Bereshis 21
21
1And Hashem visited Sarah as He had said, and Hashem did unto Sarah just as He had spoken.
2For Sarah conceived, and bore Avraham ben in his old age, at the mo'ed (set time) of which Elohim had given promise unto him.
3And Avraham called the shem of bno that was born unto him, whom Sarah bore to him, Yitzchak.
4And Avraham circumcised bno Yitzchak at age shemonat yamim, as Elohim had commanded him.
5And Avraham was a hundred years old, when bno Yitzchak was born unto him.
6And she said, Elohim hath brought me tzechok (laughter), so that all that hear yitzchak (will laugh) with me.
7And she said, Who would have said unto Avraham, that Sarah should nurse banim? for I have borne him ben in his old age.
8And the yeled grew, and was weaned; and Avraham made a mishteh gadol the same day that Yitzchak was weaned.
9And Sarah saw the ben of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had borne unto Avraham, metzachek (mocking, scoffing).
10Therefore she said unto Avraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her ben: for the ben of this bondwoman shall not be heir with beni (my son), even with Yitzchak.
11And the thing was very grievous in the eyes of Avraham because of bno.
12And Elohim said unto Avraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the na'ar, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, shema (pay heed) unto her voice; for in Yitzchak shall thy zera be called.
13And also of the ben haamah will I make a nation, because he is thy zera.
14And Avraham rose up early in the boker, and took lechem, and a skin of mayim, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the yeled, and sent her away; and she departed, and wandered in the midbar of Be'er-Sheva.
15And the mayim in the skin was done, and she cast the yeled under one of the bushes.
16And she went off, and sat down about a bowshot away: for she thought, Let me not see the mot hayeled. And she sat there nearby, and lifted up her voice, and wept.
17And Elohim heard the voice of the na'ar; and the Malach Elohim called to Hagar out of Shomayim, and said unto her, Mah lach, Hagar? fear not; for Elohim hath heard the voice of the na'ar where he is.
18Arise, lift up the na'ar, and hold him in thine yad; for I will make him a goy gadol.
19And Elohim opened her eyes, and she saw a be'er of mayim; and she went, and filled the skin with mayim, and gave the na'ar drink.
20And Elohim was with the na'ar; and he grew, and dwelt in the midbar, and became a roveh keshet (an archer).
21And he dwelt in the midbar of Paran: and his em got him an isha out of Eretz Mitzrayim.
22And it came to pass at that time, that Avimelech and Phichol the sar tz'va of his spoke unto Avraham, saying, Elohim is with thee in all that thou doest:
23Now therefore swear unto me here before Elohim that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my child, nor with my descendant: but according to the chesed that I have showed thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the eretz wherein thou hast sojourned.
24And Avraham said, I will swear.
25And Avraham reproved Avimelech because of a be'er hamayim, which Avimelechʼs avadim had violently seized.
26And Avimelech said, I know not who hath done this thing; neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I of it, but today.
27And Avraham took tzon and oxen, and gave them unto Avimelech; and both of them made a brit.
28And Avraham set apart seven ewe lambs of the tzon by themselves.
29And Avimelech said unto Avraham, What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set apart by themselves?
30And he said, For these sheva ewe lambs shalt thou accept of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me, that I have dug this well.
31Therefore he called that place Be'er-Sheva; because there they swore an oath both of them.
32Thus they made a brit at Be'er-Sheva: then Avimelech rose up, and Phichol the sar tzeva of his, and they returned into eretz Pelishtim.
33And Avraham planted an eshel (tamarisk tree) in Be'er-Sheva, and called there on the Shem of Hashem El Olam.
34And Avraham sojourned in eretz Pelishtim yamim rabbim.
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Bereshis 21: TOJB2011
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THE ORTHODOX JEWISH BIBLE
FOURTH EDITION © Artists For Israel Intl Inc., 2002-2011, 2021.
Genesis 21
21
Birth of Isaac
1Yahweh visited Sarah, # 21:1 We are not told if the Lord appeared to Sarah or visited her in a dream, but it is clear that Yahweh came to her to confirm his promise. just as he said he would, and fulfilled his promise to her. 2And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the exact time God had promised them. 3Abraham named his son Isaac, the miracle son, whom Sarah bore him. 4When Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God had commanded him. 5Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born. 6Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh # 21:6 This verse contains a double allusion to the name Isaac, which means “he laughed.” Every time Abraham and Sarah spoke Isaac’s name, they acknowledged the miracle of God. The name Yitzhak (Isaac) is the word for “laughter” but in the past tense. It could be translated “delayed laughter.” If you had a baby after turning one hundred, you might laugh too! Notice the details of Isaac’s birth and how they foreshadow the birth of our Lord Jesus: (1) Both sons were the promised seed—Gen. 17:6; Isa. 7:14. (2) Both were long awaited—Gen. 12:5–6; 21:1–3; Gal. 4:4. (3) Both had mothers who asked questions—Gen. 18:13–14; Luke 1:34–37. (4) Both had names given before birth—Gen. 17:19; Matt. 1:21. (5) Both births were miraculous—Gen. 21:2; Matt. 1:18. (6) Both sons were a delight to their father—Gen. 22:2; Matt. 3:17. with me.” 7And she added,
“Who would ever have told Abraham
that Sarah would one day nurse children!
