10 and the messenger of Jehovah saith to her, `Multiplying I multiply thy seed, and it is not numbered from multitude;'
And these `are' births of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, hath borne to Abraham; and these `are' the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their births: first-born of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam, and Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa, Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah: these are sons of Ishmael, and these their names, by their villages, and by their towers; twelve princes according to their peoples. And these `are' the years of the life of Ishmael, a hundred and thirty and seven years; and he expireth, and dieth, and is gathered unto his people; and they tabernacle from Havilah unto Shur, which `is' before Egypt, in `thy' going towards Asshur; in the presence of all his brethren hath he fallen.
And the messenger of Jehovah calleth unto Abraham a second time from the heavens, and saith, `By Myself I have sworn -- the affirmation of Jehovah -- that because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only one -- that blessing I bless thee, and multiplying I multiply thy seed as stars of the heavens, and as sand which `is' on the sea-shore; and thy seed doth possess the gate of his enemies; and blessed themselves in thy seed have all nations of the earth, because that thou hast hearkened to My voice.'
and forty years having been fulfilled, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sinai a messenger of the Lord, in a flame of fire of a bush, and Moses having seen did wonder at the sight; and he drawing near to behold, there came a voice of the Lord unto him, I `am' the God of thy fathers; the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. `And Moses having become terrified, durst not behold, and the Lord said to him, Loose the sandal of thy feet, for the place in which thou hast stood is holy ground; seeing I have seen the affliction of My people that `is' in Egypt, and their groaning I did hear, and came down to deliver them; and now come, I will send thee to Egypt. `This Moses, whom they did refuse, saying, Who did set thee a ruler and a judge? this one God a ruler and a redeemer did send, in the hand of a messenger who appeared to him in the bush; this one did bring them forth, having done wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness forty years; this is the Moses who did say to the sons of Israel: A prophet to you shall the Lord your God raise up out of your brethren, like to me, him shall ye hear. `This is he who was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the messenger who is speaking to him in the mount Sinai, and with our fathers who did receive the living oracles to give to us;
For thus said Jehovah of Hosts: After honour He hath sent me unto the nations who are spoiling you, For he who is coming against you, Is coming against the daughter of His eye. For lo, I am waving my hand against them, And they have been a spoil to their servants. And ye have known that Jehovah of Hosts hath sent me.
In the womb he took his brother by the heel, And by his strength he was a prince with God, Yea, he is a prince unto the Messenger, And he overcometh `by' weeping, And he maketh supplication to Him, At Bethel He doth find him, And there He doth speak with us, Even Jehovah, God of the Hosts, Jehovah `is' His memorial.
And the messenger of Jehovah saith unto Manoah, `If thou detain me -- I do not eat of thy bread; and if thou prepare a burnt-offering -- to Jehovah thou dost offer it;' for Manoah hath not known that He `is' a messenger of Jehovah. And Manoah saith unto the messenger of Jehovah, `What `is' thy name? when thy words come to pass, then we have honoured thee.' And the messenger of Jehovah saith to him, `Why `is' this -- thou dost ask for My name? -- and it `is' Wonderful.' And Manoah taketh the kid of the goats, and the present, and offereth on the rock to Jehovah, and He is doing wonderfully, and Manoah and his wife are looking on, and it cometh to pass, in the going up of the flame from off the altar toward the heavens, that the messenger of Jehovah goeth up in the flame of the altar, and Manoah and his wife are looking on, and they fall on their faces to the earth, and the messenger of Jehovah hath not added again to appear unto Manoah, and unto his wife, then hath Manoah known that He `is' a messenger of Jehovah. And Manoah saith unto his wife, `We certainly die, for we have seen God.'
And the messenger of Jehovah putteth forth the end of the staff which `is' in His hand, and cometh against the flesh, and against the unleavened things, and the fire goeth up out of the rock and consumeth the flesh and the unleavened things -- and the messenger of Jehovah hath gone from his eyes. And Gideon seeth that He `is' a messenger of Jehovah, and Gideon saith, `Alas, Lord Jehovah! because that I have seen a messenger of Jehovah face to face!' And Jehovah saith to him, `Peace to thee; fear not; thou dost not die.' And Gideon buildeth there an altar to Jehovah, and calleth it Jehovah-Shalom, unto this day it `is' yet in Ophrah of the Abi-Ezrites.
