Tag: Sarah

Archer in the Wilderness

Posted on by jovial_cynic

So Abraham got up early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water, and gave them to Hagar, putting them on her shoulder, and gave her the boy, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered about in the wilderness of Beersheba.

When the water in the skin was used up, she left the boy under one of the bushes. Then she went and sat down opposite him, about a bowshot away, for she said, “May I not see the boy die!” And she sat opposite him, and raised her voice and wept. God heard the boy crying; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter with you, Hagar? Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. Get up, lift up the boy, and hold him by the hand, for I will make a great nation of him.” Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.

And God was with the boy, and he grew; and he lived in the wilderness and became an archer.
Genesis 21:14-20 (NASB)

One of the reasons I like Genesis so much is because of the focus on the details. We often overlook these little repetitions, but the structure *is* part of the story.

Who is Your Father?

Posted on by jovial_cynic

Now Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking Isaac. Therefore she said to Abraham, “Drive out this slave woman and her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be an heir with my son Isaac!”
Genesis 21:9-10 (NASB)

There is a story in the Midrash that paints a sweeping narrative that creates context for these two verses. It starts back in the previous chapter, when Sarah is taken by Abimelech.

So Abraham prayed to God; and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants. Then they bore children; for the Lord had closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
Genesis 20:17-18 (NKJV)

Remember: the healing that happens in that chapter is related to childbirth.

Based on this childbirth-related healing, and then the birth of Isaac in chapter 21, the rabbis suggest that rumors began to spread. Perhaps this son of Sarah is no son of Abraham, but instead is a son of Abimelech. The timing is right, and clearly, Abimelech’s wife and “female servants” are all pregnant.

While we, the readers, are told that God prevented Abimelech from touching Sarah, who knows if the people in the story, to include Abraham’s whole entourage, believe it?

And most importantly, does Hagar believe it? She has witnessed Abraham and Sarah’s frequent deception first-hand.

So the rabbis say this: “the prattle of children reflects what they picked up from their father or what they picked up from their mother.” If Ishmael is “mocking” Isaac (and not abusing, per another interpretation of the story), perhaps the mockery is this: “Everyone knows Abraham is my father. Who is your father?”

And Sarah, hearing this, would know that these are Hagar’s words, and that Hagar would be making a clear statement about inheritance: Only the son of Abraham should receive any portion of Abraham’s blessing and wealth.

Perhaps this is why Sarah declares, “the son of this slave woman shall not be an heir with my son Isaac!”

Fountain of Youth

Posted on by jovial_cynic

And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have given birth to a son in his old age.”
Genesis 21:7 (NASB)

There is a teaching in the Jewish commentaries that say Sarah experienced a reversal of age and literally became a young woman again in order to give birth to Isaac and to nurse him until weened.

In this chapter, when Isaac is born, only Abraham’s age is referenced.

Whether Sarah literally became a youthful woman again (so beautiful that even a Pharaoh would find her desirable!) or not is immaterial. It changes nothing. However, in some ways, she did experience something that’s only possible for younger women – to give birth, and to nurse a child until it is weened.

In contrast, Abraham appears to remain old in every way.

Translation Commentary

Posted on by jovial_cynic

She also said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne him a son in his old age.”

Hagar and Ishmael Depart

So the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac was weaned.
Genesis 21:7-8 (NKJV)

Some Bible translation include their own commentary by way of section headings. The NIV and the NKJV both include a “Hagar and Ishmael Sent Away” header, but this shifts the focus and loses the story.

The entire point of this bit is that a very old woman is nursing a child!

Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me.” And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have given birth to a son in his old age.”

And the child grew and was weaned, and Abraham held a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.

Sarah Turns against Hagar

Now Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking Isaac.
Genesis 21:6-9 (NASB)

The NASB inserts “Sarah Turns against Hagar” after verse 8, keeping the nursing and the weening segments together, but then it breaks up the *laughter* from v6 from the connected laughter in verses 9 and 10.

The story is much clearer without the section headings.

Prayer for Sarah

Posted on by jovial_cynic

So Abraham prayed to God; and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants. Then they bore children; for the Lord had closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
Genesis 20:17-18 (NKJV)

Abraham’s prayer at the end of Genesis 20 should surprise the reader, because his own wife is barren. It is meant to be ironic.