Even though Abraham is an old man,
look—I have given him a son!”
Hagar and Ishmael Sent Away
8Isaac grew and was weaned; and on the day Sarah weaned him, Abraham prepared a great feast. 9But Sarah noticed the son of Hagar, the Egyptian, was mocking # 21:9 The Hebrew word used here is built on the root stem from the name Isaac. It is possible to translate it “jesting,” “playing,” or “making fun of [Isaac].” Regardless, Sarah saw it as a threat to her son. See Gal. 4:21–31. her son Isaac. # 21:9 The italicized words are found in both the Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate. 10So she said to Abraham, “Get rid of this slave woman and her son. Banish them, for the son of that slave woman must not become a coheir with my son Isaac!”
11Abraham was very upset over Sarah’s demand, for Ishmael was his son too. 12God spoke to Abraham, # 21:12 Perhaps God spoke to Abraham in a night vision or dream. God still speaks to his prophets today, as he spoke to Abraham. “Don’t be distressed over the slave woman and her son. Listen to every word Sarah says to you, and do it, for it will be through Isaac your promise of descendants will be fulfilled. # 21:12 Or “through Isaac your seed will be counted.” See Rom. 9:7; Gal. 3:16; Heb. 11:18. 13Rest assured, I will make the son of your slave woman into a nation too, because he is your son.”
14Abraham rose up early the next morning, bundled up some food and a skin of water, and strapped them to Hagar’s shoulders. Then he gave her his son and sent them away. So, Hagar and her son Ishmael departed and wandered off into the wilderness of Beersheba.
15When the water was gone, she grew desperate, so she left her son # 21:15 Ishmael was not an infant, for he had been circumcised at thirteen (see Gen. 17:25), and Isaac was born a year afterwards. It was common to wean children at the age of four or five, so Ishmael was at least a teenager when Hagar was sent away. under a bush. 16Then she walked about the distance of a bowshot and sat down, for she thought, “I can’t bear to watch my son die.” As she sat nearby, she broke into tears and sobbed uncontrollably.
17And God heard the voice of the boy. The angel of God called out to Hagar from the heavenly realm # 21:17 Both Ishmael and Isaac were saved by a voice from heaven (see Gen. 22:11). and said, “What’s the matter, Hagar? Don’t be afraid, for God has heard the voice of your son crying as he lies there. 18Get up! Help the boy up and hold him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” 19Then God opened her eyes to reveal a well of water. She went over to the well and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a long, cool drink.
20God was with Ishmael as he grew up in the wilderness of Paran. He became an expert archer, 21and his mother, Hagar, arranged a marriage for him with an Egyptian woman.
Abraham’s Oath to Abimelech
22At that time, King Abimelech and Phicol, # 21:22 Phicol means “strong.” his army commander, came to Abraham and said, “It is obvious that God is with you and blesses everything you do. # 21:22 It was not simply the wealth of Abraham that impressed them; it was also the supernatural healings that took place when Abraham prayed. 23Now swear to me here before God that you will not deceive me, my children, or my descendants, but as I have shown you loyal friendship, so you will treat me—and the land in which you live as a foreigner—with loyal friendship.”
24“I give you my oath,” Abraham answered.
25But Abraham voiced a complaint about a well of water which Abimelech’s servants had seized by force. 26Abimelech responded, “This is the first time I’ve heard about this; you never told me before now. I don’t know who has done this.” 27So Abraham took sheep and cattle, gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a covenant.
28Then Abraham set apart from his flock seven ewe lambs, 29and Abimelech asked him, “What are you doing with these seven ewe lambs you have set apart?”
30He replied, “I am giving them to you, and by accepting these seven ewe lambs, you acknowledge the proof that I dug this well and it belongs to me.” 31That place was called Beersheba, # 21:31 Beersheba can be translated either “well of seven [lambs]” or “well of the oath.” because it was there that both men swore an oath to one another.
32After completing their pact at Beersheba, King Abimelech and Phicol, his army commander, departed and returned to Philistine country. 33Abraham planted a tamarisk tree # 21:33 A tamarisk tree is a type of evergreen that can grow up to fifty feet. Abraham did not plant the tamarisk tree for landscaping; it was a statement proclaiming his faith. Planting the tree revealed Abraham’s faith and endurance until the time of fruitfulness (see Isa. 65:21–22). in Beersheba, and there he worshiped Yahweh, the everlasting God. # 21:33 Or “El Olam,” which means “God Eternal,” “the Hidden God,” or “the Always God” (see Ps. 90:2). This name proclaims that God is God over Eternity and God over eternal things. Abraham’s heart and focus were turning to the God of Eternity. The things of the earth were growing meaningless to him (see 1 John 2:15–17). El Olam was preparing Abraham to yield his greatest treasure, his son. Only one whose heart is fixed on eternity can ever make sacrifices pleasing to God (see Rom. 12:1; Heb. 13:16). When we see the Eternal One, we can let go of temporary things. Abraham touched eternal life as he dwelt by the tamarisk tree and the well. This was his true preparation for giving up Isaac. 34And Abraham lived many years in peace as a foreigner in Philistine country.
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