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Genesis 16:7-11

16:7 The Lord’s angel¹ found Hagar near a spring of water in the desert – the spring that is along the road to Shur.² 16:8 He said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” She replied, “I’m running away from³ my mistress, Sarai.”

16:9 Then the Lord’s angel said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit⁴ to her authority. 16:10 I will greatly multiply your descendants,” the Lord’s angel added,⁵ “so that they will be too numerous to count.”⁶ 16:11 Then the Lord’s angel said to her,

“You are now⁷ pregnant

and are about to give birth⁸ to a son.

You are to name him Ishmael,⁹

for the Lord has heard your painful groans.¹⁰

¹tn 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).

²tn 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.”

³tn Heb “from the presence of.”

⁴tn 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.

⁵tn 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.

⁶tn Heb “cannot be numbered because of abundance.”

⁷tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) focuses on her immediate situation: “Here you are pregnant.”

⁸tn The active participle refers here to something that is about to happen.

⁹sn 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.”

¹⁰tn 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.

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