Gen 21:9-12

GEN 21

9 But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, laughing.

John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible

But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian—That is, Ishmael, who is not expressed by name, but described by being a son of Hagar, a servant of Sarah’s, and an Egyptian woman; all which seems to be observed by way of slight, both to Hagar and her son.

Whom she had borne to Abraham—Not to Sarah, as she proposed to herself, when she gave her maid to Abraham (Gen 16:2).

Laughing—Either at the entertainment made at the weaning of Isaac; or rather at Isaac himself, laughing at his name, and treating him with contempt as his younger brother, and boasting that he was the firstborn, and that the inheritance belonged to him; and threatening what he would do to him, should he hereafter offer to dispute it with him, under pretence of the promise of God that he should be Abraham’s heir, and at which promise also he may be supposed to mock: and that this contention was about the inheritance seems plain from the words of Sarah in Gen 21:10; and in it Ishmael might not only rise to high words, but come to blows, and beat his brother; for it is observed the word used sometimes so signifies (2Sa 2:14-17); so the apostle might truly call it a persecution (Gal 4:29); and as even cruel mockings are (Heb 11:35). As for the various senses the Jewish commentators put upon this, there does not seem to be any foundation for them, as that Ishmael was committing idolatry, and endeavouring to draw his brother into it; or was talking in an indecent and lascivious manner, in order to corrupt his mind; or that he was intending and attempting to take away his life, by shooting an arrow at him, and pretending it was but in jest and in play (see Gill on Gal 4:29).

10 So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac.”

John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible

So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son”—Hagar, Sarah’s handmaid and bondservant, and her son Ishmael; by this it appears that Hagar was concerned in this affair, and set her son on to mock Isaac, at least she encouraged him in it, buoying: him up with his being the firstborn, and having a right to the inheritance; so Sarah saw plainly that there would be no peace nor comfort for her and her son, unless Hagar and her son were turned out of doors, for which she moves Abraham; and this not merely in a passion, but by divine direction and influence, as is evident from God’s approbation of it.

For the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac—Which he would seem to be, if continued, and would think himself so, and there would be continual bickerings about it; so, to put it out of all doubt who was heir, she desires that he and his mother both might be cast out of the house, which would be a clear determination of this matter. Sarah may seem to take upon her too much, to be so peremptory, as to declare who should, and who should not be heir, which more properly belonged to Abraham, whom she called her lord (Gen 18:12); but what will sufficiently free her from any charge of this kind is the revelation of the divine will, and the promise of God that so it should be; namely, that the covenant God had so often renewed with Abraham should be established with Isaac, and not with Ishmael (Gen 17:19-21). Now what was the design of God, in guiding Sarah to make such a motion as this to Abraham, is taught us by the apostle Paul, who makes these two women to be types and figures of the two covenants, and their sons of those that are under them, see Gal 4:22-31.

11 And the thing was very displeasing to Abraham on account of his son.

John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible

And the thing was very displeasing to Abraham—The motion that Sarah made to turn out of his house Hagar and Ishmael was not agreeable to him, but the reverse; it seemed an ill thing to him; it was greatly displeasing to him, and he was unwilling to come into it.

On account of his son—His son Ishmael; not grieved and uneasy for what he had done; not for committing idolatry, as the Targum of Jonathan suggests, or for mocking at Isaac; but for what was proposed to be done to him, the ejection of him from his house, because of the great love he had for him, and the great concern he had for his education, and that he might enjoy the blessing promised him, he, was loath to have him cast out of his family: no concern is expressed for Hagar, though both by what God said to Abraham, and by the provision he made for her, he had a regard to her; but his chief concern was for his son, who perhaps had a greater share in his natural affections than as yet Isaac had; nor did express so much reluctance when he was bid to him up, as he did at this time, that being at the command of God, this at the instance of his wife, and which he supposed only proceeded from passion and resentment: the Hebrew writers say, that of all the evils that came upon Abraham this was the hardest and most displeasing in his sight.

