Genesis 21:16

Translation
King James Version
And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.
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KJV (with Strong's)
And she went H3212, and sat her down H3427 over against H5048 him a good way off H7368, as it were a bowshot H2909 H7198: for she said H559, Let me not see H7200 the death H4194 of the child H3206. And she sat H3427 over against him, and lift up H5375 her voice H6963, and wept H1058.
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Complete Jewish Bible
and went and sat down, looking the other way, about a bow-shot's distance from him; because she said, "I can't bear to watch my child die." So she sat there, looking the other way, crying out and weeping.
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Berean Standard Bible
Then she went off and sat down nearby, about a bowshot away, for she said, “I cannot bear to watch the boy die!” And as she sat nearby, she lifted up her voice and wept.
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American Standard Version
And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not look upon the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lifted up her voice, and wept.
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World English Bible Messianic
She went and sat down opposite him, a good way off, about a bow shot away. For she said, “Don’t let me see the death of the child.” She sat over against him, and lifted up her voice, and wept.
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Geneva Bible (1599)
Then she went and sate her ouer against him a farre off about a bowe shoote: for she said, I will not see the death of the child. and she sate downe ouer against him, and lift vp her voyce and wept.
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Young's Literal Translation
And she goeth and sitteth by herself over-against, afar off, about a bow-shot, for she said, `Let me not look on the death of the lad;' and she sitteth over-against, and lifteth up her voice, and weepeth.
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See also
Esther 8:6Isaiah 49:151 Kings 3:26Judges 2:41 Samuel 24:16Genesis 27:381 Samuel 30:4
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In the KJVVerse 530 of 31,102

Study This Verse

SUMMARY

Genesis 21:16 powerfully depicts Hagar's profound maternal anguish and utter helplessness as she separates herself from her son, Ishmael, in the desolate wilderness. Unable to endure the sight of his imminent death from thirst, she retreats a short distance, expressing her overwhelming grief and despair through a heart-wrenching cry and deep weeping, a poignant testament to the agonizing reality of her dire circumstances.

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: This verse is situated at a critical juncture in the patriarchal narrative of Abraham's family. Following the miraculous birth of Isaac, the son of promise, tensions between Sarah and Hagar, and by extension, their sons, Ishmael and Isaac, escalate. Sarah demands Hagar and Ishmael's expulsion, a demand Abraham finds distressing until God explicitly instructs him to comply, assuring him that Ishmael will also become a great nation because he is Abraham's offspring (Genesis 21:9-13). Thus, Hagar and Ishmael are sent into the wilderness of Beer-sheba, equipped with only bread and a skin of water. Verse 16 captures the nadir of their journey, as their provisions are exhausted, and Ishmael is on the brink of death, setting the stage for divine intervention in the subsequent verses (Genesis 21:17-19).
  • Historical & Cultural Context: The scene reflects the harsh realities of desert travel and survival in the ancient Near East. Water was a precious commodity, and its depletion meant almost certain death. The "wilderness of Beer-sheba" was a semi-arid region, prone to extreme heat and scarcity of resources, making survival dependent on knowledge of water sources or divine provision. Hagar's status as an Egyptian maidservant, though she bore Abraham's first son, placed her and Ishmael in a vulnerable position within the patriarchal household, ultimately leading to their banishment. The act of moving "a bowshot" away signifies a culturally understood distance for a specific purpose, in this case, to avoid a traumatic sight, yet remain within earshot or visual range, indicating a desperate clinging to proximity even in despair.
  • Key Themes: Genesis 21:16 contributes significantly to several overarching themes within the book of Genesis and the broader biblical narrative. It highlights the theme of human suffering and vulnerability in the face of overwhelming circumstances, particularly for the marginalized. It also implicitly underscores the theme of divine providence and compassion, as Hagar's despair ultimately precedes God's timely intervention, demonstrating His attentiveness to the cries of the afflicted, even those outside the immediate covenant line (Genesis 16:7-13). Furthermore, the narrative of Ishmael's preservation reinforces God's faithfulness to His promise to Abraham that Ishmael would also become a great nation (Genesis 17:20).

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Genesis 21:16 is a deeply emotional verse, portraying Hagar's profound anguish and desperate attempt to cope with the imminent death of her son, Ishmael. Her actions are not of abandonment, but of a mother's overwhelming love and helplessness in the face of an unbearable tragedy.