And a messenger of Jehovah goeth up from Gilgal unto Bochim, and saith, `I cause you to come up out of Egypt, and bring you in unto the land which I have sworn to your fathers, and say, I do not break My covenant with you to the age; and ye -- ye make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land -- their altars ye break down; and ye have not hearkened to My voice -- what `is' this ye have done? And I also have said, I do not cast them out from your presence, and they have been to you for adversaries, and their gods are to you for a snare.'
and there appeareth unto him a messenger of Jehovah in a flame of fire, out of the midst of the bush, and he seeth, and lo, the bush is burning with fire, and the bush is not consumed. And Moses saith, `Let me turn aside, I pray thee, and I see this great appearance; wherefore is the bush not burned?' and Jehovah seeth that he hath turned aside to see, and God calleth unto him out of the midst of the bush, and saith, `Moses, Moses;' and he saith, `Here `am' I.' And He saith, `Come not near hither: cast thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place on which thou art standing is holy ground.' He saith also, `I `am' the God of thy father, God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob;' and Moses hideth his face, for he is afraid to look towards God.
And he blesseth Joseph, and saith, `God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked habitually: God who is feeding me from my being unto this day: the Messenger who is redeeming me from all evil doth bless the youths, and my name is called upon them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and they increase into a multitude in the midst of the land.'
And Jacob is left alone, and one wrestleth with him till the ascending of the dawn; and he seeth that he is not able for him, and he cometh against the hollow of his thigh, and the hollow of Jacob's thigh is disjointed in his wrestling with him; and he saith, `Send me away, for the dawn hath ascended:' and he saith, `I send thee not away, except thou hast blessed me.' And he saith unto him, `What `is' thy name?' and he saith, `Jacob.' And he saith, `Thy name is no more called Jacob, but Israel; for thou hast been a prince with God and with men, and dost prevail.' And Jacob asketh, and saith, `Declare, I pray thee, thy name;' and he saith, `Why `is' this, thou askest for My name?' and He blesseth him there. And Jacob calleth the name of the place Peniel: for `I have seen God face unto face, and my life is delivered;'
and the messenger of God saith unto me in the dream, Jacob, and I say, Here `am' I. `And He saith, Lift up, I pray thee, thine eyes, and see -- all the he-goats which are going up on the flock `are' ring-straked, speckled, and grisled, for I have seen all that Laban is doing to thee; I `am' the God of Bethel where thou hast anointed a standing pillar, where thou hast vowed a vow to me; now, arise, go out from this land, and turn back unto the land of thy birth.'
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Genesis 16
Commentary on Genesis 16 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 16
Hagar is the person mostly concerned in the story of this chapter, an obscure Egyptian woman, whose name and story we never should have heard of if Providence had not brought her into the family of Abram. Probably she was one of those maid-servants whom the king of Egypt, among other gifts, bestowed upon Abram (ch. 12:16). Concerning her, we have four things in this chapter:-
Gen 16:1-3
We have here the marriage of Abram to Hagar, who was his secondary wife. Herein, though some excuse may be made for him, he cannot be justified, for from the beginning it was not so; and, when it was so, it seems to have proceeded from an irregular desire to build up families for the speedier peopling of the world and the church. Certainly it must not be so now. Christ has reduced this matter to the first institution, and makes the marriage union to be between one man and one woman only. Now,
Gen 16:4-6
We have here the immediate bad consequences of Abram's unhappy marriage to Hagar. A great deal of mischief it made quickly. When we do not well both sin and trouble lie at the door; and we may thank ourselves for the guilt and grief that follow us when we go out of the way of our duty. See it in this story.
Gen 16:7-9
Here is the first mention we have in scripture of an angel's appearance. Hagar was a type of the law, which was given by the disposition of angels; but the world to come is not put in subjection to them, Heb. 2:5. Observe,
Gen 16:10-14
We may suppose that the angel having given Hagar that good counsel (v. 9) to return to her mistress she immediately promised to do so, and was setting her face homeward; and then the angel went on to encourage her with an assurance of the mercy God had in store for her and her seed: for God will meet those with mercy that are returning to their duty. I said, I will confess, and thou forgavest, Ps. 32:5. Here is,
Gen 16:15-16
It is here taken for granted, though not expressly recorded, that Hagar did as the angel commanded her, returning to here mistress and submitting herself; and then, in the fulness of time, she brought forth her son. Note, Those who obey divine precepts shall have the comfort of divine promises. This was the son of the bond-woman that was born after the flesh (Gal. 4:23), representing the unbelieving Jews, v. 25. Note,