Passage

Genesis 21

Book: Genesis · NASB95

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"1. And Jehovah visited Sarah as he had said, and Jehovah did unto Sarah as he had spoken. 2. And Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. 3. And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac. 4. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5. And Abraham was a hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him. 6. And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh; every one that heareth will laugh with me. 7. And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should give children suck? for I have borne him a son in his old age. 8. And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 9. And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne unto Abraham, mocking. 10. Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this handmaid and her son: for the son of this handmaid shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac. 11. And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight on account of his son. 12. And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy handmaid; in all that Sarah saith unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. 13. And also of the son of the handmaid will I make a nation, because he is thy seed. 14. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and gave her the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba. 15. And the water in the bottle was spent, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs. 16. And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not look upon the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lifted up her voice, and wept. 17. And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. 18. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thy hand; for I will make him a great nation. 19. And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink. 20. And God was with the lad, and he grew; and he dwelt in the wilderness, and became, as he grew up, an archer. 21. And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt. 22. And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phicol the captain of his host spake unto Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest: 23. now therefore swear unto me here by God that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son: but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned. 24. And Abraham said, I will swear. 25. And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of the well of water, which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away. 26. And Abimelech said, I know not who hath done this thing: neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I of it, but to-day. 27. And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and they two made a covenant. 28. And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. 29. And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves? 30. And he said, These seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that it may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well. 31. Wherefore he called that place Beer-sheba; because there they sware both of them. 32. So they made a covenant at Beer-sheba: and Abimelech rose up, and Phicol the captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines. 33. And Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of Jehovah, the Everlasting God. 34. And Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines many days." (Genesis 21:1-34, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"1. Yahweh visited Sarah as he had said, and Yahweh did to Sarah as he had spoken. 2. Sarah conceived, and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. 3. Abraham called his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac. 4. Abraham circumcised his son, Isaac, when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5. Abraham was one hundred years old when his son, Isaac, was born to him. 6. Sarah said, “God has made me laugh. Everyone who hears will laugh with me.” 7. She said, “Who would have said to Abraham, that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne him a son in his old age.” 8. The child grew, and was weaned. Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 9. Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking. 10. Therefore she said to Abraham, “Cast out this servant and her son! For the son of this servant will not be heir with my son, Isaac.” 11. The thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight on account of his son. 12. God said to Abraham, “Don’t let it be grievous in your sight because of the boy, and because of your servant. In all that Sarah says to you, listen to her voice. For your offspring will be accounted as from Isaac. 13. I will also make a nation of the son of the servant, because he is your child.” 14. Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread and a bottle of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder; and gave her the child, and sent her away. She departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. 15. The water in the bottle was spent, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs. 16. She went and sat down opposite him, a good way off, about a bow shot away. For she said, “Don’t let me see the death of the child.” She sat over against him, and lifted up her voice, and wept. 17. God heard the voice of the boy. The angel of God called to Hagar out of the sky, and said to her, “What ails you, Hagar? Don’t be afraid. For God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. 18. Get up, lift up the boy, and hold him in your hand. For I will make him a great nation.” 19. God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. She went, filled the bottle with water, and gave the boy drink. 20. God was with the boy, and he grew. He lived in the wilderness, and became, as he grew up, an archer. 21. He lived in the wilderness of Paran. His mother took a wife for him out of the land of Egypt. 22. At that time, Abimelech and Phicol the captain of his army spoke to Abraham, saying, “God is with you in all that you do. 23. Now, therefore, swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son’s son. But according to the kindness that I have done to you, you shall do to me, and to the land in which you have lived as a foreigner.” 24. Abraham said, “I will swear.” 25. Abraham complained to Abimelech because of a water well, which Abimelech’s servants had violently taken away. 26. Abimelech said, “I don’t know who has done this thing. You didn’t tell me, and I didn’t hear of it until today.” 27. Abraham took sheep and cattle, and gave them to Abimelech. Those two made a covenant. 28. Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. 29. Abimelech said to Abraham, “What do these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves mean?” 30. He said, “You shall take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, that it may be a witness to me, that I have dug this well.” 31. Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because they both swore there. 32. So they made a covenant at Beersheba. Abimelech rose up with Phicol, the captain of his army, and they returned into the land of the Philistines. 33. Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and called there on the name of Yahweh, the Everlasting God. 34. Abraham lived as a foreigner in the land of the Philistines many days." (Genesis 21:1-34, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"1. And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken. 2. For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. 