Genesis 21:21
He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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This verse highlights a crucial detail: Ishmael’s mother, Hagar, took an Egyptian wife for her son. This isn't just a passing mention of a marriage; it underscores Hagar's reliance on her own background and Hagar’s active role in arranging her son’s future, further distinguishing Ishmael’s lineage from Abraham's covenant promise focused on Isaac.
After being sent out from Abraham's home, Ishmael and his mother Hagar wander in the wilderness. God intervenes, providing them with water and promising to make Ishmael a great nation. Ishmael grows up in the wilderness, and his mother, Hagar, arranges for him to marry an Egyptian woman, securing his future and lineage.
Ishmael's life takes a turn as he and his mother settle in the vast, untamed wilderness of Paran. What does this harsh environment signify for his identity and future?
The Wilderness: A Shaping Force
The wilderness of Paran wasn't just a geographical location; it was a crucible. This vast, often desolate, and challenging landscape shaped Ishmael and Hagar. They had to rely on each other and, ultimately, on God's provision for survival.
In a time when fathers typically arranged marriages, it's Ishmael's mother, Hagar, who secures a wife for him. What does this reveal about Hagar's influence and the family structure?
Hagar's Maternal Authority
This verse highlights a crucial detail: "his mother took him a wife." In the patriarchal society of Abraham's time, this action by Hagar is significant.
Understand the original words
midbar · Hebrew Noun
A desolate, uncultivated, or sparsely populated region; in the Bible, it often serves as a place of testing, refuge, or divine revelation.
This verse shows Ishmael, son of an Egyptian handmaid, settling in the desert and marrying an Egyptian woman, setting the stage for the distinct lineages of Abraham's descendants.
c. 1880 BC
Birth of Ishmael
Ishmael is born to Abraham and Hagar, Sarah's Egyptian handmaid. He is initially considered Abraham's heir.
c. 1870 BC
Birth of Isaac
Isaac, the promised son of Abraham and Sarah, is born. This event shifts the line of inheritance and divine promise.
c. 1852 BC— this verse
Expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael
Sarah insists that Abraham send Hagar and Ishmael away. They wander in the wilderness of Beersheba before God intervenes and guides them.
c. 1852 BC
Ishmael settles in Paran
Hagar and Ishmael settle in the wilderness of Paran. Hagar, an Egyptian, arranges a marriage for Ishmael with a woman from Egypt.
c. 1840 BC
This passage details Hagar's initial pregnancy with Ishmael and her subsequent flight and return, setting the stage for her and Ishmael's life in the wilderness and Hagar's Egyptian heritage.
Genesis 25:12-18This passage lists the descendants of Ishmael, showing how he became the father of a great nation, directly fulfilling God's promise to Hagar and Abraham concerning him.
Galatians 4:21-31The Apostle Paul uses the story of Hagar and Ishmael (born of the slave woman) and Sarah and Isaac (born of the free woman) as an allegory for the spiritual realities of the Old Covenant (law) versus the New Covenant (grace).
Numbers 12:16This verse also mentions the Wilderness of Paran in relation to the Israelites' journey, indicating its geographical location and significance as a place of dwelling and travel in the Sinai region.
gillGenesis 21:21: "And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt."
And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran,.... So called from Paran, a city in Arabia Petraea; it reached from the wilderness of Shur to Mount Sinai: the account Adrichomius (q) gives of it is this; Paran or"Pharan is a wilderness, very large, desolate, impassable, and without water, containing, from Mount Sinai to Kadeshbarnea, a journey of eleven days; its land can neither be ploug…
cambridgeGenesis 21:21: "And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt."
21 . the wilderness of Paran ] Mentioned in Numbers 10:12 ; Numbers 12:16 ; Numbers 13:3 . It seems to have been the wild mountainous country south and east of Kadesh, and west of Edom, the modern et-Tih . out of the land of Egypt ] Hagar herself was an Egyptian, cf. Genesis 16:1 . For the parent taking a wife for the son, cf. Genesis 24:3 ; Genesis 34:4 ; Genesis 38:6 ; Jdg 14:2 .…
This verse highlights a crucial detail: Ishmael’s mother, Hagar, took an Egyptian wife for her son. This isn't just a passing mention of a marriage; it underscores Hagar's reliance on her own background and Hagar’s active role in arranging her son’s future, further distinguishing Ishmael’s lineage from Abraham's covenant promise focused on Isaac.
After being sent out from Abraham's home, Ishmael and his mother Hagar wander in the wilderness. God intervenes, providing them with water and promising to make Ishmael a great nation. Ishmael grows up in the wilderness, and his mother, Hagar, arranges for him to marry an Egyptian woman, securing his future and lineage.
After being sent out from Abraham's home, Ishmael and his mother Hagar wander in the wilderness. God intervenes, providing them with water and promising to make Ishmael a great nation. Ishmael grows up in the wilderness, and his mother, Hagar, arranges for him to marry an Egyptian woman, securing his future and lineage.
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Covenant at Beersheba
Abraham makes a covenant with Abimelech, king of the Philistines, at Beersheba, establishing peaceful coexistence.
"He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt." — This verse highlights a crucial detail: Ishmael’s mother, Hagar, took an Egyptian wife for her son. This isn't just a passing mention of a marriage; it underscores Hagar's reliance on her own backgro…
