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Genesis 16:13
Verse
Context
Hagar and Ishmael
12He will be a wild donkey of a man, and his hand will be against everyone, and everyone’s hand against him; he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.” 13So Hagar gave this name to the LORD who had spoken to her: “You are the God who sees me, ” for she said, “Here I have seen the One who sees me!” 14Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi. It is located between Kadesh and Bered.
Sermons
Chuck Smith
Paris Reidhead
Jim Logan
Stephen Kaung
W.F. Anderson
C.H. Spurgeon
J.H. NewmanSummary
Commentary
- Adam Clarke
- Keil-Delitzsch
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
- John Gill
- Tyndale
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
And she called the name of the Lord - She invoked (ותקרא vattikra) the name of Jehovah who spake unto her, thus: Thou God seest me! She found that the eye of a merciful God had been upon her in all her wanderings and afflictions; and her words seem to intimate that she had been seeking the Divine help and protection, for she says, Have I also (or have I not also) looked after him that seeth me? This last clause of the verse is very obscure and is rendered differently by all the versions. The general sense taken out of it is this, That Hagar was now convinced that God himself had appeared unto her, and was surprised to find that, notwithstanding this, she was still permitted to live; for it is generally supposed that if God appeared to any, they must be consumed by his glories. This is frequently alluded to in the sacred writings. As the word אחרי acharey, which we render simply after, in other places signifies the last days or after times, (see Exo 33:23), it may probably have a similar meaning here; and indeed this makes a consistent sense: Have I here also seen the Latter Purposes or Designs of him who seeth me? An exclamation which may be referred to that discovery which God made in the preceding verse of the future state of her descendants.
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary
In the angel, Hagar recognised God manifesting Himself to her, the presence of Jehovah, and called Him, "Thou art a God of seeing; for she said, Have I also seen here after seeing?" Believing that a man must die if he saw God (Exo 20:19; Exo 33:20), Hagar was astonished that she had seen God and remained alive, and called Jehovah, who had spoken to her, "God of seeing," i.e., who allows Himself to be seen, because here, on the spot where this sight was granted her, after seeing she still saw, i.e., remained alive. From this occurrence the well received the name of "well of the seeing alive," i.e., at which a man saw God and remained alive. Beer-lahai-roi: according to Ewald, ראי חי is to be regarded as a composite noun, and ל as a sign of the genitive; but this explanation, in which ראי is treated as a pausal form of ראי, does not suit the form ראי with the accent upon the last syllable, which points rather to the participle ראה with the first pers. suffix. On this ground Delitzsch and others have decided in favour of the interpretation given in the Chaldee version, "Thou art a God of seeing, i.e., the all-seeing, from whose all-seeing eye the helpless and forsaken is not hidden even in the farthest corner of the desert." "Have I not even here (in the barren land of solitude) looked after Him, who saw me?" and Beer-lahai-roi, "the well of the Living One who sees me, i.e., of the omnipresent Providence." But still greater difficulties lie in the way of this view. It not only overthrows the close connection between this and the similar passages Gen 32:31; Exo 33:20; Jdg 13:22, where the sight of God excites a fear of death, but it renders the name, which the well received from this appearance of God, an inexplicable riddle. If Hagar called the God who appeared to her ראי אל because she looked after Him whom she saw, i.e., as we must necessarily understand the word, saw not His face, but only His back; how could it ever occur to her or to any one else, to call the well Beer-lahai-roi, "well of the Living One, who sees me," instead of Beer-el-roi? Moreover, what completely overthrows this explanation, is the fact that neither in Genesis nor anywhere in the Pentateuch is God called "the Living One;" and throughout the Old Testament it is only in contrast with the dead gods of idols of the heathen, a contrast never thought of here, that the expressions חי אלהים and חי אל occur, whilst החי is never used in the Old Testament as a name of God. For these reasons we must abide by the first explanation, and change the reading ראי into