Genesis 16:10-11

16:10 I will greatly multiply your descendants,” the Lord’s angel added, 1  “so that they will be too numerous to count.” 2  16:11 Then the Lord’s angel said to her,

“You are now 3  pregnant

and are about to give birth 4  to a son.

You are to name him Ishmael, 5 

for the Lord has heard your painful groans. 6 

1 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.

2 tn Heb “cannot be numbered because of abundance.”

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

4 tn The active participle refers here to something that is about to happen.

5 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.”

6 tn Heb “affliction,” which must refer here to Hagar’s painful groans of anguish.

sn This clause gives the explanation of the name Ishmael, using a wordplay. Ishmael’s name will be a reminder that “God hears” Hagar’s painful cries.