Difference between revisions of "Hagar"

<p> Perhaps related to the Arabic '''''Hegira''''' , "flight." [[Genesis]] 16; Genesis 21; &nbsp;Genesis 25:12. Abram's bond-woman; an [[Egyptian]] received into his household during his sojourn in Egypt,. Taken as legal concubine at Sarai's suggestion to raise a seed, in hope of his being the promised heir, when Sarai's age seemingly forbade hope of issue by her. The marriage law was then less definitely recognized than at the beginning, and than subsequently. [[Lack]] of faith moved [[Sarai]] to suggest, and moved [[Abram]] to adopt, a fleshly device instead of waiting the Lord's time and way. It was punished by consequent family disquiet, and the bad example copied by the [[Ishmaelites]] has proved morally and physically a curse to the race. [[Abraham]] gave up Hagar, in violation of eastern custom, to Sarai's ill usage; so [[Hagar]] fled toward her native land Egypt, by the way through the wilderness toward Shur, probably Suez. </p> <p> The wilderness is identified with the N.E. part of that of Paran, now Al-jifar. The angel of [[Jehovah]] reminded her that as "Sarai's maid" she owed her submission, and promised that her son [[Ishmael]] should be father of a numerous nation. So she called Jehovah that spoke unto her "Thou God seest me" (Hebrew: "Thou art a God of seeing," a God who allows Himself to be seen), for she said, "Have I also seen (i.e. am I yet living and seeing) here, after seeing (God)?" (&nbsp;Genesis 32:30; &nbsp;Judges 13:22; &nbsp;Exodus 20:19; &nbsp;Exodus 33:20). The adjoining well was named Beer-lahai-roi, "the well of the seeing alive," i.e. at which one saw God and lived. </p> <p> This explanation involves a change of accents; but the KJV explanation involves a grammatical difficulty; Chald. supports KJV, "Thou art a God of seeing," i.e. the all seeing, from whose eye the helpless is not hidden in the lonely desert, and Beer-lahairoi, "the well of the living One who sees me," i.e. of the ever living omnipresent Providence. In either view the words show Hagar was now no pagan, but had become in some degree a believer in the God of Abraham. Ishmael's mocking at the feast which celebrated Isaac's weaning was the occasion of Sarah's saying, "Cast out this bond-woman and her son, for the son of this bond-woman shall not be heir with my son ... Isaac." </p> <p> As Abram had laughed for joy at the promise of Isaac (&nbsp;Genesis 17:17), and Sarai for incredulity (&nbsp;Genesis 18:12-15), but afterward, at Isaac's birth, for joyful gratitude, so Ishmael in derision and in the spirit of a persecutor, mocking (which contains the germ of persecuting) Isaac's faith in God's promises. Being the elder he prided himself above "him that was born after the Spirit," i.e. by the Spirit-energized promise of God, which made [[Sarah]] fruitful out of the course of nature. The history typifies the truth that the spiritual seed of Abraham by promise, [[Gentile]] as well as [[Jewish]] believers, take the place of the [[Jews]] the natural seed, who imagined that to them exclusively belonged the kingdom of God. </p> <p> Paul expounds Hagar to answer to [[Sinai]] and the law, which generates a spirit of "bondage," as Hagar was a bond-woman, and that this must give place to the gospel dispensation and the church of grace, the "Jerusalem which is above." The carnal and legalists shall not be heirs with the free New [[Testament]] believers (&nbsp;Galatians 4:22-31). Abraham, at God's command, did what Sarah said, though grievous to him. H. wandered with her child (15 years was childhood when human life was so long, he was old enough to "mock") in the wilderness of Beersheba; the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast him, soon worn out as a growing lad, under a shrub, having previously led him by the hand (for &nbsp;Genesis 21:14 means that Abraham put the bread and bottle, but not also the child, "on her shoulder"; so &nbsp;Genesis 21:18, "hold him in thine hand".) </p> <p> The lad's own cry, still more than the mother's, brought "the angel of God" (here only in Gen., usually "angel of JEHOVAH"), i.e. GOD, the second Person (&nbsp;Genesis 21:17; &nbsp;Genesis 21:19-20), to his and her help. The child's cry is the more potent with the Omnipotent, just because of its helplessness (&nbsp;Isaiah 40:29; &nbsp;Isaiah 41:17-18). God opened her eyes to see water where she had supposed there was only a dry wilderness. In our greatest extremity God has only to open our eyes and we see abundant help near. [[Real]] prayer will bring Him to our side (&nbsp;2 Kings 6:17-20; &nbsp;Luke 24:16; &nbsp;Luke 24:31). Hagar "took him a wife out of Egypt," the land of idols and worldliness; untaught by the piety of Abraham and by God's mercy to herself. </p>