The rabbis have a saying about prayer: if you earnestly pray for someone who has a need, but you also have that need, God answers your need first.

And the Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had spoken.
Genesis 21:1 (NKJV)

The “And” in Genesis 21:1 is meant to link this text to the end of Genesis 20 to show God answering this prayer for Sarah.

Those Who Wander

Posted on by jovial_cynic
I think we’re meant to understand that the characters in Genesis know the previous stories in the text. Noah likely knows about the Garden of Eden; Abraham knows about the Flood.

And I think Sarah kicks Ishmael out because she knows the story of Cain and Abel. She’s afraid.

I think this is also a cipher. The text points back, not just to give us some extra character detail, but to tell *us* to look back at what is happening.

Ishmael and Isaac are linked to Cain and Abel.

We wonder about Cain’s offering and how God feels about him, but the text isn’t clear. We know that Cain left the face, or presence, of God, and God placed a mark of protection on him.

Does God love Cain? Is Cain in God’s heart, despite Cain’s wandering?

Perhaps this story of Ishmael’s exile gives us a clue.

Hagar and Ishmael are גָּרַשׁ (garash) “driven out” from Abraham’s household. It’s this same word in Gen 3:24 when Adam and Eve are exiled from the garden. It’s also the same word Cain uses when he wanders in Gen 4:13.

If these stories are linked, the way God treats Ishmael tells us how he viewed Cain and how he viewed Adam and Eve.

God heard the boy crying; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter with you, Hagar? Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. Get up, lift up the boy, and hold him by the hand, for I will make a great nation of him.” Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.

And God was with the boy, and he grew; and he lived in the wilderness and became an archer. He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
Genesis 21:17-21 (NASB)

And perhaps how he views us when we wander.

The Firstborn Son

Posted on by jovial_cynic
Do you remember the time Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son, but God prevented him from dying and promised that he would be a great nation?

No, not Isaac. I’m talking about Ishmael.

Abraham knew sending Isaac and Hagar out meant their death, but God spared them.

Now Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking Isaac. Therefore she said to Abraham, “Drive out this slave woman and her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be an heir with my son Isaac!” The matter distressed Abraham greatly because of his son Ishmael.
Genesis 21:9-11 (NASB)

But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed because of the boy and your slave woman; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her, for through Isaac your descendants shall be named. And of the son of the slave woman I will make a nation also, because he is your descendant.”
Genesis 21:12-13 (NASB)

Sarah’s Miracle

Posted on by jovial_cynic

Then the Lord took note of Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had promised. So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time of which God had spoken to him. Abraham named his son who was born to him, the son whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.
Genesis 21:1-3 (NASB)

Back in Genesis 12, God made a promise to Abraham, but a careful reader will note that the birth of Isaac is not Abraham’s miracle. He can sire children, as we see with Ishmael.

This is Sarah’s miracle. She was barren.

Genesis 21 puts the spotlight squarely on her.

Plague of Barrenness

Posted on by jovial_cynic

Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his female slaves, so that they gave birth to children. For the Lord had completely closed all the wombs of the household of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
Genesis 20:17-18 (NASB)

Sarah was barren, and the consequence to Abimelech and his household was also a kind of barrenness. God “closed the wombs” of everyone in the land.

Here, when it says “because of Sarah,” the words are literally “at Sarah’s word.”

This happened back in Genesis 12, too; the plagues on Pharaoh may have been through Sarah’s spoken word.

Covering of the Eyes

Posted on by jovial_cynic

Then to Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver; indeed this vindicates you before all who are with you and before everybody.” Thus she was rebuked.
Genesis 20:16 (NKJV)

The Hebrew phrase that is translated as “this vindicates you” here is כְּסוּת עֵינַיִם, which means “a covering of the eyes.”

The meaning is debated among the rabbis, but Chizkuni’s interpretation seems to be the best.

There is sarcasm in the words.

Per tradition, it is proper to give a great gift to the brother of a bride. In Genesis 24:53, we read Eliazar gave precious gifts to Rebecca’s brother and her mother.

So Abimelech’s statement, “your brother,” is meant to nod to the tradition, even though he knows it’s not true.

In that context, “a covering of the eyes” is like “turning a blind eye.”

The word “rebuked” at the end is also difficult to translate, as it can mean both “rebuked” but also “cleared” or “shown to be right.” Perhaps it’s both, as the matter is dropped after Abraham prays for healing.