1 And Jehovah hath looked after Sarah as He hath said, and Jehovah doth to Sarah as He hath spoken; 2 and Sarah conceiveth, and beareth a son to Abraham, to his old age, at the appointed time that God hath spoken of with him; 3 and Abraham calleth the name of his son who is born to him, whom Sarah hath born to him — Isaac; 4 and Abraham circumciseth Isaac his son, [being] a son of eight days, as God hath commanded him. 5 And Abraham [is] a son of a hundred years in Isaac his son being born to him, 6 and Sarah saith, 'God hath made laughter for me; every one who is hearing laugheth for me.' 7 She saith also, 'Who hath said to Abraham, Sarah hath suckled sons, that I have born a son for his old age?' 8 And the lad groweth, and is weaned, and Abraham maketh a great banquet in the day of Isaac's being weaned; 9 and Sarah seeth the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she hath borne to Abraham, mocking, 10 and she saith to Abraham, 'Cast out this handmaid and her son; for the son of this handmaid hath no possession with my son — with Isaac.' 11 And the thing is very wrong in the eyes of Abraham, for his son's sake; 12 and God saith unto Abraham, 'Let it not be wrong in thine eyes because of the youth, and because of thy handmaid: all that Sarah saith unto thee — hearken to her voice, for in Isaac is a seed called to thee. 13 As to the son of the handmaid also, for a nation I set him, because he [is] thy seed.' 14 And Abraham riseth early in the morning, and taketh bread, and a bottle of water, and giveth unto Hagar (placing [it] on her shoulder), also the lad, and sendeth her out; and she goeth on, and goeth astray in the wilderness of Beer-Sheba; 15 and the water is consumed from the bottle, and she placeth the lad under one of the shrubs. 16 And she goeth and sitteth by herself over-against, afar off, about a bow-shot, for she said, 'Let me not look on the death of the lad;' and she sitteth over-against, and lifteth up her voice, and weepeth. 17 And God heareth the voice of the youth; and the messenger of God calleth unto Hagar from the heavens, and saith to her, 'What to thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath hearkened unto the voice of the youth where he [is]; 18 rise, lift up the youth, and lay hold on him with thy hand, for for a great nation I set him.' 19 And God openeth her eyes, and she seeth a well of water, and she goeth and filleth the bottle [with] water, and causeth the youth to drink; 20 and God is with the youth, and he groweth, and dwelleth in the wilderness, and is an archer; 21 and he dwelleth in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother taketh for him a wife from the land of Egypt. 22 And it cometh to pass at that time that Abimelech speaketh — Phichol also, head of his host — unto Abraham, saying, 'God [is] with thee in all that thou art doing; 23 and now, swear to me by God here: thou dost not lie to me, or to my continuator, or to my successor; according to the kindness which I have done with thee thou dost with me, and with the land in which thou hast sojourned.' 24 And Abraham saith, 'I — I do swear.' 25 And Abraham reasoned with Abimelech concerning the matter of a well of water which Abimelech's servants have taken violently away, 26 and Abimelech saith, 'I have not known who hath done this thing, and even thou didst not declare to me, and I also, I have not heard save to-day.' 27 And Abraham taketh sheep and oxen, and giveth to Abimelech, and they make, both of them, a covenant; 28 and Abraham setteth seven Lambs of the flock by themselves. 29 And Abimelech saith unto Abraham, 'What [are] they — these seven lambs which thou hast set by themselves?' 30 And he saith, 'For — the seven lambs thou dost accept from my hand, so that it becometh a witness for me that I have digged this well;' 31 therefore hath he called that place 'Beer-Sheba,' for there have both of them sworn. 32 And they make a covenant in Beer-Sheba, and Abimelech riseth — Phichol also, head of his host — and they turn back unto the land of the Philistines; 33 and [Abraham] planteth a tamarisk in Beer-Sheba, and preacheth there in the name of Jehovah, God age-during; 34 and Abraham sojourneth in the land of the Philistines many days.
