The Pulpit Commentary
And the Lord—Jehovah; not because the verse is Jehovistic (Knobel, Bleek, et alii), but because the promise naturally falls to be implemented by him who gave it (vide Gen_18:10)—visited—remembered with love (Onkelos), ἐπισκέψατο (LXX.; cf. Gen_1:24; Exo_4:31; 1Sa_2:21; Isa_23:17); though it sometimes means to approach in judgment (vide Exo_20:5; Exo_32:34). Alleged to be peculiar to the Jehovist (the term used by the Elohist being זָכַר: Gen_8:1; Gen_19:29; Gen_30:20), the word occurs in Gen_1:24, which Tuch and Bleek ascribe to the Elohist—Sarah as he had said (Gen_17:21; Gen_18:10, Gen_18:14),—God's word of promise being ever the rule of his performance (cf. Exo_12:25; Luk_1:72)—and the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken—i.e. implemented his promise; the proof of which is next given (cf. Num_23:19; Heb_6:18).

The Pulpit Commentary
For Sarah conceived,—through faith receiving strength from God for that purpose (Heb_11:11); the fruit of the womb, in every instance God's handiwork (Isa_44:2), being in her case a special gift of grace and product of Divine power—and bare—the usual construction (Gen_29:32; Gen_30:5) is here somewhat modified by the Jehovist (Kalisch); but the clause may be compared with Gen_30:22, Gen_30:23, commonly assigned to the Elohlst—Abraham (literally, to Abraham) a son in his old age,—literally, to his old age; εἰς τὸ γῆρας (LXX.)—at the set time (vide Gen_17:21; Gen_18:10, Gen_18:14) of which God had spoken to him. God's word gave Abraham strength to beget, Sarah to conceive, and Isaac to come forth. Three times repeated in two verses, the clause points to the supernatural character of Isaac's birth.

The Pulpit Commentary
And Abraham called the name of his son—the naming of a child by its father is, according to partitionists, a peculiarity of the Elohist as distinguished from the Jehovist, who assigns that function to the mother; but vide Gen_16:15—that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him (the latter clause being added to distinguish him from Hagar's child), Isaac—laughter; the name appointed for him by God before his birth (Gen_17:19).

The Pulpit Commentary
And Abraham circumcised (vide on Gen_17:11, and note at the end of that chapter) his son Isaac being eight days old (literally, a son of eight days), as (not only because, but in the manner in which) God had commanded him.

The Pulpit Commentary
And Abraham was an hundred years old (cf. Gen_17:1, Gen_17:17), when his son Isaac was born unto him. Literally, at the time of bearing to him (ἐν τῷ τεκεῖν) Isaac. Thus Abraham had waited twenty-five years for the fulfillment of the promise—a remarkable instance of faith and patience (Rom_4:20), as Isaac's birth was a signal display of Divine power (Rom_4:17; Heb_11:12). Whether Isaac was born at Gerar or at Beersheba cannot with certitude be inferred.

The Pulpit Commentary
And Sarah said,—the spiritual elevation of her soul being indicated by the poetical form of her speech. Differing from Mary's magnificat in having been uttered after, and not before, the birth of the promised seed, the anthem of Sarah was obviously designed as a prelude to that loftier song of the Virgin (cf. Luk_1:46). It consists of two sentences, the first containing two, and the second three lines—God hath made me to laugh. Or, retaining the order of the Hebrew, To laugh hath made me Elohim; the emphatic position of צְחֹק, containing an allusion to the name Isaac, probably indicating that Sarah's laughter was of a different character now from what it had previously been (Gen_18:12); and her ascription of it to Elohim intimating that him whom she formerly mistook for a traveler she now recognized to be Divine ('Speaker's Commentary'). So that all that hear me will laugh with me. Not, will laugh at me, deridebit me (Poole), a sense the words will bear (Rosenmüller, 'Speaker's Commentary'), though in the instances adduced (Job_5:22; Job_39:7, Job_39:18, Job_39:22) צָחַק לְ rather conveys the idea of despising difficulties (Kalisch); but, will laugh with me, συγχαρεῖταί μου, congaudebit mihi (LXX; Vulgate, Targums, Calvin, Dathe, Keil).