ראי. (Note: The objections to this change in the accentuation are entirely counterbalanced by the grammatical difficulty connected with the second explanation. If, for example, ראי is a participle with the 1st pers. suff., it should be written ראני (Isa 29:15) or ראני (Isa 47:10). ראי cannot mean, "who sees me," but "my seer," an expression utterly inapplicable to God, which cannot be supported by a reference to Job 7:8, for the accentuation varies there; and the derivation of ראי from ראי "eye of the seeing," for the eye which looks after me, is apparently fully warranted by the analogous expression לדה אשׁת in Jer 13:21.) With regard to the well, it is still further added that it was between Kadesh (Gen 14:7) and Bered. Though Bered has not been discovered, Rowland believes, with good reason, that he has found the well of Hagar, which is mentioned again in Gen 24:62; Gen 25:11, in the spring Ain Kades, to the south of Beersheba, at the leading place of encampment of the caravans passing from Syria to Sinai, viz., Moyle, or Moilahi, or Muweilih (Robinson, Pal. i. p. 280), which the Arabs call Moilahi Hagar, and in the neighbourhood of which they point out a rock Beit Hagar. Bered must lie to the west of this.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
called the name--common in ancient times to name places from circumstances; and the name given to this well was a grateful recognition of God's gracious appearance in the hour of Hagar's distress. Next: Genesis Chapter 17
John Gill Bible Commentary
And she called the name of the Lord that spake unto her,.... Either she called on the name of the Lord, and prayed unto him, that he would forgive her sin and give her some fresh tokens of his love; and also gave him thanks for his gracious regards unto her, that he should look upon, and look after so mean a creature, and such a backslider as she was, and return her, and make such gracious promises to her; so the Targum of Onkelos,"she prayed in the name of the Lord;''and the Targum of Jonathan is,"and she confessed, or gave thanks before the Lord, whose Word spake unto her;''and the Jerusalem Targum takes in both prayer and praise,"and Hagar gave thanks, and prayed in the name of the Word of the Lord, who was revealed unto her:''in which may be observed the sense of the ancient synagogue, that this angel that appeared to Hagar, and talked with her, was the Word of the Lord, the eternal Logos, or Son of God: or else the sense is, that she gave the following name or epithet to the Lord, that vouchsafed to discourse with her: thou God seest me; she perceived by experience his eye was upon her wherever she was, and saw all she did; saw all her transgressions, her contempt of her mistress, and her flight from her; saw her when she was at the fountain, and reproved and recalled her, and sent her back; saw all the workings of her heart, her repentance and sorrow for her sins; looked and smiled upon her, and gave her exceeding great and precious promises: he looked upon her, both with his eye of omniscience and providence, and with his eye of love, and grace, and mercy; yea, she was sensible that he was not only the God that saw her, but saw all things; was God omniscient, and therefore gives him this name under a thorough conviction and deep sense of his omniscience; and so Onkelos paraphrases the words,"thou art he, the God that sees all things;" for she said, have I also here looked after him that seeth me? this she said within herself, either as blaming herself, that she should not look after God in this desolate place until now, and call upon him, and praise his name, whose eye was upon her, and had a concern for her, and care over her; and yet so ungrateful she had been as to neglect him, and not seek after him as it became her: or as wondering that here, in this wilderness, she should be favoured with the sight of God, and of his angel, whom she had seen in Abram's house; where to see him was not so strange and marvellous, but it was to have a sight of him in such a place, and under such circumstances as she was: or else as admiring that she should be alive after she had had such a vision of God, it being a notion that pretty much obtained, that none could see God and live, only his back parts were to be seen; wherefore others read the words, and they will bear such a version, "have not I also seen here the back parts of him that seeth me?" (y) so Moses did, Exo 33:23. (y) So Fagius.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
16:13 Hagar responded to God’s messages by faith, in her words and in her obedience. • the God who sees me: God knew Hagar’s plight and watched over her.
