Genesis 21:21 - Printer Friendly

ESV: He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

NIV: While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt.

NASB: He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

CSB: He settled in the Wilderness of Paran, and his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

NLT: and he settled in the wilderness of Paran. His mother arranged for him to marry a woman from the land of Egypt.

KJV: And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.

NKJV: He dwelt in the Wilderness of Paran; and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

Abraham's firstborn son had been sent away at God's instruction, after the birth of Isaac. After nearly dying in the wilderness, Ishmael and Hagar had been saved by the Lord. God continues to be with Ishmael, blessing the boy as he grows into a man in a place called the wilderness of Paran.

Normally, a father would arrange his son's marriage. Hagar took on that duty, finding a wife for her son among her own people in Egypt (Genesis 12:16; 16:1).

When Hagar first met the Lord while pregnant with Ishmael, He had revealed to her some details about Ishmael's future. He would be a wild donkey of a man in conflict with everyone. He would dwell over and against his kinsman, meaning his extended family (Genesis 16:12). God had revealed even more to Abraham. Ishmael would father 12 princes and become a great nation (Genesis 17:20). God would not fail to keep His promise to bless Abraham's firstborn son. This verse establishes the beginning of these promises coming true.

Genesis 21:8–21 describes the painful departure of Hagar and Ishmael from Abraham's life. Now that Isaac is born, Sarah furiously demands that Abraham cast them out. He is greatly displeased, but is told by God that Ishmael will be protected and blessed. So Abraham obeys the Lord and sends them into the wilderness. God steps in and saves the mother and child. He renews his promise to make Ishmael a great nation in his own right. Ishmael grows up in the wilderness, eventually marrying an Egyptian woman.

The Lord did as He had promised. Sarah, now 90 years old, gives birth to Isaac, the long-awaited child. Her joy sours, though, over a fear that Isaac might have to share an inheritance with Ishmael. In obedience to the Lord, who promises to safeguard Ishmael, Abraham sends him and his mother, Hagar, into the wilderness. God rescues them and renews His promise to make Ishmael a great nation in his own right. Meanwhile, Abimelech, king of Gerar, approaches Abraham to make a permanent treaty between them and their descendants. The agreement includes Abraham's possession of a well, at a place which will become known as Beersheba.

In the prior chapter, Abraham managed to get Sarah back from Abimelech, following his own deception and God's intervention. Here, Abraham and Sarah finally conceive a natural child. Isaac, the long-awaited child of the promise, is born. In obedience to God, Abraham sends Hagar and Ishmael away. Abimelech approaches Abraham to make a treaty, giving Abraham a permanent home in a place that becomes known as Beersheba. In the following chapter, God will test Abraham's faith and obedience, in one of Scripture's ultimate examples of trust.

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.

Accessed 4/27/2024 8:47:42 AM