Genesis 21:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.

NIV: The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast.

NASB: And the child grew and was weaned, and Abraham held a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.

CSB: The child grew and was weaned, and Abraham held a great feast on the day Isaac was weaned.

NLT: When Isaac grew up and was about to be weaned, Abraham prepared a huge feast to celebrate the occasion.

KJV: And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.

NKJV: So the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac was weaned.

Not only was the miracle child Isaac born, he survived being weaned. Compared to modern times, this era would have had extremely high infant mortality rates. A substantial number of infants did not survive to become independent adults. A child who survived the helplessness of their early years, until they were no longer directly dependent on their mother for food, took a step towards surviving to adulthood. Women of this time may have breastfed their children as late as two or three years old, so Isaac was likely a toddler on the day of this great feast thrown to celebrate his life.

As earlier verses indicated, there is no doubt that Isaac's birth was entirely miraculous. His parents are decades beyond the normal age to bear children. His mother had previously been unable to conceive. Despite the doubts of Abraham and Sarah themselves (Genesis 17:17; Genesis 18:12), God's promises came true in the form of this long-awaited child.

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 5/7/2024 7:40:19 PM