This chapter gives an account of the conception, birth, circumcision, and weaning of Isaac, Gen. 21:1–8; of the mocking of Ishmael, and of the casting out of him and his mother from Abraham’s house, at the request of Sarah, which, though grievous to Abraham, he complied with at the direction of…

And the Lord visited Sarah as he had said To Abraham, (Gen. 17:16, Gen. 17:19, Gen. 17:21) (Gen. 18:10, Gen. 18:14) ; in a way of mercy and kindness, by fulfilling his promise, giving strength to conceive and bear a child; see : and the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken; which intends the same…

For Sarah conceived This explains what is meant by the Lord’s visiting her, and doing to her according to his word, see ; and bare Abraham a son in his old age; which circumstance is remarked, that the favour might appear the greater, and the more wonderful; or, “unto”, or “for his old age” [[12]],…

And Abraham called the name of his son that was borne unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac. ] Which is the name he was directed to give him, ; and he remembers the order, and is obedient to it; the reason of which name, which signifies laughter, was on account of his laughing for joy at the…

And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac, being eight days old as, God had commanded him. ] , and was the first that we read of that was circumcised on that day, according to the divine precept, which Abraham strictly observed; for though this was the son of the promise, and of his old age, for whom…

And Abraham was an hundred years old when son Isaac was born unto him. ] So that this was years after his departure from Haran, and coming into the land of Canaan, for then he was seventy five years of age, ; and this exactly agrees with the account of Demetrius, as related by Polyhistor, an…

And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh This she said on occasion of the name of her son Isaac, which name her husband had given him by divine direction, and to which she assented.

And she said, who would have said unto Abraham No one a year ago could ever have thought of such a thing, much less have come and told Abraham that he should have a child or children by Sarah; the thing was incredible, and next to impossible; none but God himself, or an angel from him, could have…

And the child grew, and was weaned He throve under the nursing of its mother, and through the blessing of God upon him; and being healthy and robust, and capable of digesting stronger food, and living upon it, he was weaned from the breast: at what age Isaac was when weaned is not certain, there…

And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian That is, Ishmael, who is not expressed by name, but described by being a son of Hagar, a servant of Sarah’s, and an Egyptian woman; all which seems to be observed by way of slight, both to Hagar and her son; which she had born unto Abraham; not unto…

Wherefore she said unto Abraham, cast out this bondwoman and her son Hagar, Sarah’s handmaid and bondservant, and her son Ishmael; by this it appears that Hagar was concerned in this affair, and set her son on to mock Isaac, at least she encouraged him in it, buoying: him up with his being the…

And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight The motion that Sarah made to turn out of his house Hagar and Ishmael was not agreeable to him, but the reverse; it seemed an ill thing to him; it was greatly displeasing to him, and he was unwilling to come into it: because of his son; his son…

And God said unto Abraham Either by an articulate voice, or by an impulse on his mind, suggesting to him what he should do, being no doubt in great perplexity how to conduct between his wife and his son, but God determines the case for him, and makes him easy: let it not be grievous in thy sight…

And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, &c.] A great nation, as is promised, ; and such the Ishmaelites and Saracens have been, and the Turks now are, the descendants of Ishmael.

And Abraham rose up early in the morning It was in the night the Lord spoke to him, and bid him hearken to the voice of Sarah; and, as soon as it was morning, he arose, and was not disobedient to the heavenly vision; for, though the thing he was directed to was disagreeable to flesh and blood, and…

And the water was spent in the bottle It was all drank up by them, being thirsty, having wandered about some time in a wilderness, where they could not replenish their bottle: the Jewish writers say [[4]] that when Hagar came into the wilderness, she began to wander after the idols of the house of…

And she went and sat her down over against him, a good way off Not being able to bear the sight of her child in his agonies, and, as she apprehended, ready to expire, she went from the place where she had laid him, and sat down under one of the shrubs or trees to shade herself, right over against…

