Genesis 22:12

22:12 “Do not harm the boy!” ¹  the angel said. ²  “Do not do anything to him, for now I know ³  that you fear ⁴  God because you did not withhold your son, your only son, from me.”

Genesis 22:16

22:16 and said, “‘I solemnly swear by my own name,’ ⁵  decrees the Lord, ⁶  ‘that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,

Genesis 16:7

16:7 The Lord’s angel ⁷  found Hagar near a spring of water in the desert – the spring that is along the road to Shur. ⁸ 

Genesis 16:9-10

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

Genesis 21:17

21:17 But God heard the boy’s voice. ¹²  The angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and asked her, “What is the matter, ¹³  Hagar? Don’t be afraid, for God has heard ¹⁴  the boy’s voice right where he is crying.

[22:12]  ¹ tn Heb “Do not extend your hand toward the boy.”

[22:12]  ² tn Heb “and he said, ‘Do not extend…’”; the referent (the angel) has been specified in the context for clarity. The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[22:12]  ³ sn For now I know. The test was designed to see if Abraham would be obedient (see v. 1).

[22:12]  ⁴ sn In this context fear refers by metonymy to obedience that grows from faith.

[22:16]  ⁵ tn Heb “By myself I swear.”

[22:16]  ⁶ tn Heb “the oracle of the Lord.” The phrase refers to a formal oracle or decree from the Lord.

[16:7]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ 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.”

[16:9]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ tn Heb “cannot be numbered because of abundance.”

[21:17]  ¹² sn God heard the boy’s voice. The text has not to this point indicated that Ishmael was crying out, either in pain or in prayer. But the text here makes it clear that God heard him. Ishmael is clearly central to the story. Both the mother and the Lord are focused on the child’s imminent death.

[21:17]  ¹³ tn Heb “What to you?”

[21:17]  ¹⁴ sn Here the verb heard picks up the main motif of the name Ishmael (“God hears”), introduced back in chap. 16.