14-16. Mother and child in the desert.—The sufferings and despair of the helpless outcasts are depicted with fine feeling and insight.—14. a skin of water] (
Hebrew characters) (v.i), the usual Eastern water-bag, answering to the of the ǧirby of the modern Bedouin (Doughty, Ar. Des. i. 227, ii. 585).—and the boy he placed on her shoulder (v.i.)] cf. 15. 16.—the wilderness of Beersheba (see on 31)] implying that Abraham dwelt near, but not necessarily at, Beersheba.—15. she cast the boy (whom, therefore, she must have been carrying) under one of the bushes] for protection from the sun (1 Ki. 194f.). To save P's chronology, De. and Str. make cast = 'eilends niederlegen'—with what advantage does not quite appear.—16. a bowshot off] out of sight of her child, but within hearing of his cry.—The last cl. should be read with G; and the boy lifted up his voice and wept (v.17): the change of subject being due to the false impression that Ishmael was now a grown lad. Hagar's dry-eyed despair is a more effective picture than that given by MT.
17-19. The Divine succour comes in two forms: a
voice from heaven (17f.), and an opening of Hagar's eyes (19).—17.
God heard] (twice) preparing for an explanation of
(Hebrew characters).—While God Himself hears, the medium of His
revelation is the Angel of God (as 2812 3111 322, Ex. 1419),
who by a refinement peculiar to E (2211) speaks from heaven.
This goes beyond the primary conception of the Angel: see
on 167.—18. Hagar is encouraged by a disclosure of the
future greatness of her son.—19. opened her eyes] cf. 35. 7.
14. (Hebrew characters)] Only here (15. 19) = Ar. ḥamīt ([root] ḥamita, 'rancid'?). On
the forms (Hebrew characters), (Hebrew characters), or (Hebrew characters), (Hebrew characters), see G-K. § 95 l.—(Hebrew characters)] The transposition
(Hebrew characters) was suggested by Ols., and is by far the best
remedy for an awkward constr. In MT it would be necessary to take
(Hebrew characters) as second obj. to (Hebrew characters), and (Hebrew characters) as a parenthetic circumst. cl.
(so Di. De. Str.). It is an effort to evade the absurdity of a youth of
17 being carried on his mother's back.—15. (Hebrew characters)] 'desert shrubs'; see
on 25.—16. (Hebrew characters)] G-K. § 113 h.—(Hebrew characters)] lit. 'as (far as) bowmen
do'; G (Greek characters),S (Syriac characters), hardly imply a different
text. On (Hebrew characters) (ptc. Pal. [root] (Hebrew characters),—only here), see G-K. § 75 kk.—(Hebrew characters)]
G (Hebrew characters) [(Hebrew characters)] (Hebrew characters).—17. (Hebrew characters)] MSS and [E] (Hebrew characters).—19. (Hebrew characters)]
G + (Hebrew characters),—attractive! (cf. 2619).