Genesis 16:13
Hagar and Ishmael
12He will be a wild donkey of a man, and his hand will be against everyone, and everyone’s hand against him; he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.” 13So Hagar gave this name to the LORD who had spoken to her: “You are the God who sees me, ” for she said, “Here I have seen the One who sees me!” 14Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi. It is located between Kadesh and Bered.
- Scripture
- Sermons
- Commentary
(Through the Bible) Exodus 1-5
By Chuck Smith1.8K1:23:21ExpositionalGEN 50:26EXO 2:15EXO 4:1EXO 4:10In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes that God is not just a passive observer of our struggles and suffering. He takes action to deliver His people from their hardships. The preacher also highlights the importance of not getting too attached to material possessions, as they can easily be taken away. Instead, our focus should be on the things of the Spirit and God's eternal kingdom. The sermon references the story of Moses and the Israelites in Egypt, where they faced oppression and hardship, but ultimately God delivered them.
The Deceitfulness of the Heart
By Paris Reidhead1.6K1:01:20DeceitfulnessGEN 16:13JOB 7:20PSA 56:8PSA 139:2JER 17:1ACT 15:8HEB 4:13In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the deceptive nature of sin and the false promises it offers. He warns against being deceived by the temporary pleasures and illusions of sin, comparing it to cyanide that may smell sweet but ultimately leads to death. The preacher also highlights how the heart can deceive in matters of profit, leading people to seek quick and illegal ways to gain wealth. He references Jeremiah 17 to emphasize that God knows the motives and actions of every individual and will judge them accordingly. The sermon aims to awaken sinners and encourage them to turn away from sin and seek righteousness.
Attitudes on Pride
By Jim Logan1.6K53:38PrideGEN 16:13PRO 3:6PRO 11:2PRO 16:6PRO 16:18PRO 29:23JER 10:23In this sermon, the speaker addresses the issue of receiving criticism as a leader. They emphasize the importance of not having a critical spirit and being open to feedback. The speaker also mentions a program in their church where children memorize Bible verses. They discuss the concept of making decisions based on the immediate situation versus considering the bigger picture, using the example of visiting the Rose Parade. The sermon concludes with a reflection on the idea of departing from evil and the impact of being aware of God's presence in our lives.
The Eternal Purpose of God - Part 4
By Stephen Kaung1.6K09:08GEN 16:13ROM 12:2GAL 1:15EPH 1:9
This sermon emphasizes the importance of understanding and aligning with the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God, highlighting how our perception of God's will can be distorted due to our unrenewed minds. It explores the concept of God's purpose, which was established even before the creation of the world as a mystery waiting to be revealed at the appointed time. The sermon underscores the idea that God, who is beyond human comprehension, desires to be known and reveals Himself and His will to those who seek Him with a spirit of wisdom and revelation.
The Life of Abraham - Part 5
By W.F. Anderson44700:00GEN 16:1GEN 16:13MAT 6:33JHN 4:24JHN 11:25JHN 20:16In this sermon, the speaker discusses the value of sparrows and how they are often overlooked. The speaker also highlights how the Bible accurately reflects the culture of the Near East, particularly in the treatment of servants as possessions. The sermon then shifts to discussing the biography of the Lord, emphasizing that with God, all things are possible. Finally, the speaker turns to the book of Genesis, specifically chapter 16, where Sarah suggests that Abram have a child with her Egyptian maid, Hagar. Abram agrees, and Hagar becomes his wife.
Isaac Dwelt by the Well Lahai-Roi
By C.H. Spurgeon0Fellowship With GodDivine ProvisionGEN 16:13PSA 23:1PSA 36:9ISA 58:11JER 2:13MAT 5:6JHN 4:14JHN 7:38PHP 4:191PE 5:7C.H. Spurgeon emphasizes the significance of dwelling in the presence of God, as exemplified by Isaac's choice to reside by the well Lahai-Roi, a place of divine revelation and sustenance. Unlike Hagar and Ishmael, who visited God only in times of need, Isaac made this well a constant source of spiritual supply and fellowship. Spurgeon encourages believers to seek a continuous relationship with the living God, recognizing Him as the unfailing source of life and comfort. He highlights the importance of living in God's presence, where true satisfaction and abundance are found. The sermon calls for a commitment to remain close to God, who is always ready to provide for our needs.
