God Was With The Boy
This week we explore Genesis 21.
8 The child grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 9 But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac. 10 So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not inherit along with my son Isaac.” 11 The matter was very distressing to Abraham on account of his son. 12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed because of the boy and because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for it is through Isaac that offspring shall be named for you. 13 As for the son of the slave woman, I will make a nation of him also, because he is your offspring.” 14 So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.
15 When the water in the skin was gone, she cast the child under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot, for she said, “Do not let me look on the death of the child.” And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. 17 And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. 18 Come, lift up the boy and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make a great nation of him.” 19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. She went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.
20 God was with the boy, and he grew up; he lived in the wilderness and became an expert with the bow. 21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt. (Genesis 21:8-21)
The following commentary contains selections from my book Father Abraham's Many Children.
The story begins with Sarah seeing Ishmael, who is identified not by name but only as “the son of Hagar the Egyptian.” Ishmael’s action when Sarah sees him is a matter of much speculation and concern. The New Revised Standard Version says that Ishmael was “playing with her son Isaac” (Gen. 21:9). This event seems like an innocent encounter between the two siblings until we notice Sarah’s harsh reaction and dig deeper into the meaning of the word “playing.”
The Hebrew verb means “laughing” and is a pun related to the name Isaac. So the action has little to do with playing, even though that is how it has been traditionally translated. Not only do modern translations take liberty with the rendering of this particular Hebrew verb, but they also read with the Septuagint (Greek) and Vulgate (Latin) versions that add “with her son Isaac.” This phrase is not present in the Hebrew text, which merely notes that Ishmael is laughing. But if the New Revised Standard Version is correct and Ishmael is only playing with his brother Isaac, why does Sarah react so severely?
Ishmael is “Isaac-ing.”
Robert Alter (Hebrew Bible, 1:69) notes that this particular action is the problem. He translates the verb as “laughing” but notes that Ishmael is “presuming to play the role of Isaac, child of laughter, presuming to be the legitimate heir.” Does Ishmael’s moment of laughter result in Sarah seeing this other child of laughter and considering her son’s rightful place as the real son of laughter? It is perhaps easiest to see Ishmael’s actions as somehow related to his acting as the legitimate heir. He is acting like Isaac. He is playing the role of Isaac. He is Isaac-ing, a dangerous action for this brother.
Some ancient interpreters have read Ishmael’s actions as even more sinister and suggested that he was abusing Isaac. The apostle Paul, for example, in Galatians 4:29, speaks of Ishmael persecuting Isaac. The rabbis (t. Sotah 6:6) also debate the meaning of this verb and propose several possibilities, including idolatry, intention to kill, and forbidden sexual acts. It is fascinating and instructive what our imaginations can conjure up from one simple word in the story, especially if we are prone to view Ishmael negatively. Ishmael as an abuser versus Ishmael as an endangered child before Sarah—quite different trajectories for the story!
Ishmael’s action makes Sarah furious. So she proposes a drastic solution to the problem of Hagar and Ishmael’s presence in the family: she desires to banish “this slave woman”—she doesn’t use Hagar’s name—and her son. Sarah tells Abraham to send Hagar and her son away, “for the son of this slave woman shall not inherit along with my son Isaac” (Gen. 21:10). She also doesn’t name Ishmael; only her son receives a name. Sarah is thinking about questions of inheritance as she makes her demand to her husband. She also clarifies the status between the two sons as she identifies one with slavery and the other with her.
Abraham appears distressed by this issue as it involves his elder son (Gen. 21:11). Perhaps we can surmise from this short statement of Abraham’s sorrow that he indeed had a good relationship with Ishmael and loved his son. We are unsure of Ishmael’s age at this point. In Genesis 17 he is circumcised at age thirteen, but we are not given his age when he reappears in Genesis 21. Nonetheless, Abraham must genuinely have a relationship with his firstborn son and does not want to banish Ishmael.
God tells Abraham to do whatever Sarah says because Isaac is the one who will have descendants for Abraham. God has intervened on the side of Isaac. Yet God also promises to make a nation of Ishmael because he belongs to Abraham. Ishmael will not be forgotten. So the promise to make a great nation out of Ishmael is given again: “As for the son of the slave woman, I will make a nation of him also, because he is your offspring” (Gen. 21:13).
Who has been given this promise before in Genesis? Abraham. At the call in Genesis 12, God promises to make Abraham a great nation. Ishmael receives a divine promise similar to the one given to his father.
In response to God’s prompting, Abraham gives Hagar some food and water and sends her away with her child. It is a dramatic moment in the story! Abraham sends Hagar and Ishmael—his wife’s slave and his oldest son—into the wilderness, a death sentence. There they cry. In the Hebrew text, Hagar is the one crying; in the Greek Septuagint translation, Ishmael is crying. Yet, in both textual traditions, God hears the voice of the boy. God shows genuine concern for Hagar and Ishmael, even though Sarah does not, and rescues them by providing water. God promises again to make Ishmael into a great nation. The God who at first sided with Sarah to dismiss them now delivers them from death. Perhaps we are to understand that God wanted separation for Hagar and Ishmael from Sarah, but God never intended for them to die in the wilderness.
The story ends in verse 20 with the reassuring declaration: “God was with the boy.” Despite Sarah’s call to banish him and Abraham’s actions, God’s presence is with the child. When Hagar and Ishmael are in danger in the wilderness, God hears—the meaning of the name Ishmael—and God is present. God does not need Abraham’s or Sarah’s permission to be present. God’s presence is particularly poignant because of God’s previous comments about Ishmael.
Genesis 21 reminds us of God’s presence to the seemingly cast aside and mistreated. God does not give up on Ishmael and Hagar, even if Abraham and Sarah do. God is present in the story to the folks at the margins, in the wilderness. God’s presence does not remain only with the favored and privileged.
If God is with Ishmael, who else might God be with?
Summer of Genesis
The Revised Common Lectionary provides readings from Genesis this summer. We plan to follow along with insights for those preaching or just curious.
July 2 Genesis 22:1-14
July 9 Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67
July 16 Genesis 25:19-34
July 23 Genesis 28:10-19a
July 30 Genesis 29:15-28
August 6 Genesis 32:22-31
August 13 Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28
August 20 Genesis 45:1-15
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