<p> [[Hagar]] ( ''Hâ'Gar'' ), ''Flight.'' An Egyptian woman, the bond-servant of Sarah, whom the latter gave as a concubine to Abraham, and Hagar despised her mistress. &nbsp;Genesis 16:1-4. Hagar fled. On her return she gave birth to Ishmael, and Abraham was then 86 years old. When Ishmael was about 16 years old, he was caught by Sarah making sport of her young son Isaac, and Sarah demanded the expulsion of Hagar and her son. Hagar again fled toward Egypt, and when in despair at the want of water, an angel again appeared to her, pointed out a fountain close by, and renewed the former promises to her. &nbsp;Genesis 21:9-21. Paul, &nbsp;Galatians 4:25, refers to her as the type of the old covenant. </p>

<p> ''''' hā´gar ''''' ( הגר , <i> ''''' hāghār ''''' </i> , "emigration," "flight"; Ἁγάρ , <i> ''''' Hagár ''''' </i> , Ἄγαρ , <i> ''''' Ágar ''''' </i> ): An Egyptian woman, the handmaid or slave of Sarai; a present, perhaps, from Pharaoh when Abram dissembled to him in Egypt (&nbsp; Genesis 12:16 ). [[Mention]] is made of her in two passages (Gen 16; &nbsp;Genesis 21:8-21 ). </p> 1. The [[Scornful]] [[Handmaid]] and Her [[Flight]] <p> In the first narrative (&nbsp;Genesis 16 ) it is related that Sarai, despairing at her age of having children, gave Hagar to Abram as a concubine. As Hagar was not an ordinary household slave but the peculiar property of her mistress (compare &nbsp;Genesis 29:24 , &nbsp;Genesis 29:29 ), any offspring which she might bear to Abram would be reckoned as Sarai's (compare &nbsp;Genesis 30:3-9 ). In the prospect of becoming a mother, Hagar, forgetting her position, seems to have assumed an insolent bearing toward her childless mistress. Sarai felt keenly the contempt shown her by her handmaid, and in angry tones brought her conduct before Abram. Now that her plan was not working out smoothly, she unfairly blamed her husband for what originated with herself, and appealed to [[Heaven]] to redress her grievance. Abram refused to interfere in the domestic quarrel, and renouncing his rights over his concubine, and her claims on him, put her entirely at Sarai's disposal. Under the harsh treatment of her mistress Hagar's life became intolerable, and she fled into the wilderness, turning her steps naturally toward Egypt, her native land. </p> 2. Her Vision and [[Return]] <p> But the angel of [[Yahweh]] (who is here introduced for the first time as the medium of theophany) appeared to her as she was resting by a spring and commanded her to return and submit herself to her mistress, promising her an innumerable seed through her unborn son, concerning whom he uttered a striking prediction (see [[Ishmael]] ). To the angel (who is now said to be Yahweh Himself) Hagar gave the name "Thou art a God of seeing" (the Revised Version (British and American) "that seeth"), for she said, "Have I even here (in the desert where God, whose manifestations were supposed to be confined to particular places, might not be expected to reveal Himself) looked after him that seeth me?" - the meaning being that while God saw her, it was only while the all-seeing God in the person of His angel was departing that she became conscious of His presence. The spring where the angel met with her was called in Hebrew tradition <i> ''''' Be'ēr ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' laḥay ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' rō'ı̄ ''''' </i> , "the well of the living one who seeth me" (Revised Version, margin). </p> <p> [[Obedient]] to the heavenly vision Hagar returned, as the narrative implies, to her mistress and gave birth to Ishmael, Abram being then eighty-six years old. </p> <p> The idea in &nbsp;Genesis 30:13 is not very clearly expressed. The word translated "here" generally means "hither," and there is no explanation of the "living one" in the name of the well. It has therefore been proposed to emend the Hebrew text and read "Have I even seen God, and lived after my seeing?" - an allusion to the belief that no one could "see God and live" (compare &nbsp; Genesis 32:30; &nbsp;Exodus 33:20 ). But there are difficulties in the way of accepting this emendation. The name of God, "a God of seeing," would require to be interpreted in an objective sense as "a God who is seen," and the consequent name of the well, "He that seeth me liveth," would make God, not Hagar, as in &nbsp;Genesis 30:13 , the speaker. </p> 3. Her Harsh Expulsion and Divine Help <p> The other narrative (&nbsp;Genesis 21:8-21 ) relates