The Pulpit Commentary
And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham,—מִלֶּל, the poetic word for דּבֵּר, is introduced by מִי in order to express astonishment; the meaning being that what had happened was altogether out of the ordinary course of nature, was, in fact, God's work alone (Vatablus, Calvin, Rosenmüller, Keil, Kalisch, 'Speaker's Commentary'). Less happy are τίς ἀναγγελεῖ τῳ Ἀβραὰμ (LXX.); quis auditurum crederet Abraham quod (Vulgate); quam fidelis est ille qui dixit Abrahamo (Onkelos)—that Sarah should have given children suck? Literally, Sarah suckleth sons. "Many of the greatest saints in Holy Scripture, and even our Lord himself, were nursed by their own mothers" (Wordsworth). For I have born him a son in his old age. Literally, I have born a son to his old age. The LXX. incorrectly render ἐν τῶ γήρᾳ μου.

The Pulpit Commentary
And the child grew,—καὶ ἠυξήθη τὸ παιδίον (LXX.): imitated by Luke concerning Christ: τὸ παιδίον ηὔξανε (Luk_2:40)—and was weaned. The verb gamal originally signifies to do good to any one, to do completely; hence to finish, or make completely ready, as an infant; hence to wean, since either at that time the period of infancy is regarded as complete, or the child's independent existence is then fully reached. The time of weaning is commonly believed to have been at the end of the second or third year (cf. 1Sa_1:22-24; 2Ch_31:16; 2 Macc. 7:27; Josephus, 'Ant.,' 2.9, 6). And Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned. Literally, in the day of the weaning of Isaac; probably, therefore, when Isaac was three years old and Ishmael seventeen. "It is still customary in the East to have a festive gathering at the time a child is weaned. Among the Hindoos, when the time for weaning has come, the event is accompanied with feasting and religious ceremonies, during which rice is formally presented to the child".

The Pulpit Commentary
And Sarah saw—at the feast already mentioned (Knobel, Keil); probably also on different occasions since the birth of Isaac—the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking. Παίζοντα μετὰ Ισαὰκ τοῦ υἰοῦ αὐτης (LXX.), ludentem cum Isaaco filio sue (Vulgate), playing like a child (Aben Ezra, Knobel, Tuch, Ilgen), playing and dancing gracefully (Gesenius); but the stronger sense of the word, implying mockery, scoffing, irritating and deriding laughter (Kimchi, Vatablus, Grotius, Calvin, Rosenmüller, Keil, Kalisch, 'Speaker's Commentary,' Murphy), besides being admissible (cf. Gen_19:14; Gen_26:8; Gen_39:14, Gen_39:17; Exo_32:6), seems involved in the Piel form of the participle מְצַחֵק (Kurtz), and is demanded by Gal_4:29. That Ishmael ridiculed the banquet on the occasion of Isaac's weaning (Malvenda), quarreled with him about the heirship (Fagins, Piseator), and perhaps made sport of him as a father of nations (Hengstenberg), though plausible conjectures, are not stated in the text. Ainsworth dates from this event the 400 years of Israel's oppression (vide Gen_15:13).

The Pulpit Commentary
Wherefore she said—though with an admixture of sinful feelings, non dubito arcane Spiritus instinctu gubernatam fuisse ejus linguam et mentem (Calvin); vide Gal_4:30—unto Abraham, Cast out—by some kind of legal act (as divorce: cf. Le 21:7, 14; 22:13; Isa_57:20), which should insure the disinheriting of Ishmael (Bush); though probably- this is to import later Mosaic legislation rote the records of primitive tunes—this bondwoman—a term ill befitting Sarah, who had given Hagar to her husband as a wife (Gen_16:3)—and her son (who was Abraham's offspring, though not the promised seed; a consideration which should have mitigated Sarah's anger): for the son of this bondwoman (a repetition evincing the bitter ness of her contempt and the intensity of her choler) shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac. Notwithstanding the assurance (Gen_17:21) that the covenant was made with Isaac, Sarah was apprehensive lest Ishmael should contrive to disinherit him; an act of unbelief into which she was manifestly betrayed by her maternal fears and womanly jealousy.

