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Genesis 21

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Part of Abraham📖 Genesis introduction

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1The Lord kept his word and did for Sarah exactly what he had promised. ✦ 2She became pregnant, and she gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. This happened at just the time God had said it would. ✦ 3And Abraham named their son Isaac. ✦ 4Eight days after Isaac was born, Abraham circumcised him as God had commanded. ✦ 5Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born. ✦ 6And Sarah declared, “God has brought me laughter. All who hear about this will laugh with me. ✦ 7Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse a baby? Yet I have given Abraham a son in his old age!” ✦ 8When Isaac grew up and was about to be weaned, Abraham prepared a huge feast to celebrate the occasion. ✦ 9But Sarah saw Ishmael—the son of Abraham and her Egyptian servant Hagar—making fun of her son, Isaac. ✦ 10So she turned to Abraham and demanded, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son. He is not going to share the inheritance with my son, Isaac. I won’t have it!” ✦ 11This upset Abraham very much because Ishmael was his son. ✦ 12But God told Abraham, “Do not be upset over the boy and your servant. Do whatever Sarah tells you, for Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted. ✦ 13But I will also make a nation of the descendants of Hagar’s son because he is your son, too.” ✦ 14So Abraham got up early the next morning, prepared food and a container of water, and strapped them on Hagar’s shoulders. Then he sent her away with their son, and she wandered aimlessly in the wilderness of Beersheba. ✦ 15When the water was gone, she put the boy in the shade of a bush. ✦ 16Then she went and sat down by herself about a hundred yards away. “I don’t want to watch the boy die,” she said, as she burst into tears. ✦ 17But God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, “Hagar, what’s wrong? Do not be afraid! God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. ✦ 18Go to him and comfort him, for I will make a great nation from his descendants.” ✦ 19Then God opened Hagar’s eyes, and she saw a well full of water. She quickly filled her water container and gave the boy a drink. ✦ 20And God was with the boy as he grew up in the wilderness. He became a skillful archer, ✦ 21and he settled in the wilderness of Paran. His mother arranged for him to marry a woman from the land of Egypt. ✦ 22About this time, Abimelech came with Phicol, his army commander, to visit Abraham. “God is obviously with you, helping you in everything you do,” Abimelech said. ✦ 23“Swear to me in God’s name that you will never deceive me, my children, or any of my descendants. I have been loyal to you, so now swear that you will be loyal to me and to this country where you are living as a foreigner.” ✦ 24Abraham replied, “Yes, I swear to it!” ✦ 25Then Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well that Abimelech’s servants had taken by force from Abraham’s servants. ✦ 26“This is the first I’ve heard of it,” Abimelech answered. “I have no idea who is responsible. You have never complained about this before.” ✦ 27Abraham then gave some of his sheep, goats, and cattle to Abimelech, and they made a treaty. ✦ 28But Abraham also took seven additional female lambs and set them off by themselves. 29Abimelech asked, “Why have you set these seven apart from the others?” ✦ 30Abraham replied, “Please accept these seven lambs to show your agreement that I dug this well.” ✦ 31Then he named the place Beersheba (which means “well of the oath”), because that was where they had sworn the oath. ✦ 32After making their covenant at Beersheba, Abimelech left with Phicol, the commander of his army, and they returned home to the land of the Philistines. ✦ 33Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there he worshiped the Lord, the Eternal God. ✦ 34And Abraham lived as a foreigner in Philistine country for a long time. ✦

Tap any verse for its study page. Underlined terms mark a concept, person, or place; ✦ marks verses with cross-references.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

In this chapter

Concept El Olam — the Everlasting God

Where this chapter connects

Gen 17 ·19Gen 26 ·16Gen 16 ·9Gal 4 ·9Luke 1 ·9Gen 21 ·9Heb 11 ·7Gen 31 ·6

Christ at the center

From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.

How Genesis 21 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Resources, by level

Lay

  • ★ Start hereDocumentaryExpedition BibleJoel Kramer · Free · evangelical

    On-location biblical archaeology from a credentialed archaeologist (M.A., excavated in Israel) — the best free place to start on "did it really happen?"

  • ★ Start hereAudioThrough the WordThrough the Word · ~10 min/chapter · Free · evangelical

    A clear ~10-minute audio teaching for every one of the Bible's 1,189 chapters — the most systematic free way to study chapter by chapter.

  • ★ Start hereVideoOverview: Genesis 1–11BibleProject · 9 min · Free

    The single best free starting point for Genesis 1–11 — clear, visual, and faithful to the literary design.

  • VideoSpoken GospelSpoken Gospel · Free · evangelical

    Short, gospel-centered videos and spoken-word poems showing how each passage points to Jesus — especially strong on the Old Testament.

  • ReferenceBook of Genesis — Visual GuideBibleProject · Free

    A free structured guide to the whole book — outline, themes, and links to each video.

  • DocumentaryIs Genesis History?Del Tackett · Free · evangelical

    A young-earth-creationist case for a literal Genesis, free on YouTube. (YEC is one view held by faithful Christians; others read Genesis differently — see the genre guide on how to read it.)

Pastoral

  • SermonChuck Smith — C2000 SeriesChuck Smith · Free · evangelical

    Free verse-by-verse audio through the entire Bible from the founder of Calvary Chapel.

Seminary

  • ★ Start hereCommentaryGenesis (Word Biblical Commentary)Gordon J. Wenham · Paid · evangelical

    For decades the gold-standard commentary on Genesis — technical but rich. (See the ranked list for alternatives like Hamilton, NICOT.)

  • BookThe Pentateuch as NarrativeJohn H. Sailhamer · ~560 pp · Library · evangelical

    A literary-theological reading that makes Genesis's design visible.

Commentaries & study tools

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