Gen 21

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> ‎Gen 22‎ > ‎Gen 23‎ > ‎

Birth and circumcision of Isaac

1 And the Lord visited Sara, as he had promised: and fulfilled what he had spoken. 2 And she conceived and bore a son in her old age, at the time that God had foretold her. 3 And Abraham called the name of his son, whom Sara bore him, Isaac. 4 And he circumcised him the eighth day, as God had commanded him, 5 When he was a hundred years old: for at this age of his father was Isaac born. 6 And Sara said: God has made a laughter for me: whosoever shall hear of it will laugh with me. 7 And again she said: Who would believe that Abraham should hear that Sara nurse a son, whom she bore to him in his old age. 8 And the child grew and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast on the day of his weaning.

Dispute over Ismael

9 And when Sara had seen the son of Agar the Egyptian playing with Isaac her son, she said to Abraham: 10 Cast out this bondwoman, and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with my son Isaac. 11 Abraham took this grievously for his son. 12 And God said to him: Let it not seem grievous to you for the boy, and for your bondwoman: in all that Sara has said to you, listen to her voice: for in Isaac shall your seed be called. 13 But I will make the son also of the bondwoman a great nation, because he is your seed.

Ismael and Agar expelled

14 So Abraham rose up in the morning, and taking bread and a bottle of water, put it upon her shoulder, and delivered the boy, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Bersabee. 15 And when the water in the bottle was spent, she cast the boy under one of the trees that were there. 16 And she went her way, and sat over against him a great way off as far as a bow can carry, for she said: I will not see the boy die: and sitting over against, she lifted up her voice and wept. 17 And God heard the voice of the boy: and an angel of God called to Agar from heaven, saying: What are you doing, Agar? fear not: for God has heard the voice of the boy, from the place where he is. 18 Arise, take up the boy, and hold him by the hand: for I will make him a great nation.

Ismael grows up in the desert

19 And God opened her eyes: and she saw a well of water, and went and filled the bottle, and gave the boy to drink. 20 And God was with him: and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became a young man, an archer. 21 And he dwelt in the wilderness of Pharan, and his mother took a wife for him out of the land of Egypt.

Abraham's promise to Abimelech

22 At that time Abimelech, and Phicol the general of his army said to Abraham: God is with you in all that you do. 23 Swear therefore by God, that you will not hurt me, nor my posterity, nor my stock: but according to the kindness that I have done to you, you shall do to me, and to the land where you have lived a stranger. 24 And Abraham said: I will swear. 25 And he reproved Abimelech for a well of water, which his servants had taken away by force. 26 And Abimelech answered: I knew not who did this thing: and you did not tell me, and I heard not of it till today.

Abraham's covenant in Bersabee

27 And Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech: and both of them made a league. 28 And Abraham set apart seven ewe lambs of the flock. 29 And Abimelech said to him: What mean these seven ewe lambs which you have set apart? 30 But he said: You shall take seven ewe lambs at my hand: that they may be a testimony for me, that I dug this well. 31 Therefore that place was called Bersabee: because both of them did swear. 32 And they made a league for the well of oath. 33 And Abimelech, and Phicol the general of his army arose and returned to the land of the Palestines. But Abraham planted a grove in Bersabee, and there called upon the name of the Lord God eternal. 34 And he was a sojourner in the land of the Palestines many days.

Commentary on Genesis 21

21:9-10 playing: The Apostle calls this playing a persecution Gal 4:29, because there is deception when an older person plays with a younger one; since the older person, in playing with the younger, intends to deceive him. Or, as some say, Ishmael compelled Isaac to adore the clay images he fashioned. By this he was teaching him to be turned from the worship of the one God; and this was a considerable persecution, since it is a greater evil to cause spiritual death than bodily. Furthermore, in Genesis this is called a game because he did this under the guise of a game. (St. Thomas Aquinas Com Gal 4:29) Sara did not want the son, whom she had received in promise, to be made unworthy of the promises and divine blessing by his association with the based pattern of behavior as Ismael. (St. Bede Com Gen)

21:10-12 This brings out Abraham’s virtue. He did not obey Sara when she told him to throw out the servant girl and her son, but when God gave the order, he immediately put that

word into effect, despite his fondness of Ismael. (Theodoret of Cyrus Ques Gen 73)

21:14 When Isaac was born, Ishmael was 13 years old. And after his weaning, he was banished from the house along with his mother. But among the Hebrews there is a difference of opinion. Some declare that the event happened in the fifth year of his weaning, while others assign it to the twelfth year. So as to select the shorter period of time, we have calculated that Ishmael was banished with his mother after eighteen years: consequently, it makes no sense to say that he sat on his mother's neck when he was already a youth. So it is truly a characteristic expression of the Hebrew language that every son in comparison with his parents is called 'infant' or 'little child'. (St. Jerome Heb Ques Gen)

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