in the Interlinear.

4 and 5
      Summary: Abraham circumcised the baby when he was eight days old.
      Abe was a hundred years old when Isaac was born.

6 and 7
      Discussion: remember we said 'laughter' was a theme here? Sarah makes the point for us in the text.
      The root word for the baby's name is the word for 'laugh', as we've already pointed out when Abe and Sarah both laughed at the idea.

8
      Summary: the baby grows and is weaned. Abe hosts a feast on the day Isaac was weaned. There is no record of such a party for Ishmael.

9 - 10
      Analysis. Remember in chapter 16 that there was some friction between Hagar and Sarai (Sarah)? See verse 4. Now we have Ishmael "tsachaq" (laughing / jesting (in some translations as 'scoffing')), and Sarah sees it. So she tells Abraham to "garash" (expel / drive out (same word as the exit from the Garden in chapter 3)) the "amah" (female servant) so that her son would not be an heir with Isaac.
      This is the other side of the verse from the end of Galatians 4, this time, from the free woman.

11 - 13
      And was "ra'a'" (displease / spoil (includes the idea of bad / harm / wicked)) the "dabar" (word / matter / 'thing') in the sight of Abraham over his son. But said 'Elohim to Abraham....
      Paraphrase: God tells Abe to not be displeased over what his wife has said to him. And restates the promise to both kids.

14
      Summary: in the morning Abe packs a sack lunch and gives it to Hagar and sends her and Ishmael away.
      Beer Sheba is a known location in the Negev, the name means "Seven Wells". The ruins of the Biblical settlement are just east of the modern city which is about forty five miles southwest of Jerusalem, halfway between the Mediterranean and the Dead Seas.

15 - 16
      They run out of water and Hagar "shalak" (fling/cast/throw away/down / etc) the boy under a bush. Then she sat down some distance from him.... "tachah" (stretched) "qesheth" (bow) (together implies the distance of a shot arrow) .... to not see the 'boy' (as per many translations) die, and cried.
      In chapter 17, Ishmael was thirteen years old. That was at least three or four years before these events, as, remember, Isaac was conceived, born, and weaned, since then.

17 - 19
      God hears Ishmael's voice....
      "qara" (call / speak) a "malak" (messenger / angel) of 'Elohim to her out of "shamayim" (heaven / sky), and said "mah lak" (what wrong) Hagar?
      .... the angel says that God has heard the boy. That she is to go get him because he will become a great nation.
      Again. That is the only promise to this son of Abraham. The Covenant and all that goes with it is with Isaac.
      She opens her eyes and sees a well, and gets him water.

20 - 21
      Observation. This bit of history is far in the future of the story at the well. He goes from being left for dead under a bush to being a great archer... remember the distance Hagar sat down away from him? And later gets an Egyptian wife.

22 - 23
      Commentary. Evidently there was no hard feelings between King Abimelech and Abraham over the little misunderstanding they had BEFORE Isaac was born.
      Abimelech, and his top general, want Abe to swear that he won't "shaqar" (deceive / lie / etc) with him (such has perhaps telling the king 'half a lie' about his wife).

24
      Abraham, I "shaba" (affirm / take an oath / swear).

25 - 26
      Then Abraham "yakach" (reprove / argues / complains / etc) to the king about a well that his army had seized.
      The king plays dumb and says he doesn't know what Abe is talking about.

27 - 31
      Abraham gives the king some livestock and they make a treaty that Abe dug the well, and they both swear an oath to that effect.

32 - 34
      A restatement of what just happened. Abe plants a tree and calls on the name of YHWH 'El ''Olam (YHWH God Eternal / Everlasting (this is the first time that Name For GOD is used in the OT))

- end 21 -

References and links: Outside links will open in new tab/window.
The Interlinear: Hebrew - English https://biblehub.com/interlinear/genesis/21.htm

English Standard Version https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2021&version=ESV

The Genesis Study Index Page

NOTE: The Bible Study Lesson presented above is posted as a reference document to begin a conversation of the topic. And that's it. Please accept it at such.

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