Genesis · Young's Literal Translation
Genesis 21 Young's Literal Translation
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Abimelech
King of Gerar who took Sarah, was warned by God in a dream and returned her to Abraham, and made a covenant with Abraham at Beersheba; an Abimelech king of the Philistines at…
Cited in the guide: Genesis 20:2–3; Genesis 21:22–27; Genesis 26:1
Abraham
Called by God, he left home in faith to become the father of a chosen people.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 12–25
Hagar
Sarah's Egyptian servant who bore Ishmael and met God in the wilderness.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 16, 21
Isaac
The long-promised son, nearly offered on Moriah, through whom the covenant continued.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 21–27
Sarah
Wife of Abraham who bore Isaac in her old age, long after hope seemed gone.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 17-21
Cross references (33)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Psalm 12:6; Genesis 18:10; Genesis 18:14; Genesis 17:19; Galatians 4:23
- 2 Galatians 4:22; Hebrews 11:11; Luke 1:24–25; Genesis 17:19; Luke 1:36
- 3 Genesis 17:19; Romans 9:7; Genesis 21:6; Matthew 1:2; Joshua 24:3
- 4 Acts 7:8; Genesis 17:10–12; Leviticus 12:3; John 7:22–23; Exodus 12:48
- 5 Genesis 17:17; Romans 4:19; Genesis 17:1
- 6 Psalm 126:2; Isaiah 54:1; Genesis 17:17; Luke 1:58; Galatians 4:27–28
- 7 Genesis 18:11–12; Isaiah 66:8; 2 Thessalonians 1:10; Deuteronomy 4:32–34; Numbers 23:23
- 8 1 Samuel 1:22; Hosea 1:8; Genesis 40:20; Genesis 29:22; Psalm 131:2
- 9 Galatians 4:29; Genesis 16:15; Galatians 4:22; Genesis 16:1; Psalm 44:13–14
- 10 John 8:35; Galatians 4:22–31; 1 John 2:19; 1 Peter 1:4; Genesis 36:6–7
- 11 Hebrews 12:11; Genesis 17:18; Matthew 10:37; Genesis 22:1–2; 2 Samuel 18:33
- 12 Hebrews 11:18; Romans 9:7–8; Genesis 17:19; 1 Samuel 8:9; 1 Samuel 8:7
- 13 Genesis 16:10; Genesis 17:20; Genesis 21:18; Genesis 25:12–18
- 14 Psalm 119:60; Genesis 21:31; Proverbs 27:14; 1 Kings 19:3; Genesis 25:6
- 15 Jeremiah 14:3; 2 Kings 3:9; Psalm 63:1; Exodus 15:22–25; Exodus 17:1–3
- 16 Isaiah 49:15; Ruth 1:9; 1 Kings 3:26; Judges 2:4; 1 Samuel 30:4
- 17 Genesis 16:11; Psalm 50:15; Psalm 91:15; Exodus 3:7; Genesis 16:9
- 18 Genesis 21:13; Genesis 16:10; 1 Chronicles 1:29–31; Genesis 17:20; Genesis 25:12–18
- 19 Numbers 22:31; 2 Kings 6:17–20; Isaiah 35:5–6; Luke 24:16–31
- 20 Genesis 28:15; Genesis 39:21; Genesis 16:12; Genesis 39:2–3; Luke 1:80
- 21 Genesis 24:3–4; Genesis 26:34–35; Genesis 27:46–28:2; Numbers 12:16; 1 Samuel 25:1
- 22 Joshua 3:7; Genesis 26:28; Genesis 26:26; Genesis 20:2; Romans 8:31
- 23 Joshua 2:12; Genesis 20:14; Genesis 14:22–23; Genesis 26:28; Genesis 31:44
- 24 Hebrews 6:16; Romans 12:18; Genesis 14:13
- 25 Genesis 26:15–22; Proverbs 27:5; Matthew 18:15; Judges 1:15; Genesis 29:8
- 26 2 Kings 5:20–24; Genesis 13:7
- 27 Genesis 26:28–31; Isaiah 32:8; Proverbs 18:16; Proverbs 18:24; Ezekiel 17:13
- 29 Genesis 33:8; Exodus 12:26; 1 Samuel 15:14
- 30 Genesis 31:52; Joshua 24:27; Joshua 22:27–28; Genesis 31:44–48
- 31 Genesis 26:33; Genesis 21:14; 1 Kings 4:25; Genesis 26:23; 2 Samuel 17:11
- 32 Genesis 21:27; 1 Samuel 18:3; Genesis 10:14; Genesis 26:8; Exodus 13:17
- 33 1 Timothy 1:17; Isaiah 40:28; Psalm 90:2; Romans 16:26; Jeremiah 10:10
- 34 Psalm 39:12; Hebrews 11:13; Genesis 20:1; 1 Peter 2:11; Hebrews 11:9
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
For when Isaac was born and called by that name, Sarah showed that her laughter was not that of scornful reproach, but that of joyful praise; for she said, "God hath made me to laugh, so that every one who hears will laugh with me." Then in a little while the bond maid was cast out of the house with …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
And when, after he had gained his son, he was commanded to offer him up, although he had heard the word, In Isaac shall thy seed be called, he proceeded to offer up his son, his only son, to God, believing that God is able to raise up even from the dead.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)
… by casting out the bond maid and her son, "In Isaac shall thy seed be called." No doubt He then goes on to say, "And as for the son of this bond woman, I will make him a great nation, because he is thy seed." How then is it said "In Isaac shall thy seed be called," when God calls …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
For when it is said, "In Isaac shall thy seed be called," by this seed is meant solely the city of God; so that from it is separated Abraham's other seed, which was in the son of the bond woman, and which was to be in the sons of Keturah.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)