Genesis 16:10-12
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
10 I will make your descendants so numerous,” added the Lord’s angel, “that they will be too many to count.”(A) 11 Then the Lord’s angel said to her:
“You are now pregnant and shall bear a son;
you shall name him Ishmael,[a]
For the Lord has heeded your affliction.
12 He shall be a wild ass of a man,
his hand against everyone,
and everyone’s hand against him;
Alongside[b] all his kindred
shall he encamp.”(B)
Footnotes
- 16:11 Ishmael: in Hebrew the name means “God has heard.” It is the same Hebrew verb that is translated “heeded” in the next clause. In other ancient Near Eastern texts, the name commemorated the divine answer to the parents’ prayer to have a child, but here it is broadened to mean that God has “heard” Hagar’s plight. In vv. 13–14, the verb “to see” is similarly broadened to describe God’s special care for those in need.
- 16:12 Alongside: lit., “against the face of”; the same phrase is used of the lands of Ishmael’s descendants in 25:18. It can be translated “in opposition to” (Dt 21:16; Jb 1:11; 6:28; 21:31), but here more likely means that Ishmael’s settlement was near but not in the promised land.
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