The Pulpit Commentary
And the thing (literally, the word, i.e. Sarah's proposal) was very grievous (literally, evil exceedingly; for the contrary phrase vide Gen_20:15) in Abraham's sight (literally, in the eyes of Abraham) because of his son—who, besides being bound to him by the ties of natural affection, had for years been regarded as the Heaven-appointed heir of the promise (vide Gen_17:18).

The Pulpit Commentary
And God said unto Abraham,—probably in a dream, or night vision (vide Gen_21:14)—Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman;—who was never recognized by God as Abraham's wife (cf. Gen_16:8)—in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice. Though Sarah's counsel was approved by God, it does not follow that her conduct was. On a former occasion Abraham's hearkening unto Sarah's voice had led to sin (Gen_16:2); this time it would lie exactly in the line of duty. For in Isaac shall thy seed be called. Literally, in Isaac shall seed (i.e. posterity) be called to thee; meaning neither, "by Isaac shall thy seed be called, or named" (Hofmann, Kalisch, Ainsworth), nor, "in Isaac shall thy seed be called into existence" (Dreschler); but, "in Isaac shall there be posterity to thee which shall pass as such," i.e. be called or recognized as such (Keil); or, more simply, "in Isaac," i.e. in the line of Isaac, "shall be called to thee a seed," i.e. a seed par excellence, the seed already promised (Bleek, Delitzsch, Rosenmüller, Alford, Murphy).

The Pulpit Commentary
And also of the son of the bond-woman will I make a nation. Literally, to nation I will set or put him; a promise already given (Gen_17:20), but here repeated to render Ishmael's dismissal easier. Because he is thy seed. "Thy son according to the flesh, though not after the promise, as Isaac was" (Ainsworth); a proof that men may sometimes receive mercies for their fathers' sakes.

The Pulpit Commentary
And Abraham rose up early in the morning,—hastening to put in force the Divine instructions (cf. Gen_19:27; Gen_22:8, Abraham; Gen_20:8, Abimelech; Gen_28:18, Jacob)—and took bread, and a bottle of water,—the bottle, from a root signifying to enclose (Furst); ἀσκόν (LXX.), was composed of skin, the material of which the earliest carrying vessels were constructed (cf. Jos_9:4, Jos_9:13; Jdg_4:19; 1Sa_16:20; Mat_9:17). "The monuments of Egypt, the sculptures of Mesopotamia, and the relics of Herculaneum and Pompeii afford ample opportunities to learn the shape and use of every variety of bottles, often surprising us both by their elegance and costliness" (Kalisch)—and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder,—the usual place for carrying such vessels among Oriental women. According to Herodotus (2. 35), Egyptian women carried burdens on their shoulders, Egyptian men upon their heads—and the child,—not placing the child, now a youth of over seventeen years, upon her shoulder (LXX; Schumann, Bohlen); but giving him, along with the bottle (Havernick, Kalisch, A Lapide, Ainsworth), or, as well as the bread (Keil, Murphy), to Hagar, not to be carried as a burden, but led as a companion—and sent her away—divorced her by the command of God (A Lapide); but as Hagar was never recognized by God as Abraham's wife, her sending away was not a case of divorce (Wordsworth)—and she departed (from Beersheba, whither Abraham had by this time removed, and where, in all probability, Isaac had been born), and wandered—i.e. lost her way (cf. Gen_37:15)—in the wilderness (the uncultivated waste between Palestine and Egypt) of Beersheba—introduced here by anticipation, unless the incident in Gen_21:22-33 had previously taken place (vide on Gen_21:31).

