Genesis 16:7

16:7 The Lord’s angel ¹  found Hagar near a spring of water in the desert – the spring that is along the road to Shur. ² 

Genesis 24:21

24:21 Silently the man watched her with interest to determine ³  if the Lord had made his journey successful ⁴  or not.

Genesis 24:56

24:56 But he said to them, “Don’t detain me – the Lord ⁵  has granted me success on my journey. Let me leave now so I may return ⁶  to my master.”

Genesis 45:24

45:24 Then he sent his brothers on their way and they left. He said to them, “As you travel don’t be overcome with fear.” ⁷ 

[16:7]  ¹ 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]  ² 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.”

[24:21]  ³ tn Heb “to know.”

[24:21]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew term צָלָה (tsalah), meaning “to make successful” in the Hiphil verbal stem, is a key term in the story (see vv. 40, 42, 56).

[24:56]  ⁵ tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, indicating a reason for the preceding request.

[24:56]  ⁶ tn After the preceding imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.

[45:24]  ⁷ tn Heb “do not be stirred up in the way.” The verb means “stir up.” Some understand the Hebrew verb רָגָז (ragaz, “to stir up”) as a reference to quarreling (see Prov 29:9, where it has this connotation), but in Exod 15:14 and other passages it means “to fear.” This might refer to a fear of robbers, but more likely it is an assuring word that they need not be fearful about returning to Egypt. They might have thought that once Jacob was in Egypt, Joseph would take his revenge on them.