what occurred in connection with the weaning of Isaac. The presence and conduct of Ishmael during the family feast held on the occasion roused the anger and jealousy of Sarah who, fearing that Ishmael would share the inheritance with Isaac, peremptorily demanded the expulsion of the slave-mother and her son. But the instincts of Abraham's fatherly heart recoiled from such a cruel course, and it was only after the revelation was made to him that the ejection of Hagar and her son would be in the line of the Divine purpose - for Isaac was his real seed, while Ishmael would be made a nation too - that he was led to forego his natural feelings and accede to Sarah's demand. So next morning the bondwoman and her son were sent forth with the bare provision of bread and a skin of water into the wilderness of Beersheba. When the water was spent, Hagar, unable to bear the sight of her boy dying from thirst, laid him under a shrub and withdrew the distance of a bowshot to weep out her sorrow. But the angel of God, calling to her out of heaven, comforted her with the assurance that God had heard the voice of the lad and that there was a great future before him. Then her eyes were opened to discover a well of water from which she filled the skin and gave her son to drink. With God's blessing the lad grew up amid the desert's hardships, distinguished for his skill with the bow. He made his home in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him out of her own country. </p> 4. Practical [[Lessons]] from the History <p> The life and experience of Hagar teach, among other truths, the temptations incident to a new position; the foolishness of hasty action in times of trial and difficulty; the care exercised over the lonely by the all-seeing God; the Divine purpose in the life of everyone, however obscure and friendless; how God works out His gracious purposes by seemingly harsh methods; and the strength, comfort and encouragement that ever accompany the hardest experiences of His children. </p> 5. Critical [[Points]] in the Documents <p> &nbsp;Genesis 16 belongs to the Jahwist, J, (except <i> &nbsp; Genesis 16:1 </i> , &nbsp;Genesis 16:3 , &nbsp;Genesis 16:15 f which are from P), and &nbsp; Genesis 21:8-21 to East. From the nature of the variations in the narratives many critics hold that we have here two different accounts of the same incident. But the narratives as they stand seem to be quite distinct, the one referring to Hagar's flight before the birth of Ishmael, and the other to her expulsion at the weaning of Isaac. It is said, however, that [[Elohist]] (E) represents Ishmael as a child "playing" (The Revised Version, margin, [[Septuagint]] παίζοντα , <i> ''''' paı́zonta ''''' </i> ) with Isaac at the weaning festival, and young enough to be carried by his mother and "cast" under a shrub; while according to the Priestly Code, the Priestly Code (P), (&nbsp;Genesis 16:16; &nbsp;Genesis 21:5 ), as a child was weaned at the age of two or three years, he would be a lad of sixteen at that time. The argument for the double narrative here does not seem conclusive. The word <i> ''''' mecaḥēḳ ''''' </i> (&nbsp;Genesis 16:9 ) does not necessarily mean "playing" when used absolutely; it is so used in &nbsp;Genesis 19:14 , evidently in the sense of "mocking" or "jesting," and Delitzsch gives it that meaning there. Then as to &nbsp;Genesis 19:14 , the Massoretic Text does not state that the child was put on her shoulder, although the Septuagint does; nor does "cast" (&nbsp;Genesis 19:15 ) so "clearly imply" that Ishmael was an infant carried by his mother (compare &nbsp;Matthew 15:30 ). It may be added that the words <i> ''''' yeledh ''''' </i> and <i> ''''' na'ar ''''' </i> , translated "child" and "lad" respectively, determine nothing as to age, as they are each used elsewhere in both senses. </p> 6. Allegorical Use of the Story by Paul <p> In &nbsp;Galatians 4:21 Paul makes an allegorical use of this episode in the history of Ishmael and Isaac to support his argument for the transitory character of the Jewish ritual and the final triumph of Christian freedom over all [[Judaizing]] tendencies. In elaborating his reference, the apostle institutes a series of contrasts. Hagar, the bondwoman, represents the old covenant which was given from Mt. Sinai; and as Ishmael was Abraham's son after the flesh, so the Judaizing Christians, who wish to remain in bondage to the law, are Hagar's children. On the other hand, Sarah, the freewoman, represents the new covenant instituted by Christ; and as Isaac was born to Abraham in virtue of the promise, so the [[Christians]] who have freed