Gen 21 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Gen 21:1-2: 21:1-2 See 18:10 .

Summary for Gen 21:1-2: 21:1-2 ^a See 18:10 ^b.
Summary for Gen 21:3-4: 21:3-4 ^c Abraham responded in faith by naming his son Isaac and circumcising him according to the terms of the covenant (see 17:9-14 ^d).
21:5 ^e Isaac was born twenty-five years after the promise was first given (cp. 12:4 ^f).
Summary for Gen 21:6-7: 21:6-7 ^g Sarah was filled with joy and praise for this amazing event—only God could enable her to have a child. 21:6 ^h Sarah’s wordplay on the name Isaac (Hebrew yitskhaq, “he laughs”) shows that the laughter of unbelief when the promise was given (18:12 ⁱ) had changed to the laughter of joy at its fulfillment. Isaac’s name could refer to the pleasure of God and of his parents at his birth. Sarah knew that everyone who heard about this would laugh with her and rejoice at the news.
Summary for Gen 21:8-21: 21:8-21 ^j God used the incident of Ishmael’s mocking Isaac to separate Ishmael and Hagar from the family and the child of promise. They would constantly threaten the promised descendant if they remained with the family.
Summary for Gen 21:8-9: 21:8-9 ^k The feast for Isaac’s weaning probably occurred when he was three and Ishmael was about seventeen years old (16:16 ^l). Sarah saw Ishmael making fun of her son, Isaac: The verb metsakheq (“making fun of”) is related to the word for “laughter”; this theme (21:6 ^m) is given a sour twist by Ishmael’s mockery.
21:10 ⁿ Earlier, Sarah mistreated Hagar and pressured her to flee (16:6 ^o); when Hagar’s son mistreated Isaac, Sarah demanded that that slave woman and her son leave.
Summary for Gen 21:11-13: 21:11-13 ^p Abraham was upset by Sarah’s demand to oust Hagar and Ishmael. God told him to comply, assuring Abraham that Ishmael would also have a future as Abraham’s offspring.
Summary for Gen 21:14-21: 21:14-21 ^q God again rescued Hagar in the wilderness and guaranteed her future (cp. 16:7-14 ^r). This passage is similar to ch 16 ^s, but the differences are great. Here, Hagar and Ishmael are rescued, but there is no commemorative naming. God’s earlier promise to Hagar is reiterated, but this time Hagar is not told to return to Sarah. The repeated motifs on the two occasions confirm God’s sovereign plan for Hagar and Ishmael. As Joseph later told Pharaoh, a twofold event demonstrated God’s confirmation (41:32 ^t). God did not abandon Hagar and Ishmael but met them in their despair (cp. 16:7 ^u), provided sustenance for them, and promised again that Ishmael would found a great nation (21:13 ^v; cp. 16:11-12 ^w). Paul uses this event in his letter to the Galatians to illustrate how God’s people must relinquish all that threatens the fulfillment of God’s promise (Gal 4:21-31 ^x).
21:16 ^y a hundred yards (literally a bowshot): This description connects with Ishmael’s vocation (21:20 ^z).
Summary for Gen 21:22-34: 21:22-34 ^aa This passage, at its climax, explains the name of Beersheba, Abraham’s home (21:31-34 ^ab). Beersheba reflected the covenant Abraham made with the residents of the land, which enabled him to dwell there in peace and prosperity. God’s promise was coming to fruition (12:7 ^ac; 13:14-17 ^ad; 15:7 ^ae, 18-21 ^af; 17:8 ^ag).
Summary for Gen 21:22-23: 21:22-23 ^ah Abimelech pressed for the treaty so that Abraham would not cheat or deceive him. Abimelech knew that God was blessing Abraham even though Abraham was not entirely trustworthy (20:9-10 ^ai). This sad contradiction made the treaty necessary. By contrast, God’s faithful people are exhorted to speak the truth (Eph 4:15 ^aj, 25 ^ak), and Jesus warned against manipulating truth by the clever use of oaths (Matt 5:37 ^al; Jas 5:12 ^am).
21:25 ^an The motif of the well appears again (cp. 16:14 ^ao; 21:19 ^ap). God provided water (a symbol of blessing) in the barren wilderness and later even brought water out of a rock for Israel (Exod 15:22-27 ^aq; 17:1-7 ^ar; Num 20:1-13 ^as).
Summary for Gen 21:27-31: 21:27-31 ^at Abraham’s gifts to Abimelech (cp. 20:14 ^au) secured his legal right to dwell peaceably in the land and to claim ownership of the well. Beersheba marked one more step toward the fulfillment of God’s promise.
21:32 ^av The Philistines in Genesis are different from the Philistines of Judges through Kings. The earlier Philistines had Semitic names (e.g., Abimelech) and Canaanite culture. The later Philistines were apparently of Greek origin, with Greek customs and culture. They seem to have arrived in Canaan by sea from the Aegean area around 1200 BC, during the time of the judges. Probably the name of the later Philistines was used here simply to describe the region’s earlier inhabitants.
Summary for Gen 21:33-34: 21:33-34 ^aw A tamarisk tree requires a lot of water; this act indicated Abraham’s security in his land rights and his faith that God would provide water in this desert area. He settled as a foreigner in the land, but dwelling under his tree was a sign of peaceful security (cp. Zech 3:10 ^ax).

• there he worshiped the Lord: See study note on 12:8.