Genesis 21:12-14

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Genesis 21:12 tn Heb “Let it not be evil in your eyes.”
2. Genesis 21:12 tn Heb “listen to her voice.” The idiomatic expression means “obey; comply.” Here her advice, though harsh, is necessary and conforms to the will of God. Later (see Gen 25), when Abraham has other sons, he sends them all away as well.
3. Genesis 21:12 tn The imperfect verbal form here draws attention to an action that is underway.
4. Genesis 21:12 tn Or perhaps “will be named”; Heb “for in Isaac offspring will be called to you.” The exact meaning of the statement is not clear, but it does indicate that God’s covenantal promises to Abraham will be realized through Isaac, not Ishmael.
5. Genesis 21:13 tc The translation follows the Smr, LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate here in adding “great” (cf. 21:18); MT reads simply “a nation.”
6. Genesis 21:14 tn Heb “and Abraham rose up early in the morning and he took.”
7. Genesis 21:14 tn Heb “bread,” although the term can be used for food in general.
8. Genesis 21:14 tn Heb “He put upon her shoulder, and the boy [or perhaps, “and with the boy”], and he sent her away.” It is unclear how “and the boy” relates syntactically to what precedes. Perhaps the words should be rearranged and the text read, “and he put [them] on her shoulder and he gave to Hagar the boy.”
9. Genesis 21:14 tn Heb “she went and wandered.”
10. Genesis 21:14 tn Or “desert,” although for English readers this usually connotes a sandy desert like the Sahara rather than the arid wasteland of this region with its sparse vegetation.