Genesis 16:7-13

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Genesis 16:7 tn Heb “the messenger of the Lord.” Some identify the angel of the Lord as the preincarnate Christ because in some texts the angel is identified with the Lord himself. However, it is more likely that the angel merely represents the Lord; he can speak for the Lord because he is sent with the Lord’s full authority. In some cases the angel is clearly distinct from the Lord (see Judg 6:11-23). It is not certain if the same angel is always in view. Though the proper name following the noun “angel” makes the construction definite, this may simply indicate that a definite angel sent from the Lord is referred to in any given context. It need not be the same angel on every occasion. Note the analogous expression “the servant of the Lord,” which refers to various individuals in the OT (see BDB 714 s.v. עֶבֶד).
2. Genesis 16:7 tn Heb “And the angel of the Lord found her near the spring of water in the desert, near the spring on the way to Shur.”
3. Genesis 16:8 tn Heb “from the presence of.”
4. Genesis 16:9 tn The imperative וְהִתְעַנִּי (v^ehitʿanni) is the Hitpael of עָנָה (ʿanah, here translated “submit”), the same word used for Sarai’s harsh treatment of her. Hagar is instructed not only to submit to Sarai’s authority, but to whatever mistreatment that involves. God calls for Hagar to humble herself.
5. Genesis 16:10 tn Heb “The angel of the Lord said, ‘I will greatly multiply your descendants….’” The order of the clauses has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
6. Genesis 16:10 tn Heb “cannot be numbered because of abundance.”
7. Genesis 16:11 tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) focuses on her immediate situation: “Here you are pregnant.”
8. Genesis 16:11 tn The active participle refers here to something that is about to happen.
9. Genesis 16:11 sn The name Ishmael consists of the imperfect or jussive form of the Hebrew verb with the theophoric element added as the subject. It means “God hears” or “may God hear.”
10. Genesis 16:11 tn Heb “affliction,” which must refer here to Hagar’s painful groans of anguish.sn This clause gives the explanation of the name Ishmael, using a wordplay. Ishmael’s name will be a reminder that “God hears” Hagar’s painful cries.
11. Genesis 16:12 sn A wild donkey of a man. The prophecy is not an insult. The wild donkey lived a solitary existence in the desert away from society. Ishmael would be free-roaming, strong, and like a bedouin; he would enjoy the freedom his mother sought.
12. Genesis 16:12 tn Heb “His hand will be against everyone.” The “hand” by metonymy represents strength. His free-roaming life style would put him in conflict with those who follow social conventions. There would not be open warfare, only friction because of his antagonism to their way of life.
13. Genesis 16:12 tn Heb “And the hand of everyone will be against him.”
14. Genesis 16:12 tn Heb “opposite, across from.” Ishmael would live on the edge of society (cf. NASB “to the east of”). Some take this as an idiom meaning “be at odds with” (cf. NRSV, NLT) or “live in hostility toward” (cf. NIV).
15. Genesis 16:13 tn Heb “God of my seeing.” The pronominal suffix may be understood either as objective (“who sees me,” as in the translation) or subjective (“whom I see”).
16. Genesis 16:13 tn Heb “after one who sees me.”sn For a discussion of Hagar’s exclamation, see T. Booij, “Hagar’s Words in Genesis 16:13b, ” VT 30 (1980): 1-7.