Key Word Analysis

  • sat (Hebrew, yâshab', H3427): Meaning "to sit down," specifically "to sit down (specifically as judge. in ambush, in quiet); by implication, to dwell, to remain." In this context, Hagar's act of sitting down "over against him" suggests a posture of resignation and quiet despair, a final resting place before the inevitable, yet still within a proximity that underscores her inability to truly leave him.
  • death (Hebrew, mâveth', H4194): Meaning "death (natural or violent); concretely, the dead, their place or state (hades); figuratively, pestilence, ruin." Hagar's plea, "Let me not see the death of the child," reveals the raw horror she anticipates. It's not just the physical cessation of life, but the complete and utter ruin of her son, a sight too grievous for a mother to bear.
  • wept (Hebrew, bâkâh', H1058): A primitive root meaning "to weep; generally to bemoan; [idiom] at all, bewail, complain, make lamentation, [idiom] more, mourn, [idiom] sore, [idiom] with tears, weep." This word describes a deep, uncontrolled, and profound expression of sorrow. Hagar's weeping is not a quiet shedding of tears but a loud, unrestrained lament, signifying the complete breakdown of her composure in the face of overwhelming grief and powerlessness.

Verse Breakdown

  • "And she went, and sat her down over against [him] a good way off, as it were a bowshot:" Hagar's initial action is a deliberate physical separation from her dying son. The phrase "a good way off, as it were a bowshot" (approximately 100-200 yards) indicates a calculated distance – far enough to avoid the direct sight of his death throes, yet close enough to remain connected to his presence. This act is born not of abandonment, but of an instinctual desire to shield herself from an unbearable trauma, highlighting her profound emotional distress and helplessness.
  • "for she said, Let me not see the death of the child." This parenthetical explanation reveals Hagar's inner turmoil and the rationale behind her action. Her spoken words articulate the depth of her maternal love and the excruciating pain of watching her son perish. It is a desperate plea to herself, a final attempt to exert some control over an uncontrollable and devastating situation by avoiding the ultimate sight of his demise.
  • "And she sat over against [him], and lift up her voice, and wept." The repetition of "she sat over against him" emphasizes her continued proximity despite her desire for distance, underscoring her inability to truly leave him. The culmination of her despair is expressed through a loud, unrestrained outburst of grief. The phrase "lift up her voice, and wept" signifies a deep, uncontrolled lament, a raw and uninhibited expression of profound sorrow, distress, and utter hopelessness in the face of her son's imminent death.

Literary Devices

The verse powerfully employs Pathos, evoking deep sympathy and sorrow for Hagar's plight. Her actions—moving away to avoid seeing her son die, her desperate plea, and her unrestrained weeping—are designed to elicit a strong emotional response from the reader, highlighting the universal pain of maternal grief and helplessness. The Setting of the desolate wilderness functions as a potent Symbol of extreme vulnerability, isolation, and testing, emphasizing the dire circumstances and the complete lack of human resources. This stark backdrop intensifies the emotional impact of Hagar's despair. Furthermore, the narrative implicitly uses Foreshadowing, as Hagar's desperate cries and Ishmael's silent suffering set the stage for the miraculous divine intervention that immediately follows, hinting at God's compassionate attentiveness even in the most desolate moments.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

Genesis 21:16 is a poignant testament to the depths of human despair and the reality of suffering, yet it also subtly prepares the reader for the unfolding of divine compassion. Hagar's raw grief and powerlessness underscore humanity's inherent vulnerability and absolute dependence on a higher power when all earthly resources are exhausted. Her cries, though seemingly unheard by humans, implicitly reach the divine ear, setting the stage for God's providential care. This narrative affirms that God is attentive to the cries of the afflicted, regardless of their social standing or covenantal relationship, demonstrating His universal compassion and commitment to His promises.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

Genesis 21:16 offers a profound and deeply human reflection on the experience of overwhelming grief and helplessness. Hagar's desperate act of distancing herself from her dying son, coupled with her heart-wrenching lament, resonates with anyone who has faced circumstances beyond their control, particularly when a loved one is suffering. This verse reminds us that it is natural to feel immense pain, despair, and powerlessness in the face of such trials. It validates the raw, uninhibited expression of sorrow as a legitimate human response to loss. While Hagar's situation appears utterly hopeless from a human perspective, the narrative implicitly points to the truth that even in our deepest valleys, when we feel completely abandoned and our resources are depleted, God is often drawing near. Her weeping, though born of despair, is a cry that God hears, inviting us to bring our own brokenness and cries to Him, trusting in His compassionate presence and providential care, even when we cannot see a way forward.