The Pulpit Commentary
And the water was spent in (literally, from) the bottle,—so that the wanderers became exhausted, and were in danger of fainting through thirst—and she cast the child—a translation which certainly conveys an erroneous impression, first of Ishmael, who was not an infant, but a grown lad (vide supra, Gen_21:14), and secondly of Ishmael's mother, whom it represents as acting with violence, if not with inhumanity; whereas the sense probably is that, having, as long as her rapidly diminishing strength permitted, supported her fainting son, she at length suddenly, through feebleness, released his nerveless hand as he fell, and in despair, finding herself unable to give him further assistance, left him, as she believed, to die where he had flung himself in his intolerable anguish—under one of the shrubs.

The Pulpit Commentary
And she went, and sat her down—וַתֵּשֶׁב לָהּ, the pronoun being added to the verb, as an ethical dative, to indicate that the action was of special importance to her, meaning, "she, for herself, or for her part, sat down"—over against him a good way off. The hiph. inf. of רָחַק, to go far away, to recede from any one, is here used adverbially, as in Jos_3:16 (Gesenius, Furst, Kalisch), though by others it is understood as explaining the action of the previous verbs, and as equivalent to a gerund in do, or a participle, elon-gando se (Rosenmüller), or simply" removing to a distance". As it were a bowshot. Literally, as those who draw the bow, i.e. as far off as archers are accustomed to place the target (Keil). The sense is correctly given by the LXX.: μακρόθεν ὡσεὶ τόξου βολήν. For she said, Let me not see—i.e. look upon with anguish (cf. Num_11:15)—the death of the child—τοῦ παιδίου μου (LXX.). And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept. The verbs, being feminine, indicate that it is Hagar's grief which is here described, and that the rendering, "and the child lifted up his voice and wept" (LXX.), is incorrect; although the next verse may suggest that Ishmael, like his mother, was also dissolved in tears.

The Pulpit Commentary
And God—Elohim; Hagar and Ishmael having now been removed from the care and superintendence of the covenant God to the guidance and providence of God the ruler of all nations (Keil)—heard the voice of the lad;—praying (Inglis), or weeping, ut supra—and the angel of God—Maleach Elohim; not Maleach Jehovah, as in Gen_16:7-13, for the reason above specified (Hengstenberg, Quarry)—called to Hagar out of heaven,—it may be inferred there was no external appearance or theophaneia, such as was vouchsafed to her when wandering in the wilderness of Shut (Gen_16:7)—and said unto her, What aileth thee (literally, What to thee?) Hagar? fear not;—so the word of Jehovah addressed Abram (Gen_15:1), Isaac (Gen_26:4), Daniel (Dan_10:12), and John (Rev_1:17)—for God hath heard the voice of the lad—i.e. the voice (perhaps the mute cry) of the lad's misery, and in that also the audible sob of Hagar's weeping. It is net said that either Ishmael or his mother prayed to God in their distress. Hence the Divine interposition on their behalf non quid a se peterent, sed quid servo suo Abrahae de Ismaele pollicitus foret, respexit (Calvin)—where he is—an ellipsis for from, or in, the place where he is; ἐκ τοῦ τόπου οὑ ἐστιν (LXX.); ex loco ubi est (Calvin); meaning either "in his helpless condition" (Keil), or out in the desolate wilderness, as contrasted with the house of Abraham (Calvin).

The Pulpit Commentary
Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand. Literally, bind fast ray hand to him, i.e. give him thy support now, and take cars of him till he reaches manhood. Cf. God's promise to Israel (Isa_42:6). For I will make him (literally, to) a great nation (vide Gen_21:13; and cf. Gen_16:10; Gen_17:20).

The Pulpit Commentary
And God opened her eyes. Not necessarily by miraculous operation; perhaps simply by providentially guiding her search for water, after the administered consolation had revived her spirit and roused her energies. And she saw a well of water, בְּאֵר מַיִם, as distinguished from בּוֹר, a pit or cistern, meant a fountain or spring of living water (cf. Gen_24:11, Gen_24:20; Gen_26:19, Gen_26:20, Gen_26:21). It had not been previously observed by Hagar, either because of her mental agitation (dolors quasi caeca. Rosenmüller), or because, as was customary, the mouth of the well was covered—and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink—which was certainly the first of the youth's necessities, being needful to the preservation of his life and the reviving of his spirits.

