Genesis 21:16

And then she went and sat by herself a little way from him, because she thought, “I don’t want to watch him die.” And she started to cry out loud.

Plain English Version

In The King James Version

And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.

In Context

15They kept going until there was no water left in the water bag. Then they stopped, and Hagar left Ishmael in the shade of a little tree.

17Ishmael was crying too, and God heard him, and he sent an angel messenger from heaven to talk to Hagar. The angel said, “Why are you upset? Don’t worry. God has heard Ishmael crying, under that tree.

Read all of Genesis 21

Cross References

Genesis 27:38Then Esau kept on talking to Isaac. He said, “Please, my father, ask God to do just one good thing for me. Please ask God to be good to me too.” Then Esau started to cry really loud.

Genesis 44:34If that young man is not with me, I can’t go back to my father. I don’t want to see my father get real sad and die. No way.”

Matthew Henry on Genesis 21:15-22

God's Mercy to Hagar and Ishmael. ( b. c. 1892.) 14 And 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 the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba. 15 And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs. 16 And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And… Read the whole commentary →

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Study Genesis 21:16