3. And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac. 4. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5. And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him. 6. And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me. 7. And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have born him a son in his old age. 8. And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned. 9. And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking. 10. Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac. 11. And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son. 12. And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. 13. And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed. 14. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. 15. And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs. 16. And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept. 17. And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. 18. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation. 19. And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink. 20. And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. 21. And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt. 22. And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phichol the chief captain of his host spake unto Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest: 23. Now therefore swear unto me here by God that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son: but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned. ^{that thou: Heb. if thou shalt lie unto me} 24. And Abraham said, I will swear. 25. And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water, which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away. 26. And Abimelech said, I wot not who hath done this thing: neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I of it, but to day. 27. And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant. 28. And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. 29. And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves? 30. And he said, For these seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well. 31. Wherefore he called that place Beersheba; because there they sware both of them. ^{Beersheba: that is, The well of the oath} 32. Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba: then Abimelech rose up, and Phichol the chief captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines. 33. And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God. ^{grove: or, tree} 34. And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines' land many days." (Genesis 21:1-34, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"1. And Jehovah hath looked after Sarah as He hath said, and Jehovah doth to Sarah as He hath spoken; 2. and Sarah conceiveth, and beareth a son to Abraham, to his old age, at the appointed time that God hath spoken of with him; 3. and Abraham calleth the name of his son who is born to him, whom Sarah hath born to him, Isaac; 4. and Abraham circumciseth Isaac his son, [being] a son of eight days, as God hath commanded him. 5. And Abraham [is] a son of a hundred years in Isaac his son being born to him, 6. and Sarah saith, 'God hath made laughter for me; every one who is hearing laugheth for me.' 7. She saith also, 'Who hath said to Abraham, Sarah hath suckled sons, that I have born a son for his old age?' 8. And the lad groweth, and is weaned, and Abraham maketh a great banquet in the day of Isaac's being weaned; 9. and Sarah seeth the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she hath borne to Abraham, mocking, 10. and she saith to Abraham, 'Cast out this handmaid and her son; for the son of this handmaid hath no possession with my son, with Isaac.' 11. And the thing is very wrong in the eyes of Abraham, for his son's sake; 12. and God saith unto Abraham, 'Let it not be wrong in thine eyes because of the youth, and because of thy handmaid: all that Sarah saith unto thee, hearken to her voice, for in Isaac is a seed called to thee. 13. As to the son of the handmaid also, for a nation I set him, because he [is] thy seed.' 14. And Abraham riseth early in the morning, and taketh bread, and a bottle of water, and giveth unto Hagar (placing [it] on her shoulder), also the lad, and sendeth her out; and she goeth on, and goeth astray in the wilderness of Beer-Sheba; 15. and the water is consumed from the bottle, and she placeth the lad under one of the shrubs. 16. And she goeth and sitteth by herself over-against, afar off, about a bow-shot, for she said, 'Let me not look on the death of the lad;' and she sitteth over-against, and lifteth up her voice, and weepeth. 17. And God heareth the voice of the youth; and the messenger of God calleth unto Hagar from the heavens, and saith to her, 'What to thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath hearkened unto the voice of the youth where he [is]; 18. rise, lift up the youth, and lay hold on him with thy hand, for for a great nation I set him.' 19. And God openeth her eyes, and she seeth a well of water, and she goeth and filleth the bottle [with] water, and causeth the youth to drink; 20. and God is with the youth, and he groweth, and dwelleth in the wilderness, and is an archer; 21. and he dwelleth in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother taketh for him a wife from the land of Egypt. 22. And it cometh to pass at that time that Abimelech speaketh, Phichol also, head of his host, unto Abraham, saying, 'God [is] with thee in all that thou art doing; 23. and now, swear to me by God here: thou dost not lie to me, or to my continuator, or to my successor; according to the kindness which I have done with thee thou dost with me, and with the land in which thou hast sojourned.' 24. And Abraham saith, 'I, I do swear.' 25. And Abraham reasoned with Abimelech concerning the matter of a well of water which Abimelech's servants have taken violently away, 26. and Abimelech saith, 'I have not known who hath done this thing, and even thou didst not declare to me, and I also, I have not heard save to-day.' 27. And Abraham taketh sheep and oxen, and giveth to Abimelech, and they make, both of them, a covenant; 28. and Abraham setteth seven Lambs of the flock by themselves. 29. And Abimelech saith unto Abraham, 'What [are] they, these seven lambs which thou hast set by themselves?' 30. And he saith, 'For, the seven lambs thou dost accept from my hand, so that it becometh a witness for me that I have digged this well;' 31. therefore hath he called that place 'Beer-Sheba,' for there have both of them sworn. 32. And they make a covenant in Beer-Sheba, and Abimelech riseth, Phichol also, head of his host, and they turn back unto the land of the Philistines; 33. and [Abraham] planteth a tamarisk in Beer-Sheba, and preacheth there in the name of Jehovah, God age-during; 34. and Abraham sojourneth in the land of the Philistines many days." (Genesis 21:1-34, YLT)

Setting

Speaker: TBD
Audience: TBD
Location: TBD
Time period: TBD

Theological reading

Patristic / early-church-father exegesis, to be added.

Key words

Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word; see Lexicon Roadmap.

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Quoted in

Nuzi Tablets

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.