Gen_21:20, Gen_21:21

And God was with the lad. Not simply in the ordinary sense in which he is with all men (Psa_139:3-9; Act_17:27, Act_17:28); not, certainly, in the spiritual sense in which he had promised to be with Isaac (Gen_17:21), and in which he is with believers (Gen_26:24; Isa_41:10; Mat_28:20); but in the particular sense of exercising towards him a special providence, with a view to implementing the promise made concerning him to Abraham and Hagar. And he grew (literally, became great, i.e. progressed towards manhood), and dwelt in the wilderness (i.e. led a roving and unsettled life), and became an archer. Literally, and he was רֹבֶה קַשָּׁת i.e. deriving רֹבֶה from רָבַה, to grow great or multiply, either

(1) when he grew up, an archer, or man using the bow (Gesenius, Keil);

(2) growing an archer, or acquiring skill as a bowman (Kalisch, Wordsworth); or

(3) growing, or multiplying into, a tribe of archers (Murphy). With the first of these substantially agree the renderings καὶ ἀγένετο τοξότης (LXX), and factus est juvenis sagittarius (Vulgate). Others, connecting רֹבֶה with רָבַך, in the sense of to cast arrows (cf. Gen_49:23), read,

(1) "and he was a shooter of arrows from the bow" (Jarchi, Kimchi, Rosenmüller), though in this case קֶשֶׁת would have to be read for קַשָּׁת (Furst);

(2) a marksman, archer, i.e. a marksman skilled in using the bow. Baumgarten translates, a hero (or great one), an archer. And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran:—the desert of El-Tih, on the south of Canaan (cf. Gen_14:6)—and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt (cf. Gen_24:4, Gen_24:55; Exo_21:10).

The Pulpit Commentary
And it came to pass at that time,—possibly in immediate sequence to the incident of the preceding chapter, but, "according to the common law of Hebrew narrative, probably not long after the birth of Isaac." (Murphy)—that Abimelech—the king of Gerar (Gen_20:2; Gen_26:1, Gen_26:16)—and Phi-chol—if the name be Shemitic, "mouth of all," i.e. spokesman of all (Murphy), ruler of all (Gesenius); or "the distinguished" (Furst); believed to have been a titular designation of the Philistine monarch's grand vizier or prime minister (Lange, 'Speaker's Commentary'), who was also—the chief captain of his host (i.e. the commander-in-chief of his forces) spake unto Abraham (having come from Gerar for the purpose), saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest—a conviction derived from his former acquaintance with the patriarch (Gen_20:1-18.), his knowledge of Isaac's birth, and his general observation of the patriarch's prosperity.

The Pulpit Commentary
Now therefore swear unto me here by God—the verb to swear is derived from the Hebrew numeral seven, inasmuch as the septennary number was sacred, and oaths were confirmed either by seven sacrifices (Gen_21:28) or by seven witnesses and pledges—that thou wilt not deal falsely with me,—literally, if thou shalt lie unto me; a common form of oath in Hebrew, in which the other member of the sentence is for emphasis left unexpressed (cf. Rth_1:17, and vide Gen_14:23). As a prince, Abimelech was afraid of Abraham's growing power; as a good man, he insures the safety of himself and his dominions not by resorting to war, but by forming an amicable treaty with his neighbor—nor with my son, nor with my son's son:—σπέρμα καὶ ὅνομα (LXX.); posteri et stirps (Vulgate); offspring and progeny (Kalisch); kith and kin (Murphy)—but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee (vide Gen_20:15), thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned—the land being put for the people (cf. Num_14:13).

The Pulpit Commentary
And Abraham said, I will swear. Only before concluding the agreement there was a matter of a more personal character that required settlement.

