Genesis 21:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, laughing.

NIV: But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking,

NASB: Now Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking Isaac.

CSB: But Sarah saw the son mocking--the one Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham.

NLT: But Sarah saw Ishmael — the son of Abraham and her Egyptian servant Hagar — making fun of her son, Isaac.

KJV: And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.

NKJV: And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing.

The joyful arrival of Isaac as the keeping of God's promises to Abraham and Sarah is clouded by the existence of Abraham's older son Ishmael, perhaps 16 years old now. This is not the first time Sarah has reacted with anger and hurt feelings towards Hagar and Ishmael. That prior incident complicates our understanding of Sarah's actions in this passage. Sarah is partly responsible for Ishmael's place in their family. She was the one who had convinced Abraham to try to have a child with her servant girl in hopes of having her own child by proxy (Genesis 16:1–2). Almost immediately after it worked, however, Sarah had become outraged with Hagar's new status in Abraham's life and her contemptuous attitude (Genesis 16:4–6).

Now that Isaac has been born, it seems, Sarah simply cannot bear to have either mother or son around any longer, as will become clear in the following verses. She would have reason to be concerned, on one level, that Ishmael would somehow take Isaac's place as Abraham's heir.

On the day of the great feast thrown by Abraham to celebrate Isaac being fully weaned, Sarah sees something that upsets her. She sees Ishmael—"the son of Hagar the Egyptian"—laughing or mocking. The text is not clear what exactly is meant about Ishmael's laughing. It's possible that he was simply laughing or even playing with Isaac. Given the response described here, it's more likely that he was making fun of something, perhaps even ridiculing little Isaac in some way. Whatever he was doing, it was enough to make Sarah angry.

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.