Genesis 21

The Birth of Isaac

1Now the LORD {YHWH} attended to Sarah (princess) as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what He had promised. 2So Sarah (princess) conceived and bore a son to Abraham (father of many) in his old age, at the very time God {Elohim} had promised.

3And Abraham (father of many) gave the name Isaac (he laughs)a to the son Sarah (princess) bore to him. 4When his son Isaac (he laughs) was eight days old, Abraham (father of many) circumcised him, as God {Elohim} had commanded him. 5Abraham (father of many) was a hundred years old when his son Isaac (he laughs) was born to him.

6Then Sarah (princess) said, “God {Elohim} has made me laugh, and everyone who hears of this will laugh with me.” 7She added, “Who would have told Abraham (father of many) that Sarah (princess) would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

8So the child grew and was weaned, and Abraham (father of many) held a great feast on the day Isaac (he laughs) was weaned.

Sarah Turns against Hagar
(Galatians 4:21–30)

9But Sarah (princess) saw that the son whom Hagar (flight) the Egyptian (double straits) had borne to Abraham (father of many) was mocking her son [her son],b 10and she said to Abraham (father of many), “Expel the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac <Gal 4:30>!”c

11Now this matter distressed Abraham (father of many) greatly because it concerned his son Ishmael. 12But God {Elohim} said to Abraham (father of many), “Do not be distressed about the boy and your maidservant. Listen to everything that Sarah (princess) tells you, for through Isaac (he laughs) your offspring will be reckoned <Rom 9:7, Heb 11:18>.d 13But I will also make a nation of the slave woman’s son, because he is your offspring.”

14Early in the morning, Abraham (father of many) got up, took bread and a skin of water, put them on Hagar’s (flight) shoulders, and sent her away with the boy. She left and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba (well of seven). 15When the water in the skin was gone, she left the boy under one of the bushes. 16Then she went off and sat down nearby, about a bowshot away, for she said, “I cannot bear to watch the boy die!” And as she sat nearby, she lifted up her voice [the child lifted up his voice] and wept.e

17Then God {Elohim} heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar (flight) from heaven, “What is wrong, Hagar? Do not be afraid, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he lies. 18Get up, lift up the boy, and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” 19Then God {Elohim} opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.

20And God {Elohim} was with the boy, and he grew up and settled in the wilderness and became a great archer. 21And while he was dwelling in the Wilderness of Paran (place of caverns), his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt (land of bondage).

The Covenant at Beersheba

22At that time Abimelech (my father is king) and Phicol (strong) the commander of his army said to Abraham (father of many), “God {Elohim} is with you in all that you do. 23Now, therefore, swear to me here before God {Elohim} that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or descendants. Show to me and to the country in which you reside the same kindness that I have shown to you.”

24And Abraham (father of many) replied, “I swear it.”

25But when Abraham (father of many) complained to Abimelech (my father is king) about a well that Abimelech’s servants had seized, 26Abimelech (my father is king) replied, “I do not know who has done this. You did not tell me, so I have not heard about it until today.”

27So Abraham (father of many) brought sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech (my father is king), and the two men made a covenant. 28Abraham (father of many) separated seven ewe lambs from the flock, 29and Abimelech (my father is king) asked him (father of many), “Why have you set apart these seven ewe lambs?”

30He replied, “You are to accept the seven ewe lambs from my hand as my witness that I dug this well.” 31So that place was called Beersheba (well of seven),f because it was there that the two of them swore an oath. 32After they had made the covenant at Beersheba (well of seven), Abimelech (my father is king) and Phicol (strong) the commander of his army got up and returned to the land of the Philistines (immigrants).

33And Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba (well of seven), and there he called upon the name of the LORD {YHWH}, the Eternal God {El-Olam}.g 34And Abraham (father of many) resided in the land of the Philistines (immigrants) for a long time.


The Berean Annotated Bible (BAB) is the Annotated version of the Berean Standard Bible (BSB). The BAB includes over 50,000 points of emphasis using the following system:

(Emphasis and Names)
{Hebrew and Greek}
[Alternate Manuscripts]
\Literal translation/
<Measurements and Crossrefs>
Second Person Plural: you⁺ your⁺ yours⁺

This version is an early draft and is now in the stage of proofing, consistency checking, and public comment. Please note that meanings for Biblical names are based on Hebrew and Greek roots and can be somewhat subjective. Feel free to Contact us with suggestions or corrections. We are still adding points of emphasis wherever helpful.



Genesis 20
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