God Knows
By J.H. Newman0GEN 16:13PSA 139:12CO 12:9EPH 6:12John Henry Newman emphasizes the human struggle with sin and the darkness within ourselves, highlighting our inability to manage our hearts and the comfort found in looking up to God who sees and understands us completely. He points out the necessity of relying on God's spiritual influence to change and strengthen us in our ongoing battle against sin and Satan.
- Adam Clarke
- Keil-Delitzsch
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
- John Gill
- Tyndale
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
And she called the name of the Lord - She invoked (ותקרא vattikra) the name of Jehovah who spake unto her, thus: Thou God seest me! She found that the eye of a merciful God had been upon her in all her wanderings and afflictions; and her words seem to intimate that she had been seeking the Divine help and protection, for she says, Have I also (or have I not also) looked after him that seeth me? This last clause of the verse is very obscure and is rendered differently by all the versions. The general sense taken out of it is this, That Hagar was now convinced that God himself had appeared unto her, and was surprised to find that, notwithstanding this, she was still permitted to live; for it is generally supposed that if God appeared to any, they must be consumed by his glories. This is frequently alluded to in the sacred writings. As the word אחרי acharey, which we render simply after, in other places signifies the last days or after times, (see Exo 33:23), it may probably have a similar meaning here; and indeed this makes a consistent sense: Have I here also seen the Latter Purposes or Designs of him who seeth me? An exclamation which may be referred to that discovery which God made in the preceding verse of the future state of her descendants.
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary
In the angel, Hagar recognised God manifesting Himself to her, the presence of Jehovah, and called Him, "Thou art a God of seeing; for she said, Have I also seen here after seeing?" Believing that a man must die if he saw God (Exo 20:19; Exo 33:20), Hagar was astonished that she had seen God and remained alive, and called Jehovah, who had spoken to her, "God of seeing," i.e., who allows Himself to be seen, because here, on the spot where this sight was granted her, after seeing she still saw, i.e., remained alive. From this occurrence the well received the name of "well of the seeing alive," i.e., at which a man saw God and remained alive. Beer-lahai-roi: according to Ewald, ראי חי is to be regarded as a composite noun, and ל as a sign of the genitive; but this explanation, in which ראי is treated as a pausal form of ראי, does not suit the form ראי with the accent upon the last syllable, which points rather to the participle ראה with the first pers. suffix. On this ground Delitzsch and others have decided in favour of the interpretation given in the Chaldee version, "Thou art a God of seeing, i.e., the all-seeing, from whose all-seeing eye the helpless and forsaken is not hidden even in the farthest corner of the desert." "Have I not even here (in the barren land of solitude) looked after Him, who saw me?" and Beer-lahai-roi, "the well of the Living One who sees me, i.e., of the omnipresent Providence." But still greater difficulties lie in the way of this view. It not only overthrows the close connection between this and the similar passages Gen 32:31; Exo 33:20; Jdg 13:22, where the sight of God excites a fear of death, but it renders the name, which the well received from this appearance of God, an inexplicable riddle. If Hagar called the God who appeared to her ראי אל because she looked after Him whom she saw, i.e., as we must necessarily understand the word, saw not His face, but only His back; how could it ever occur to her or to any one else, to call the well Beer-lahai-roi, "well of the Living One, who sees me," instead of Beer-el-roi? Moreover, what completely overthrows this explanation, is the fact that neither in Genesis nor anywhere in the Pentateuch is God called "the Living One;" and throughout the Old Testament it is only in contrast with the dead gods of idols of the heathen, a contrast never thought of here, that the expressions חי אלהים and חי אל occur, whilst החי is never used in the Old Testament as a name of God. For these reasons we must abide by the first explanation, and change the reading ראי into ראי. (Note: The objections to this change in the accentuation are entirely counterbalanced by the