Genesis 16:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.

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

NASB: So Hagar bore a son to Abram; and Abram named his son, to whom Hagar gave birth, Ishmael.

CSB: So Hagar gave birth to Abram’s son, and Abram named his son (whom Hagar bore) Ishmael.

NLT: So Hagar gave Abram a son, and Abram named him Ishmael.

KJV: And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son's name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael.

NKJV: So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram named his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.

In obedience to the angel of the Lord ("Yahweh"), Hagar returned to Abram and Sarai. What must they have thought and felt when she reported that the Lord had found her, and explained the promises He had made to her? Her running away was triggered by harsh treatment from Sarai (Genesis 16:6), who was angered by Hagar's newfound contempt (Genesis 16:4). Whatever Sarai might be thinking at this moment, her relationship with Hagar will, it seems, never become warm. In fact, in chapter 21, we will see Sarai—by then renamed Sarah—demand that Abram cast Hagar and her son out of the family (Genesis 21:9–10).

In any case, Abram does indeed name the boy Ishmael, which means "God hears." The name certainly has meaning for Hagar (Genesis 16:10–13). And, it might have also sent a message to Abram and Sarai. Through their experiment attempting to bring about God's promise on their own timeline, they have learned He was still listening, still seeing, and would still keep His promises to Abram.

In any case, it's clear both that God was acting in the birth of Ishmael and that, though this son would be blessed, he was not the child of God's covenant promises to Abram.

Genesis 16:1–16 demonstrates that God hears and sees and cares, but that He won't be rushed or manipulated into keeping His promises. Sarai and Abram attempt to receive God's promised child through their own scheme. In this case, by marrying Abram to an Egyptian servant girl. The resulting pregnancy, though, leads to harsh conflict and a surprising revelation from the Lord to Hagar. Her son Ishmael will not be the child of the promise, though he will become a great nation, and his people will live in conflict with everyone. Abram and Sarai will continue to wait for the arrival of their own son.

Sarai, tired of waiting for a child, convinces Abram to go to plan B. She gives her Egyptian slave girl to Abram as a wife, with the understanding that any children will belong to Sarai. Once Hagar is pregnant, however, conflict sets in. Sarai deals harshly with Hagar, and she flees alone into the wilderness. The Lord finds her there and commands her to return and submit to Sarai. However, the Lord also reveals that Hagar's son will have an uncountable number of offspring and that they will live in conflict with everyone. Hagar praises God as the one who sees, returns to Abram and Sarai, and Ishmael is soon born.

After formally establishing His covenant promises with Abram in the previous chapter, the Lord still has not given Abram and Sarai a child. Sarai convinces Abram to take her slave girl as a wife in hopes of getting a child that way. Abram agrees. Pregnancy and conflict soon follow. Sarai treats Hagar so harshly that the girl runs off alone into the wilderness. The Lord finds her and commands her to return and submit. He also reveals, however, that Hagar's child Ishmael will become the father of a great people who will live in conflict with everyone.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.