Questions for Reflection

  • How do you typically respond when faced with situations where you feel utterly helpless or powerless to change a difficult outcome?
  • In what ways does Hagar's raw expression of grief encourage or challenge your own understanding of lament and sorrow in the face of suffering?
  • How does the knowledge that God hears the cries of the distressed, even when human hope is exhausted, impact your perspective on personal trials?

FAQ

Why did Hagar choose to move away from Ishmael?

Answer: Hagar moved away from Ishmael because she could not bear the excruciating pain of witnessing his death from thirst. Her desperate plea, "Let me not see the death of the child," reveals her profound maternal love and her attempt to shield herself from the unbearable trauma of his final moments. It was an act born of overwhelming anguish, not abandonment.

Does Hagar's despair indicate a lack of faith?

Answer: Hagar's despair is portrayed as a raw, authentic human response to an overwhelming and seemingly hopeless situation. While it highlights her immediate emotional state and lack of visible hope, the narrative does not necessarily frame it as a deficiency in faith. Instead, it serves to emphasize the depths of human need, thereby magnifying the subsequent divine intervention and God's compassionate response to the cries of the afflicted, even when human hope is exhausted (Genesis 21:17).

What is the significance of the wilderness in this narrative?

Answer: In biblical narratives, the wilderness often serves as a powerful symbol of testing, purification, and absolute dependence on God. For Hagar and Ishmael, it represents extreme vulnerability, isolation, and the stripping away of all human resources, pushing them to the brink of survival. It is in this desolate and seemingly God-forsaken place that divine intervention becomes most evident, highlighting God's ability to provide and sustain even in the most dire circumstances (Deuteronomy 8:2-3).

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

While Genesis 21:16 depicts Hagar's profound human despair in the face of physical death, it powerfully foreshadows humanity's deeper spiritual thirst and the ultimate provision found in Jesus Christ. Hagar and Ishmael's desperate need for water in the wilderness mirrors the spiritual desolation of a world parched by sin, longing for true life. Jesus, the ultimate "living water" (John 4:10-14), offers eternal sustenance to those who are spiritually dying. He is the "bread of life" (John 6:35) who satisfies the deepest hunger, rescuing us from the spiritual wilderness of sin and death. Furthermore, Hagar's experience of abandonment and subsequent divine rescue reflects God's compassionate heart for the marginalized and suffering, a compassion perfectly embodied in Jesus, who came "to seek and to save the lost" (Luke 19:10) and invites all who are "weary and heavy-laden" to find rest in Him (Matthew 11:28). Her desperate cry for life, met by God's intervention, prefigures the ultimate hope and new life offered through Christ's redemptive work on the cross, where He bore the ultimate abandonment so that we might never be forsaken.

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Commentary on Genesis 21 verses 14–21

I. II. Main points1. 2. Sub-points

Here is, I. The casting out of the bond-woman, and her son from the family of Abraham, Gen 21:14. Abraham's obedience to the divine command in this matter was speedy - early in the morning, we may suppose immediately after he had, in the night's visions, received orders to do this. It was also submissive; it was contrary to his judgment, at least to his own inclination, to do it; yet as soon as he perceives that it is the mind of God he makes no objections, but silently does as he is bidden, as one trained up to an implicit obedience. In sending them away without any attendants, on foot, and slenderly provided for, it is probable that he observed the directions given him. If Hagar and Ishmael had conducted themselves well in Abraham's family, they might have continued there; but they threw themselves out by their own pride and insolence, which were thus justly chastised. Note, By abusing our privileges we forfeit them. Those that know not when they are well off, in such a desirable place as Abraham's family, deserve to be cashiered, and to be made to know the worth of mercies by the want of them.

II. Their wandering in the wilderness, missing their way to the place Abraham designed them for a settlement.

1.They were reduced to great distress there. Their provisions were spent, and Ishmael was sick. He that used to be full fed in Abraham's house, where he waxed fat and kicked, now fainted and sunk, when he was brought to short allowance. Hagar is in tears, and sufficiently mortified. Now she wishes for the crumbs she had wasted and made light of at her master's table. Like one under the power of the spirit of bondage, she despairs of relief, counts upon nothing but the death of the child (Gen 21:15, Gen 21:16), though God had told her, before he was born, that he should live to be a man, a great man. We are apt to forget former promises, when present providences seem to contradict them; for we live by sense.