themselves entirely from the law of carnal ordinances and live by faith are Sarah's children. Thus Hagar corresponds to "the Jerusalem that now is," that is, the Jewish state which is in spiritual bondage with her children; while Sarah represents "the Jerusalem that is above," "our mother" (Revised Version (British and American)), the mother of us Christians, that free spiritual city to which Christians even now belong (&nbsp; Philippians 3:20 ). By this allegory the apostle would warn the Galatian Christians of the danger which beset them from their Judaizing brethren, of their subjection to the covenant of works and their ultimate expulsion from the household of faith. </p> <p> To us Paul's reference does not appeal with the same force as it would do to those to whom he was writing. The incident taken by itself, indeed, does not contain any suggestion of such a hidden meaning. Yet the history of the Hebrew nation is but typical of the history of the church in all ages, and the apostle's familiarity with rabbinical modes of interpretation may have led him to adopt this method of confirming the truth which he had already proved from the law itself. </p> <p> For a discussion of the text and interpretation of <i> &nbsp;Galatians 4:25 </i> , "Now this Hagar is mount Sinai in Arabia," and an account of Philo's allegory of Hagar and Sarah, see Lightfoot's notes at the end of chapter iv in his <i> [[Commentary]] on Gal </i> . </p>

<p> (Heb. Hagar' '''''הָגָי''''' '', Flight,'' apparently from her abandonment of her mistress; but according to others, a ''Stranger,'' from her foreign birth, (See [[Hagarene]]) Sept. and N.T. '''''Σαγαρ''''' ), a native of Egypt, and servant of Abraham (&nbsp;Genesis 21:9-10), perhaps one of the female slaves presented to Abraham by Pharaoh during his visit to Egypt (&nbsp;Genesis 12:16), although she properly belonged to Sarah (&nbsp;Genesis 16:1). The long continued sterility of Sarah suggested to her the idea (not uncommon in the East) of becoming a mother by proxy through her handmaid, whom, with that view, she gave to Abraham as a secondary wife (Genesis 15). B.C. 2078. (See Abraham); (See [[Adoption]]); (See [[Concubine]]). This honor was too great and unexpected for the weak and ill-regulated mind of Hagar; and no sooner did she find herself likely to become the mother of her master's heir than she openly indulged in triumph over her less favored mistress. The feelings of Sarah were severely wounded, and she broke out to her husband in loud complaints of the servant's petulance. Abraham, whose meek and prudent behavior is strikingly contrasted with the violence of his wife, left her with unfettered power, as mistress of his household, to take what steps she pleased to obtain the required redress. (See Kitto's [[Daily]] Bible Illust. ad loc.) In all Oriental states where concubinage is legalized, the principal wife has authority over the rest; the secondary one, if a slave, retains her former condition unchanged, and society thus presents the strange anomaly of a woman being at once the menial of her master and the partner of his bed. This permission, however, was necessary in an Eastern household, but it is worthy of remark that it is now very rarely given; nor can we think, from the unchangeableness of Eastern customs, and the strongly-marked national character of those peoples, that it was usual anciently to allow a wife to deal hardly with a slave in Hagar's position. [[Left]] with this authority over her dotal maid-servant, Sarah was neither reluctant nor sparing in making the minion reap the fruits of her insolence; but whether she actually inflicted blows (Augustine, Epist. 48), or merely threw out menaces to that effect, cannot be determined from the verb '''''עִָגָה''''' (to " ''Afflict")'' there employed. </p> <p> Sensible, at length, of the hopelessness of getting the better of her mistress, Hagar determined on flight; and having seemingly formed the purpose of returning to her relations in Egypt, she took the direction of that country, which led her to what was afterwards called Shur, through a long tract of sandy uninhabited country, lying on the west of [[Arabia]] Petrsea, to the extent of 150 miles between Palestine and Egypt. Here she was sitting by a fountain to replenish her skin-bottle or recruit her wearied limbs, when the angel of the Lord appeared, and in the kindliest manner remonstrated with her on the course she was pursuing, and encouraged her to return by the promise that she would ere long have a son, whom [[Providence]] destined to become a great man, and whose wild and irregular features of character