The Meaning of Genesis 21:16 Explained

Genesis 21:16

KJV: 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.

YLT: And she goeth and sitteth by herself over-against, afar off, about a bow-shot, for she said, 'Let me not look on the death of the lad;' and she sitteth over-against, and lifteth up her voice, and weepeth.

Darby: and she went and sat down over against him, a bow-shot off; for she said, Let me not behold the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lifted up her voice and wept.

ASV: 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 look upon the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lifted up her voice, and wept.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Genesis 21:16 Mean?

Context Summary

Genesis 21:8-21 - Hagar And Ishmael Cast Out
Poor Hagar! She thought that she had given Abraham his heir, but now she found herself and her boy outcasts on the desert waste. The water was soon spent, she little dreamed that a fountain was so near. Cry to God, He will open fountains in the middle of your deserts. Beneath their sad lot a divine purpose was running. God said, "Let it not be grievous in thy sight." This is the teaching of Scripture: that our lives are being ordered and our steps prepared. All we need to be anxious about is the finding of the path. Let us ask God to open our eyes to see the fountains beside us, and the way before us. And after all, was not the wilderness a better training-ground for the lad than the comparative luxury of Abraham's tent? "He became an archer." Isaac would have been the better for a touch of the desert-life. The Holy Spirit, through Paul, gives the inner significance of this incident in Galatians 5:1. See also John 8:36. [source]

Chapter Summary: Genesis 21

1  Isaac is born, and circumcised
6  Sarah's joy
8  Isaac is weaned
9  Hagar and Ishmael sent away
15  Hagar in distress
17  The angel relieves and comforts her
23  Abimelech's covenant with Abraham at Beersheba

What do the individual words in Genesis 21:16 mean?

And she went and sat down to opposite [him] a distance the shot of a bow for she said [to herself] not let me see the death of the boy So she sat and lifted - her voice and wept
וַתֵּלֶךְ֩ וַתֵּ֨שֶׁב לָ֜הּ מִנֶּ֗גֶד הַרְחֵק֙ כִּמְטַחֲוֵ֣י קֶ֔שֶׁת כִּ֣י אָֽמְרָ֔ה אַל־ אֶרְאֶ֖ה בְּמ֣וֹת הַיָּ֑לֶד וַתֵּ֣שֶׁב וַתִּשָּׂ֥א אֶת־ קֹלָ֖הּ וַתֵּֽבְךְּ

וַתֵּלֶךְ֩  And  she  went 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
וַתֵּ֨שֶׁב  and  sat  down 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.
מִנֶּ֗גֶד  opposite  [him] 
Parse: Preposition-m
Root: נֶגֶד  
Sense: what is conspicuous, what is in front of adv.
הַרְחֵק֙  a  distance 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Infinitive absolute
Root: רָחַק  
Sense: to be or become far, be or become distant, be removed, go far away.
כִּמְטַחֲוֵ֣י  the  shot 
Parse: Preposition-k, Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine plural construct
Root: טָחָה  
Sense: to hurl, shoot.
קֶ֔שֶׁת  of  a  bow 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: קֶשֶׁת  
Sense: bow.
אָֽמְרָ֔ה  she  said  [to  herself] 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֶרְאֶ֖ה  let  me  see 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect Cohortative if contextual, first person common singular
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
בְּמ֣וֹת  the  death 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מָוֶת  
Sense: death, dying, Death (personified), realm of the dead.
הַיָּ֑לֶד  of  the  boy 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יֶלֶד  
Sense: child, son, boy, offspring, youth.
וַתֵּ֣שֶׁב  So  she  sat 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.
וַתִּשָּׂ֥א  and  lifted 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: נָשָׂא  
Sense: to lift, bear up, carry, take.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
קֹלָ֖הּ  her  voice 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: קֹול 
Sense: voice, sound, noise.
וַתֵּֽבְךְּ  and  wept 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: בָּכָה  
Sense: to weep, bewail, cry, shed tears.