14 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and `gave her' the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.
And Esau took his wives, and his sons, and his daughters, and all the souls of his house, and his cattle, and all his beasts, and all his possessions, which he had gather in the land of Canaan; and went into a land away from his brother Jacob. For their substance was too great for them to dwell together; and the land of their sojournings could not bear them because of their cattle.
Howbeit the `son' by the handmaid is born after the flesh; but the `son' by the freewoman `is born' through promise. Which things contain an allegory: for these `women' are two covenants; one from mount Sinai, bearing children unto bondage, which is Hagar. Now this Hagar is mount Sinai in Arabia and answereth to the Jerusalem that now is: for she is in bondage with her children.
For the fields of Heshbon languish, `and' the vine of Sibmah; the lords of the nations have broken down the choice branches thereof, which reached even unto Jazer, which wandered into the wilderness; its shoots were spread abroad, they passed over the sea.
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do `it' with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol, whither thou goest.
I made haste, and delayed not, To observe thy commandments.
They wandered in the wilderness in a desert way; They found no city of habitation.
And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beer-sheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac.
And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou?
And he called it Shibah. Therefore the name of the city is Beer-sheba unto this day.
And they rose up betimes in the morning, and sware one to another. And Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.
And they did eat and drink, he and the men that were with him, and tarried all night. And they rose up in the morning, and he said, Send me away unto my master.
So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beer-sheba. And Abraham dwelt at Beer-sheba.
And `Abraham' planted a tamarisk tree in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of Jehovah, the Everlasting God.
Wherefore he called that place Beer-sheba. Because there they sware both of them.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Genesis 21
Commentary on Genesis 21 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 21
In this chapter we have,
Gen 21:1-8
Long-looked-for comes at last. The vision concerning the promised seed is for an appointed time, and now, at the end, it speaks, and does not lie; few under the Old Testament were brought into the world with such expectation as Isaac was, not for the sake of any great person eminence at which he was to arrive, but because he was to be, in this very thin, a type of Christ, that seed which the holy God had so long promised and holy men so long expected. In this account of the first days of Isaac we may observe,
Gen 21:9-13
The casting out of Ishmael is here considered of, and resolved on.
Gen 21:14-21
Here is,
Gen 21:22-32
We have here an account of the treaty between Abimelech and Abraham, in which appears the accomplishment of that promise (ch. 12:2) that God would make his name great. His friendship is valued, is courted, though a stranger, though a tenant at will to the Canaanites and Perizzites.
Gen 21:33-34
Observe,