grammatical difficulty connected with the second explanation. If, for example, ראי is a participle with the 1st pers. suff., it should be written ראני (Isa 29:15) or ראני (Isa 47:10). ראי cannot mean, "who sees me," but "my seer," an expression utterly inapplicable to God, which cannot be supported by a reference to Job 7:8, for the accentuation varies there; and the derivation of ראי from ראי "eye of the seeing," for the eye which looks after me, is apparently fully warranted by the analogous expression לדה אשׁת in Jer 13:21.) With regard to the well, it is still further added that it was between Kadesh (Gen 14:7) and Bered. Though Bered has not been discovered, Rowland believes, with good reason, that he has found the well of Hagar, which is mentioned again in Gen 24:62; Gen 25:11, in the spring Ain Kades, to the south of Beersheba, at the leading place of encampment of the caravans passing from Syria to Sinai, viz., Moyle, or Moilahi, or Muweilih (Robinson, Pal. i. p. 280), which the Arabs call Moilahi Hagar, and in the neighbourhood of which they point out a rock Beit Hagar. Bered must lie to the west of this.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
called the name--common in ancient times to name places from circumstances; and the name given to this well was a grateful recognition of God's gracious appearance in the hour of Hagar's distress. Next: Genesis Chapter 17
John Gill Bible Commentary
And she called the name of the Lord that spake unto her,.... Either she called on the name of the Lord, and prayed unto him, that he would forgive her sin and give her some fresh tokens of his love; and also gave him thanks for his gracious regards unto her, that he should look upon, and look after so mean a creature, and such a backslider as she was, and return her, and make such gracious promises to her; so the Targum of Onkelos,"she prayed in the name of the Lord;''and the Targum of Jonathan is,"and she confessed, or gave thanks before the Lord, whose Word spake unto her;''and the Jerusalem Targum takes in both prayer and praise,"and Hagar gave thanks, and prayed in the name of the Word of the Lord, who was revealed unto her:''in which may be observed the sense of the ancient synagogue, that this angel that appeared to Hagar, and talked with her, was the Word of the Lord, the eternal Logos, or Son of God: or else the sense is, that she gave the following name or epithet to the Lord, that vouchsafed to discourse with her: thou God seest me; she perceived by experience his eye was upon her wherever she was, and saw all she did; saw all her transgressions, her contempt of her mistress, and her flight from her; saw her when she was at the fountain, and reproved and recalled her, and sent her back; saw all the workings of her heart, her repentance and sorrow for her sins; looked and smiled upon her, and gave her exceeding great and precious promises: he looked upon her, both with his eye of omniscience and providence, and with his eye of love, and grace, and mercy; yea, she was sensible that he was not only the God that saw her, but saw all things; was God omniscient, and therefore gives him this name under a thorough conviction and deep sense of his omniscience; and so Onkelos paraphrases the words,"thou art he, the God that sees all things;" for she said, have I also here looked after him that seeth me? this she said within herself, either as blaming herself, that she should not look after God in this desolate place until now, and call upon him, and praise his name, whose eye was upon her, and had a concern for her, and care over her; and yet so ungrateful she had been as to neglect him, and not seek after him as it became her: or as wondering that here, in this wilderness, she should be favoured with the sight of God, and of his angel, whom she had seen in Abram's house; where to see him was not so strange and marvellous, but it was to have a sight of him in such a place, and under such circumstances as she was: or else as admiring that she should be alive after she had had such a vision of God, it being a notion that pretty much obtained, that none could see God and live, only his back parts were to be seen; wherefore others read the words, and they will bear such a version, "have not I also seen here the back parts of him that seeth me?" (y) so Moses did, Exo 33:23. (y) So Fagius.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
16:13 Hagar responded to God’s messages by faith, in her words and in her obedience. • the God who sees me: God knew Hagar’s plight and watched over her.