Genesis Chapter 21 [DARBY]

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1 And Jehovah visited Sarah as he had said, and Jehovah did to Sarah as he had spoken.
2 And Sarah conceived, and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the appointed time of which God had spoken to him.
3 And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac. And Abraham – Type of Jehovah. F170

Whom Sarah – Type of the Abrahamic covenant. F170

Isaac – Type of Christ. F170


4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac, being eight days old, as God had commanded him.
5 And Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. Was 100 years old – 25 years after the covenant was made. B231

6 And Sarah said, God has made me laugh: all that hear will laugh with me.
7 And she said, Who would have said to Abraham, Sarah will suckle children? For I have borne him a son in his old age.

8 And the child grew, and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.
9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking. Mocking – This was the beginning of the 400 years of affliction of Abraham's seed, which ended with the exodus, Isaac at the time being 5 years old, 30 years after the covenant. R2482:3*

Typifying the manner in which fleshly Israel mocked at spiritual Israel. R2777:6, R3952:6

Typifying the manner in which the tare class mocks at the wheat class. R2778:5


10 And she said to Abraham, Cast out this handmaid and her son; for the son of this handmaid shall not inherit with my son--with Isaac. Wherefore – In order to show that the Law covenant was not to have any rule over the spiritual sons of God. R1728:5

Cast out – The Law covenant was cast aside when Jesus became heir of the original promise. R4319:3

And her son – Ishmael, type of the nation of Israel. R4319:2

Tyrannical, domineering, incorrigible; at this time 13 years of age. R3952:6

Shall not be heir – The mother's nature, rights, privileges and liberties attach to the child. E105

The nation of Israel could not inherit the promised blessings because the Law brought nothing to perfection. R4319:2

With my son – Isaac, who represented The Christ, Head and Body. R4319:2, R4320:1


11 And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son.
12 And God said to Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad and because of thy handmaid: in all that Sarah hath said to thee hearken to her voice, for in Isaac shall a seed be called to thee. In Isaac – Illustrating the principle of election during the Patriarchal age. F170

Divine wisdom indicated beforehand that the blessing would go through Isaac. PD28/41


13 But also the son of the handmaid will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.
14 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a flask of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder--and the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba. Gave it unto Hagar – Type of the Law covenant. F170

And the child – Ishmael, type of natural Israel. F170

Sent her away – Typifying the divine disfavor upon the Jews. SM202:3


15 And the water was exhausted from the flask; and she cast the child under one of the shrubs,
16 and she went and sat down over against him, a bow-shot off; for she said, Let me not behold the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lifted up her voice and wept.
17 And God heard the voice of the lad. And the Angel of God called to Hagar from the heavens, and said to her, What aileth thee, Hagar? Fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad there, where he is.
18 Arise, take the lad, and hold him in thy hand; for I will make of him a great nation.
19 And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the flask with water, and gave the lad drink. Gave the lad drink – As Ishmael was rescued from death by the water, so the nation of Israel is about to be refreshed. SM203:2; R5503:3; PD23/34

20 And God was with the lad, and he grew; and he dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.
21 And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran. And his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.

22 And it came to pass at that time that Abimelech, and Phichol the captain of his host, spoke to Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest.
23 And now swear to me here by God that thou wilt not deal deceitfully with me, nor with my son, nor with my grandson. According to the kindness that I have done to thee, thou shalt do to me, and to the land in which thou sojournest.
24 And Abraham said, I will swear.
25 And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water that Abimelech's servants had violently taken away.
26 And Abimelech said, I do not know who has done this, neither hast thou told me of it, neither have I heard of it but to-day.
27 And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them to Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant.
28 And Abraham set seven ewe-lambs of the flock by themselves.
29 And Abimelech said to Abraham, What mean these seven ewe-lambs, these which thou hast set by themselves?
30 And he said, That thou take the seven ewe-lambs of my hand, that they may be a witness to me that I have dug this well.
31 Therefore he called that place Beer-sheba, because there they had sworn, both of them.
32 And they made a covenant at Beer-sheba. And Abimelech rose up, and Phichol the captain of his host, and returned into the land of the Philistines.
33 And Abraham planted a tamarisk in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of Jehovah, the Eternal *God.
34 And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines' land many days.
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