Genesis 16:11-13
Amplified Bible
11 The Angel of the Lord continued,
“Behold, you are with child,
And you will bear a son;
And you shall name him Ishmael (God hears),
Because the Lord has heard and paid attention to your persecution (suffering).
12
“He (Ishmael) will be a wild donkey of a man;
His hand will be against every man [continually fighting]
And every man’s hand against him;
And he will dwell in defiance of all his brothers.”
13 Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are [a]God Who Sees”; for she said, “Have I not even here [in the wilderness] remained alive after [b]seeing Him [who sees me with understanding and compassion]?”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Genesis 16:13 Heb El roi; God never sleeps, He sees, He is aware, He is the great Omnipresent God.
- Genesis 16:13 Or seen the back of Him who sees me, which would suggest that at some point in their conversation Hagar requested to see the divine Angel (see note v 7) and, as in Moses’ encounter with God (Ex 33:18-23), was granted the privilege of seeing His back. The wording of the Hebrew is not clear enough to further narrow the possibilities.
Genesis 16:11-13
English Standard Version
11 And the angel of the Lord said to her,
“Behold, you are pregnant
and shall bear a son.
You shall call his name Ishmael,[a]
(A)because the Lord has listened to your affliction.
12 He shall be (B)a wild donkey of a man,
his hand against everyone
and everyone's hand against him,
and he shall dwell (C)over against all his kinsmen.”
13 So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,”[b] for she said, (D)“Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.”[c]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Genesis 16:11 Ishmael means God hears
- Genesis 16:13 Or You are a God who sees me
- Genesis 16:13 Hebrew Have I really seen him here who sees me? or Would I have looked here for the one who sees me?
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The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