2.In this distress, God graciously appeared for their relief: he heard the voice of the lad, Gen 21:17. We read not of a word he said; but his sighs, and groans, and calamitous state, cried aloud in the ears of mercy. An angel was sent to comfort Hagar, and it was not the first time that she had met with God's comforts in a wilderness; she had thankfully acknowledged the former kind visit which God made his in such a case (Gen 16:13), and therefore God now visited her again with seasonable succours. (1.) The angel assures her of the cognizance God took of her distress: God has heard the voice of the lad where he is, though he is in a wilderness (for, wherever we are, there is a way open heaven-ward); therefore lift up the lad, and hold him in thy hand, Gen 21:18. Note, God's readiness to help us when we are in trouble must not slacken, but quicken, our endeavours to help ourselves. (2.) He repeats the promise concerning her son, that he should be a great nation, as a reason why she should bestir herself to help him. Note, It should engage our care and pains about children and young people to consider that we know not what God has designed them for, nor what great use Providence may make of them. (3.) He directs her to a present supply (Gen 21:19): He opened her eyes (which were swollen and almost blinded with weeping), and then she saw a well of water. Note, Many that have reason enough to be comforted go mourning from day to day, because they do not see the reason they have for comfort. There is a well of water by them in the covenant of grace, but they are not aware of it; they have not the benefit of it, till the same God that opened their eyes to see their wound opens them to see their remedy, Joh 16:6, Joh 16:7. Now the apostle tells us that those things concerning Hagar and Ishmael are allegoroumena (Gal 4:24), they are to be allegorized; this then will serve to illustrate the folly, [1.] Of those who, like the unbelieving Jews, seek for righteousness by the law and the carnal ordinances of it, and not by the promise made in Christ, thereby running themselves into a wilderness of want and despair. Their comforts are soon exhausted, and if God save them not by his special prerogative, and by a miracle of mercy open their eyes and undeceive them, they are undone. [2.] Of those who seek for satisfaction and happiness in the world and the things of it. Those that forsake the comforts of the covenant and communion with God, and choose their portion in this earth, take up with a bottle of water, poor and slender provision, and that soon spent; they wander endlessly in pursuit of satisfaction, and, at length, sit down short of it.

III. The settlement of Ishmael, at last, in the wilderness of Paran (Gen 21:20, Gen 21:21), a wild place, fittest for a wild man; and such a one he was, ch. 16. 12. Those that are born after the flesh take up with the wilderness of this world, while the children of the promise aim at the heavenly Canaan, and cannot be at rest till they are there. Observe, 1. He had some tokens of God's presence: God was with the lad; his outward prosperity was owing to this. 2. By trade he was an archer, which intimates that craft was his excellency and sport his business: rejected Esau was a cunning hunter. 3. He matched among his mother's relations; she took him a wife out of Egypt: as great an archer as he was, he did not think he could take his aim well, in the business of marriage, if he proceeded without his mother's advice and consent.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 14–21. Public domain.
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JeromeAD 420
Hebrew Questions on Genesis
(Verse 15, 16.) And she put the boy under a tree, and went and sat opposite him, as if shooting an arrow. She said, 'I will not see the death of my child.' And she sat opposite him. And immediately it happened: The boy cried out, and wept, and God heard the voice of the boy from the place where he was. And the Angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and so on, let no one move. In Hebrew, after what is written, 'I will not see the death of my child,' it is read that Hagar herself sat opposite the boy, and raised her voice, and wept, and God heard the voice of the child. For when the mother was weeping and waiting miserably for the death of her son, God heard the boy, of whom He had promised to Abraham, saying: 'But I will also make your slave woman's son into a great nation' (Gen. XVII, 20). Otherwise, the mother herself mourned not her own death, but that of her son. Therefore, God spared her, for whom there had been weeping. Finally, it is said in what follows: 'Rise up and take the boy, and hold his hand' (Gen. XVII, 18). From this it is clear that the one who is held is not a burden to his mother, but a companion. And when someone is held by the hand of a parent, their concerned affection is shown.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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