Genesis 21:1

The Birth of Isaac

21:1 The Lord visited ¹  Sarah just as he had said he would and did ²  for Sarah what he had promised. ³ 

Genesis 31:21

31:21 He left ⁴  with all he owned. He quickly crossed ⁵  the Euphrates River ⁶  and headed for ⁷  the hill country of Gilead.

---

¹ sn The Hebrew verb translated “visit” (פָּקַד, paqad ) often describes divine intervention for blessing or cursing; it indicates God’s special attention to an individual or a matter, always with respect to his people’s destiny. He may visit (that is, destroy) the Amalekites; he may visit (that is, deliver) his people in Egypt. Here he visits Sarah, to allow her to have the promised child. One’s destiny is changed when the Lord “visits.” For a more detailed study of the term, see G. André, Determining the Destiny (ConBOT).

² tn Heb “and the Lord did.” The divine name has not been repeated here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

³ tn Heb “spoken.”

⁴ tn Heb “and he fled.”

⁵ tn Heb “he arose and crossed.” The first verb emphasizes that he wasted no time in getting across.

⁶ tn Heb “the river”; the referent (the Euphrates) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁷ tn Heb “he set his face.”