And God heard the voice of the lad By which it appears that he cried also; but whether it was in prayer to God, or through the distress and misery he was in, is not certain; and, be it which it will, his cries came up into the ears of the Lord, and he had compassion on him, and supplied his wants,…

Arise, lift up the lad She had set herself down at some distance, and now she is bid to rise up and go to the place where she had left her son, and raise aim up from the ground, on which he lay along: and hold him in thine hand: or take hold on him with thine hand, and hold him up with it, he being…

And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water Which she saw not before; not that she was really blind and had her eyes opened, or her sight restored, but they might be holden or restrained by the providence of God, that she should not see it before; or, through inattention and distraction of…

And God was with the lad To confirm his health, to provide for him the necessaries of life, to protect him from danger in the wilderness where he was, and to prosper and succeed him in temporal things; all which is owing to the providential goodness of God: and he grew; increased in bodily stature,…

And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran So called from Paran, a city in Arabia Petraea; it reached from the wilderness of Shur to Mount Sinai: the account Adrichomius [[15]] gives of it is this; Paran or “Pharan is a wilderness, very large, desolate, impassable, and without water, containing, from…

And it came to pass at that time Not when Ishmael was grown up and married, but when Isaac was weaned and Ishmael was expelled: that Abimelech, and Phichol, the chief captain of his host, spake unto Abraham; Abimelech was king of Gerar, the same that is spoken of in the preceding chapter, and…

Now therefore swear unto me here by God By the true and living God, by whom only an oath is to be taken, who was Abraham’s God, and whom Abimelech seems to have known and to have been a worshipper of; and therefore moves for an oath to be taken by him, which he knew would be sacred and binding to…

And Abraham said, I will swear. ] Sensible of the many favours he had received from Abimelech in times past, and was still indulged with, he very readily agreed to his proposal; and the rather, as he knew by the vision between the pieces, that it would be four hundred years before his posterity…

And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water, &c.] Before he swore and entered into covenant with him, he thought it advisable to inform him of an affair that had happened concerning a well of water, which in those hot and dry countries, as the southern parts of the land of Canaan…

And Abimelech said, I wot not who hath done this thing He pleads ignorance; he knew nothing of it before, nor now which of his servants had done it; intimating, that if he could know who it was, he should severely reprimand him for it: neither didst thou tell me: signifying that he was to blame he…

And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech In gratitude for former favours he had received from him, in token of the friendship that subsisted between them, and for the confirmation of it; and to show that he was fully satisfied with Abimelech’s answer to his complaint, as well…

And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. ] Separate from the sheep and oxen he gave to Abimelech, and from those that were used in making the covenant.

And Abimelech said unto Abraham Observing what he had done, and not knowing the design of it: what mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves? he understood what the sheep and oxen were for, that they were presents to him, at least some of them, and the rest were for the…

And he said That is, Abraham replied to Abimelech: for these seven ewe lambs shall thou take of my hand; as a present from him, to be retained as his own: that they may be a witness to me that I have digged this well: these were to be a testimony that the well that had been taken away from Abraham…

Wherefore he called that place Beersheba Either Abraham or Abimelech, or both, called it so; or it may be read impersonally, “therefore the place was called Beersheba” [[18]], for two reasons, one implied, the other expressed; one was, because of the seven lambs before mentioned; so the Targum of…

Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba Which took its name from the oath annexed to the covenant there made; and which is observed for the sake of what follows, to show that when they finished their agreement, and the ceremony of it, then Abimelech rose up, and Phichol, the chief captain of his…

And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba The Jewish writers [[21]] are divided about the use of this grove, as Jarchi relates; one says it was for a paradise or orchard, to produce fruits out of it for travellers and for entertainment; another says it was for an inn to entertain strangers in; it…

And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines’ land many days. ] Even many years, days being sometimes put for years; having entered into covenant with Abimelech, the king of the country, and settled a good correspondence with him, and having his friendship and good will, which commanded respect from…