12 But God said to Abraham, “Be not displeased because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named.”

John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible

But God said to Abraham—Either by an articulate voice, or by an impulse on his mind, suggesting to him what he should do, being no doubt in great perplexity how to conduct between his wife and his son, but God determines the case for him, and makes him easy.

Be not displeased because of the boy and because of the slave woman—That is, let not the motion displease you, which Sarah has made, to turn out the slave woman and her son; let not your affection to the one and to the other hinder compliance with it; do not look upon it as an ill thing, or as a hard thing; it is but what is right and proper to be done, and leave the slave woman and her son to me; I will take care of them, be under no concern for them and their welfare.

Whatever Sarah says to you, listen to her voice—The Targum of Jonathan adds, for she is a prophetess: and indeed in this affair she spoke under a spirit of prophecy, according to the will of God; at least what she said became a divine oracle, and is called the Scripture (Gal 4:30); for the word “whatever” here must be restrained to what she had said concerning Hagar and Ishmael, and their ejection, and not to be extended to everything she had said, or should say to Abraham, to which he was always to be attentive: whereas on the other hand, it became her, as a wife, to listen and be obedient to the voice of her husband: but in this particular Abraham is bid to listen to her, and do accordingly.

For through Isaac shall your offspring be named—He, and those that descended from him, should be named and reckoned the offspring of Abraham more especially; and Abraham’s offspring in his life should inherit the land of Canaan, given to him and his offspring for an inheritance: and this is a good reason why the slave woman and her son should be cast out, that they or their offspring might not inherit the land with Isaac, or his descendants; and particularly from Abraham in his line, and not in the line of Ishmael, should the Messiah spring, that offspring in whom all the nations of the earth should be blessed; and therefore a separation was necessary, that this might abundantly appear.

Rashi

Do as she tells you—(As the Holy Spirit within her tells you.) We learn from here that Abraham was inferior to Sarah in prophecy.

7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.”

8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. ROM 9:7-8

John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible

This means that it is not the children of the flesh—This is an explanation of the foregoing verse, and shows, that by “children of” Abraham are meant, the natural children of Abraham, who are born after the flesh, or descend from him by carnal generation.

Who are the children of God—That is, not all of them, nor any of them, on account of their being children of the flesh, or Abraham’s natural offspring; for adoption does not come this way; men do not commence children of God by their fleshly descent; they are not “born of blood,” but of God, who are the sons of God.

But the children of the promise are counted as offspring—“Children of the covenant,” is a common phrase with the Jews; who reckoned themselves as such, because they were the children of Abraham: thus in their prayers they say to God,

“we are your people, ‘the children of your covenant,’ the children of Abraham your friend.”

And so they were the children of the covenant, or promise, which God made with Abraham and his natural offspring, respecting the land of Canaan, and their enjoyment of temporal good things in it; but they were not all of them the children of the promise, which God made to Abraham and his spiritual offspring, whether Jews or Gentiles, respecting spiritual and eternal things; to whom alone the promises of God, being their God in a spiritual sense, of spiritual and eternal salvation by Christ, and of the grace of the Spirit of God, and of eternal life belong; and who are the offspring which were promised to Abraham by God, saying, “you shall be the father of a multitude of nations” (Gen 17:4): for which reasons, because these spiritual promises belong to them, and because they themselves were promised to Abraham, as his children, therefore they are called “children of the promise”: or rather, because as Isaac was a child of promise, being born after the Spirit, by virtue of the promise of God, through his divine power and goodness, when there were no ground or foundation in nature, for Abraham and Sarah to hope for a son; so these are named “children of promise” (Gal 4:28), because they are born again, not through the power of nature, and strength of their own free will; they are not born of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God, according to the will of God and his abundant mercy, by the word of truth, through his power, Spirit, and grace; and by faith receive the promises made to them; and are counted and reckoned as “Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (Gal 3:29), whether they are Jews, or whether they are Gentiles: and since now the promises of God are all made good to these persons, the word of God is not without effect, or is not made void, by the casting off the children of the flesh, or the carnal children of Abraham, who were not children of the promise in the sense now given.