16:6 Abram said to Sarai, “Since your 6 servant is under your authority, 7 do to her whatever you think best.” 8 Then Sarai treated Hagar 9 harshly, 10 so she ran away from Sarai. 11
16:7 The Lord’s angel 12 found Hagar near a spring of water in the desert – the spring that is along the road to Shur. 13 16:8 He said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” She replied, “I’m running away from 14 my mistress, Sarai.”
16:9 Then the Lord’s angel said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit 15 to her authority. 16:10 I will greatly multiply your descendants,” the Lord’s angel added, 16 “so that they will be too numerous to count.” 17 16:11 Then the Lord’s angel said to her,
“You are now 18 pregnant
and are about to give birth 19 to a son.
You are to name him Ishmael, 20
for the Lord has heard your painful groans. 21
16:12 He will be a wild donkey 22 of a man.
He will be hostile to everyone, 23
and everyone will be hostile to him. 24
He will live away from 25 his brothers.”
16:13 So Hagar named the Lord who spoke to her, “You are the God who sees me,” 26 for she said, “Here I have seen one who sees me!” 27 16:14 That is why the well was called 28 Beer Lahai Roi. 29 (It is located 30 between Kadesh and Bered.)
16:15 So Hagar gave birth to Abram’s son, whom Abram named Ishmael. 31 16:16 (Now 32 Abram was 86 years old 33 when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.) 34
1 tn Heb “my wrong is because of you.”
2 tn Heb “I placed my female servant in your bosom.”
3 tn Heb “saw.”
4 tn Heb “I was despised in her eyes.” The passive verb has been translated as active for stylistic reasons. Sarai was made to feel supplanted and worthless by Hagar the servant girl.
5 tn Heb “me and you.”
6 tn The clause is introduced with the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh), introducing a foundational clause for the coming imperative: “since…do.”
7 tn Heb “in your hand.”
8 tn Heb “what is good in your eyes.”
9 tn Heb “her”; the referent (Hagar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
10 tn In the Piel stem the verb עָנָה (’anah) means “to afflict, to oppress, to treat harshly, to mistreat.”
11 tn Heb “and she fled from her presence.” The referent of “her” (Sarai) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
12 tn Heb “the messenger of the
13 tn Heb “And the angel of the
14 tn Heb “from the presence of.”
15 tn The imperative וְהִתְעַנִּי (vÿhit’anni) is the Hitpael of עָנָה (’anah, here translated “submit”), the same word used for Sarai’s harsh treatment of her. Hagar is instructed not only to submit to Sarai’s authority, but to whatever mistreatment that involves. God calls for Hagar to humble herself.
16 tn Heb “The
17 tn Heb “cannot be numbered because of abundance.”
18 tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) focuses on her immediate situation: “Here you are pregnant.”
19 tn The active participle refers here to something that is about to happen.
20 sn The name Ishmael consists of the imperfect or jussive form of the Hebrew verb with the theophoric element added as the subject. It means “God hears” or “may God hear.”
21 tn Heb “affliction,” which must refer here to Hagar’s painful groans of anguish.
22 sn A wild donkey of a man. The prophecy is not an insult. The wild donkey lived a solitary existence in the desert away from society. Ishmael would be free-roaming, strong, and like a bedouin; he would enjoy the freedom his mother sought.
23 tn Heb “His hand will be against everyone.” The “hand” by metonymy represents strength. His free-roaming life style would put him in conflict with those who follow social conventions. There would not be open warfare, only friction because of his antagonism to their way of life.
24 tn Heb “And the hand of everyone will be against him.”
25 tn Heb “opposite, across from.” Ishmael would live on the edge of society (cf. NASB “to the east of”). Some take this as an idiom meaning “be at odds with” (cf. NRSV, NLT) or “live in hostility toward” (cf. NIV).
26 tn Heb “God of my seeing.” The pronominal suffix may be understood either as objective (“who sees me,” as in the translation) or subjective (“whom I see”).
27 tn Heb “after one who sees me.”
28 tn The verb does not have an expressed subject and so is rendered as passive in the translation.
29 sn The Hebrew name Beer Lahai Roi (בְּאֵר לַחַי רֹאִי, bÿ’er lakhay ro’i) means “The well of the Living One who sees me.” The text suggests that God takes up the cause of those who are oppressed.
30 tn Heb “look.” The words “it is located” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
31 tn Heb “and Abram called the name of his son whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.”
32 tn The disjunctive clause gives information that is parenthetical to the narrative.
33 tn Heb “the son of eighty-six years.”
34 tn The Hebrew text adds, “for Abram.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons; it is somewhat redundant given the three occurrences of Abram’s name in this and the previous verse.