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Genesis 21:13

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Genesis 21:13 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And also of the son of the handmaid will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And also of the son of the handmaid will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.
Genesis 21:13 — American Standard Version

Context — Genesis 21

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
10Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this handmaid and her son. For the son of this handmaid shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.
11And the thing was very grievous in Abraham`s sight on account of his son.
12And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy handmaid. In all that Sarah saith unto thee, hearken unto her voice. For in Isaac shall thy seed be called.
13And also of the son of the handmaid will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.
14And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and [gave her] the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.
15And the water in the bottle was spent, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.
16And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot. For she said, Let me not look upon the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lifted up her voice, and wept.
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, etc.] A great nation, as is promised, (<011720>Genesis 17:20); and such the Ishmaelites and Saracens have been, and the Turks now are, the descendants of Ishmael. The Targum of Jonathan paraphrases it, a people of thieves, or a thieving people; as were the Saracens, and who are thought to have that name from the Arabic word “sarac” f1220, to thieve; though they would have it derived from Sarah: but it is not agreeable to the promise of God to Abraham, that when for his comfort he is told that his son Ishmael and his descendants should become a great nation, that they should be described as a company of thieves and robbers; and…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation--Thus Providence overruled a family brawl to give rise to two great and extraordinary peoples.”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification