Bible Strands
Genesis 21:9
But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking her son,
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrative records Sarah’s observation of Ishmael mocking Isaac during the weaning feast Abraham hosted. This sight immediately precedes her command to Abraham to expel the slave woman and her son.
The words — The Hebrew verb וַתְּרֵא (vat-te-re') literally means "and she saw," marking the moment Sarah perceives the conflict. The phrase אֲשֶׁר יָלְדָה (asher yaldah) literally renders "whom she had borne," identifying Ishmael as Hagar’s child.
The thread — The text identifies Hagar as "the Egyptian" and notes her son’s birth, paralleling the lineage details in Genesis 16:15. The narrative dynamic is later referenced in Galatians 4:29 and Galatians 4:22 to contrast the two sons and their respective mothers.
Why it lands — The verse requires a reader to note that Sarah’s demand for expulsion follows directly from her observation of mocking, not from abstract theological reasoning. It establishes that family conflict over inheritance can arise from immediate human actions before any prophetic or doctrinal resolution.
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 Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.
Cross-references
- Galatians 4:29 At that time, however, the son born by the flesh persecuted the son born by the Spirit. It is the same now.
- Genesis 16:15 And Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne.
- Galatians 4:22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman.
- Genesis 16:1 Now Abram’s wife Sarai had borne him no children, but she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar.
- 2 Chronicles 30:10 And the couriers traveled from city to city through the land of Ephraim and Manasseh as far as Zebulun, but the people scorned and mocked them.
- 2 Chronicles 36:16 But they mocked the messengers of God, despising His words and scoffing at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD against His people was stirred up beyond remedy.
- Psalms 22:6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people.
- Psalms 42:10 Like the crushing of my bones, my enemies taunt me, while they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
- Psalms 44:13 You have made us a reproach to our neighbors, a mockery and derision to those around us.
- Proverbs 20:11 Even a young man is known by his actions—whether his conduct is pure and upright.