1
The LORD took notice of Sarah, as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as He had promised.
2
So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time, according to the word of God to him.
3
Abraham named his newborn son Isaac, whom Sarah bore for him.
4
Then Abraham circumcised Isaac his son when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.
5
Now Abraham was one hundred years old when Isaac his son was born to him.
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And Sarah said, “God has made me laugh; everyone who hears of it will laugh because of me.”
7
She also said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”
8
The child grew and was weaned, and Abraham held a great feast on the day Isaac was weaned.
9
At that time Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was playing with her son Isaac.
10
So Sarah said to Abraham, “Drive out this slave woman and her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac.”
11
This was very distressing to Abraham because of his son.
12
But God said to Abraham, “Do not be troubled because of the boy and your slave woman; in all that Sarah says to you, listen to her, for through Isaac your offspring shall be named.
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Yet I will also make a nation of the son of your slave woman, because he is your son.”
14
So Abraham rose early in the morning, took bread and a skin of water, and gave them to Hagar. He put them on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. So Hagar departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.
15
When the water in the skin was gone, she put the child down under one of the bushes,
16
and she went and sat down opposite him, about a bowshot away, for she said, “I cannot bear to see the child die.” And as she sat there, she lifted up her voice and wept aloud.
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God heard the voice of the child, and the Angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid, for God has heard the voice of the child where he lies.
18
Rise up, lift up the child, and hold him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”
19
Then God opened Hagar’s eyes, and she saw a well; she went and filled the skin with water, and gave the child a drink.
20
God was with the boy, and he grew up; he lived in the wilderness and became an archer.
21
He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
22
At that time Abimelech, together with Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham, “God is with you in all that you do.
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Now therefore swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me, or with my children, or with my descendants; as I have dealt kindly with you, so you shall deal with me and with the land where you have lived as a stranger.”
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And Abraham said, “I swear it.”
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But Abraham reproved Abimelech concerning a well that Abimelech’s servants had seized.
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Abimelech answered, “I do not know who has done this thing; neither did you tell me, and I have not heard of it until today.”
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Then Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a covenant.
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But Abraham set apart seven ewe lambs from the flock.
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And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?”
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He answered, “You shall take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, so that they may be a witness for me that I dug this well.”
31
Therefore that place was called Beersheba, because there the two of them swore an oath.
32
So when they had made a covenant at Beersheba, Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, returned to the land of the Philistines.
33
And Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God.
34
And Abraham lived as a stranger in the land of the Philistines for a long time.
👶 Summary of Genesis 21
At last, the Lord kept His promise: Sarah conceived and gave birth to Isaac, Abraham’s son, in old age — when Abraham was 100 years old. The name Isaac means “he laughs,” recalling Sarah’s earlier laughter when she heard the promise.
When Isaac was weaned, Abraham held a great feast. However, Ishmael (the son of Hagar and Abraham) mocked Isaac. Sarah saw this and asked that Hagar and Ishmael be sent away, because Isaac was the child of the covenant.
This grieved Abraham, but the Lord commanded him to listen to Sarah, because Isaac would be the line of the covenant. The Lord promised to continue blessing Ishmael, because he was Abraham’s son as well.
Hagar and Ishmael are sent away, and when the water ran out in the wilderness, Hagar wept in fear that her child would die. The Lord heard Ishmael’s cry and showed a well of water. The Lord was with Ishmael, who then grew up in the wilderness of Paran and became an archer.
At the end of the chapter, Abraham made a peace covenant with Abimelech at Beersheba, marking his territory with an oath and a well.
📖 Main Lessons
- God’s promise is fulfilled in His time, not ours.
- Sarah’s laughter became laughter of joy, showing the transformation of faith.
- God remains just and full of mercy, even toward those who are cast aside.
- At times God asks us to do hard things for a greater plan.
- Water and life come from God — even in the barren wilderness.
✨ Spiritual Meaning
- The birth of Isaac shows God’s faithfulness, even when it seems humanly impossible.
- Ishmael is still loved and cared for by God, though he is not the main child of the covenant.
- God hears the cries of a child and mother who have been left behind — He cares about suffering.
- Human relationships (such as Abraham and Abimelech) can bring peace through honest agreement.
- Beersheba becomes a symbol of covenant and of God’s presence in Abraham’s life.
