Bible Strands
Genesis 21:11
Now this matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son Ishmael.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator describes Abraham’s internal reaction immediately after Sarah demands the expulsion of Hagar and her son Ishmael. The moment captures Abraham’s emotional conflict before God’s directive in Genesis 21:12 resolves the situation.
The words — The Hebrew phrase וַיֵּרַע הַדָּבָר (va-yērāʿ haddāḇār) literally renders "the matter was displeasing" or "it was evil in the eyes of." It conveys profound distress rather than moral condemnation.
The thread — The tension between natural paternal affection and covenant priority echoes Genesis 17:18, where Abraham pleads for Ishmael, and is resolved by the divine command in Genesis 21:12. The theme of divided loyalty testing covenant obedience surfaces in Matthew 10:37.
Why it lands — The verse demands recognition that covenant obedience requires prioritizing divine instruction over natural parental attachment. It frames the expulsion not as a family dispute but as a structural shift in how God's promises are transmitted.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight because of his son.
Cross-references
- Hebrews 12:11 No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields a harvest of righteousness and peace to those who have been trained by it.
- Genesis 17:18 And Abraham said to God, “O that Ishmael might live under Your blessing!”
- Matthew 10:37 Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me;
- Genesis 22:1 Some time later God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he answered.
- 2 Samuel 18:33 The king was shaken and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he walked, he cried out, “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”