The Pulpit Commentary
And Abraham reproved (literally, reasoned with, and proved to the satisfaction of) Abimelech (who was, until informed, entirely unacquainted with the action of his servants) because of a well of water, which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away. The greatest possible injury of a material kind that could be done to a nomads chief was the all faction of his water supplies. Hence "the ownership of wells m Palestine was as jealously guarded as the possession of a mine in our own" (Inglis). Contests for wells "are now very common all over the country, but more especially in the southern deserts".

The Pulpit Commentary
And Abimelech said, I wet not who hath done this thing. There is no reason to question the sincerity of the Philistine monarch in disclaiming all knowledge of the act of robbery committed by his servants. Neither didst thou toll me, neither yet heard I of it, but today. The prince rather complains that Abraham had done him an injustice.

The Pulpit Commentary
And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech As the usual covenant presents (cf. 1Ki_15:19; Isa_30:6; Isa_39:1). And both of them made a covenant. As already Mature, Aner, and Eshcol had formed a league with the patriarch (vide Gen_14:13).

The Pulpit Commentary
And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves (designing by another covenant to secure himself against future invasion of Isis rights). And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves? And he said, For these seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me,—that this peculiar kind of oath never occurs again in Old Testament history is no proof of the mythical character of the narrative (Bohlen); on the contrary, "that the custom existed in primitive Hebrew times is shown by the word נִשְׁבַּע, which had early passed into the language, and which would be inexplicable without the existence of such a custom" (Havernick)—that I have digged this well.

Wherefore he called that place Beersheba. I.e. "the well of the oath," φρέαρ ὁρκισμοῦ (LXX; Gesenius, Furst, Rosenmüller), or the well of the seven (Keil), rather than the seven wells (Lange); discovered by Robinson in Bir-es-seba, in the Wady-es-seba, twelve miles to the south of Hebron, with two deep wells of excellent water. "The great well has an internal diameter at the mouth of twelve feet six inches, or a circumference of nearly forty feet. The shaft is formed of excellent masonry to a great depth until it reaches the rock, and at this juncture a spring trickles perpetually. Around the mouth of the well is a circular course of masonry, topped by a circular parapet of about a foot high; and at a distance of ten or twelve feet are stone troughs placed in a concentric circle with the well, the sides of which have deep indentions made by the wear of ropes on the upper edges The second well, about 200 yards farther south, is not more than five feet in diameter, but is formed of equally good masonry, and furnishes equally good water". Because there they aware both of them.

The Pulpit Commentary
And Abraham planted—as a sign of his peaceful occupation of the soil (Calvin); as a memorial of the transaction about the well ('Speaker's Commentary'); or simply as a shade for his tent (Rosenmüller); scarcely as an oratory (Bush, Kalisch)—a grove—the אֵשֶׁל—wood, plantation (Targum, Vulgate, Samaritan, Kimchi); a field, ἄρουραν (LXX.)—was probably the Tamarix Africanae (Gesenius, Furst, Delitzsch, Rosenmüller, Kalisch), which, besides being common in Egypt and Petraea, is mid to have been found growing near the ancient Beersheba—in Beersheba, and called there (not beneath the tree or in the grove, but in the place) on the name of the Lord,—Jehovah (vide Gen_12:8; Gen_13:4)—the everlasting God—literally, the God of eternity (LXX; Vulgate, Onkelos); not in contrast to heathen deities, who are born and die (Clericus), but "as the everlasting Vindicator of the faith of treaties, and as the infallible Source of the believer's rest and peace" (Murphy).

The Pulpit Commentary
And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines' land many days. The apparent contradiction between the statement of this verse and that of Gen_21:32 may be removed by supposing either,

(1) that as the land of the Philistines had no fixed boundary toward the desert, Beersheba may at this time have been claimed for the kingdom of Gerar (Keil); or,

(2) that as Beersheba was situated on the confines of the Philistines' territory, Abraham must frequently have sojourned in their country while pasturing his flocks (Rosenmüller).