Genesis 25:23

25:23 and the Lord said to her,

“Two nations ¹  are in your womb,

and two peoples will be separated from within you.

One people will be stronger than the other,

and the older will serve the younger.”

Genesis 25:1

The Death of Abraham

25:1 Abraham had taken ²  another ³  wife, named Keturah.

Genesis 16:6-11

16:6 Abram said to Sarai, “Since your ⁴  servant is under your authority, ⁵  do to her whatever you think best.” ⁶  Then Sarai treated Hagar ⁷  harshly, ⁸  so she ran away from Sarai. ⁹ 

16:7 The Lord’s angel ¹⁰  found Hagar near a spring of water in the desert – the spring that is along the road to Shur. ¹¹  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 ¹²  my mistress, Sarai.”

16:9 Then the Lord’s angel said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit ¹³  to her authority. 16:10 I will greatly multiply your descendants,” the Lord’s angel added, ¹⁴  “so that they will be too numerous to count.” ¹⁵  16:11 Then the Lord’s angel said to her,

“You are now ¹⁶  pregnant

and are about to give birth ¹⁷  to a son.

You are to name him Ishmael, ¹⁸ 

for the Lord has heard your painful groans. ¹⁹ 

[25:23]  ¹ sn By metonymy the two children in her womb are described as two nations of which the two children, Jacob and Esau, would become the fathers. The language suggests there would be a struggle between these nations, with one being stronger than the other. The oracle reveals that all of Jacob’s scheming was unnecessary in the final analysis. He would have become the dominant nation without using deception to steal his brother’s blessing.

[25:1]  ² tn Or “took.”

[25:1]  ³ tn Heb “And Abraham added and took.”

[16:6]  ⁴ tn The clause is introduced with the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh), introducing a foundational clause for the coming imperative: “since…do.”

[16:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “in your hand.”

[16:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “what is good in your eyes.”

[16:6]  ⁷ tn Heb “her”; the referent (Hagar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:6]  ⁸ tn In the Piel stem the verb עָנָה (’anah) means “to afflict, to oppress, to treat harshly, to mistreat.”

[16:6]  ⁹ tn Heb “and she fled from her presence.” The referent of “her” (Sarai) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:7]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the messenger of the Lord.” Some identify the angel of the Lord as the preincarnate Christ because in some texts the angel is identified with the Lord himself. However, it is more likely that the angel merely represents the Lord; he can speak for the Lord because he is sent with the Lord’s full authority. In some cases the angel is clearly distinct from the Lord (see Judg 6:11-23). It is not certain if the same angel is always in view. Though the proper name following the noun “angel” makes the construction definite, this may simply indicate that a definite angel sent from the Lord is referred to in any given context. It need not be the same angel on every occasion. Note the analogous expression “the servant of the Lord,” which refers to various individuals in the OT (see BDB 714 s.v. עֶבֶד).

[16:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “And the angel of the Lord found her near the spring of water in the desert, near the spring on the way to Shur.”

[16:8]  ¹² tn Heb “from the presence of.”

[16:9]  ¹³ 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.

[16:10]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “The Lord’s angel said, ‘I will greatly multiply your descendants….” The order of the clauses has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[16:10]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “cannot be numbered because of abundance.”

[16:11]  ¹⁶ tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) focuses on her immediate situation: “Here you are pregnant.”

[16:11]  ¹⁷ tn The active participle refers here to something that is about to happen.

[16:11]  ¹⁸ 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.”

[16:11]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “affliction,” which must refer here to Hagar’s painful groans of anguish.