would be indelibly impressed on the mighty nation that should spring from him. '''''—''''' Obedient to the heavenly visitor, and having distinguished the place by the name of Beer-lahai-roi (q.v.), "the well of the visible God," Hagar retraced her steps to the tent of Abraham, where in due time she had a son; and, having probably narrated this remarkable interview to Abraham, that patriarch, as directed by the angel, called the name of the child Ishmael "God hath heard" (Genesis 16). B.C. 2078. [[Fourteen]] years after the birth of Ishmael the appearance of the long-promised heir entirely changed the relations of the family, though nothing materially affecting Ishmael took place till the weaning of Isaac, which, as is generally thought, was at the end of his third year. B.C. 2061. Ishmael was then fully capable of understanding his altered relations to the inheritance; and when the newly- weaned child, clad, according to custom, with the sacred symbolic robe, which was the badge of the birthright, was formally installed heir of the tribe (see Biblioth. Bibl. vol. 1; Vicasi, Annot. p. 32; [[Bush]] on &nbsp;Genesis 27:15), he inconsiderately gave vent to his disappointed feelings by an act of mockery (&nbsp;Genesis 21:9 the Hebrew word '''''צָחִק''''' , though properly signifying "to laugh," is frequently used to express strong derision, as in &nbsp;Genesis 19:14; &nbsp;Nehemiah 2:19; &nbsp;Nehemiah 4:1; &nbsp;Ezekiel 23:32; accompanied, as is probable on some of the occasions referred to in these passages, with violent gestures, which might very justly be interpreted as persecution, &nbsp;Galatians 4:29). The procedure of Abraham in awarding the inheritance to Isaac was guided by the special command of God, and, moreover, was in harmony with the immemorial practice of the East, where the son of a slave or secondary wife is always supplanted by that of a free woman, even if born long after. This insulting conduct of Ishmael gave offence to Sarah, such that she insisted upon his expulsion from the family, together with his mother as conniving at it. So harsh a measure was extremely painful to Abraham; but his scruples were removed by the divine direction to follow Sarah's advice (see Kitto's Daily Bible Illust. ad loc.), "for," adds the [[Targum]] of Jonathan, "she is a prophetess" (compare &nbsp;Galatians 4:30). Accordingly, "Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water (and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder), and the child, and sent her away" (&nbsp;Genesis 21:14). B.C. 2061. In spite of instructions, the two exiles missed their way. [[Overcome]] by fatigue and thirst, the strength of the young Ishmael first gave way, and his mother laid him down in complete exhaustion under one of the stunted shrubs of this arid region, in the hope of his obtaining some momentary relief from smelling the damp in the shade, while she withdrew to a little distance, unable to witness his lingering sufferings, and there "she lifted up her voice and wept." In this distress, the angel of the Lord appeared with a comforting promise of her son's future greatness, and directed her to a fountain, which, concealed by the brushwood, had escaped her notice, and from which she now revived the almost lifeless Ishmael. This well, according to the tradition of the Arabs (who pay great honor to the memory of Hagar, and maintain that she was Abraham's lawful wife), is Zemzem, near Mecca. (See Weil's ''Bibl. Legends,'' p. 82.) Of the subsequent history of Hagar we have no account beyond what is involved in that of Ishmael, who established himself in the wilderness of Paran, in the neighborhood of Sinai, was married by his mother to a countrywoman of her own, and maintained both himself and his family by the produce of his bow (&nbsp;Genesis 21:20-21). (See Ishmael). In &nbsp;Galatians 4:24, the apostle Paul, in an. allegory, makes Hagar ''( '''''Τό''''' '''''Σαγαρ''''' )'' represent the Jewish Church, which was in bondage to the ceremonial law, as Sarah represents the true Church of Christ which is free from this bondage. (See Bloomfield's ''Note,'' ad loc.) Some commentators, however, have discovered an alliteration in. the name here with the [[Arab]] word for stone (hajar). According to Mohammedan tradition, Hagar (Hfajir) was buried at Mecca! (D'Herbelot, Bib. Or. s.v. Hagiar). Mr. Rowlands, in traveling through the desert of Beersheba, discovered some wells and a stone mansion, which he declares the Arabs still designate as those of Hagar! (Williams, Holy City, 1, 465 sq.). (See Abraham). </p>

<p> Ha´gar (a stranger), a native of Egypt, and servant of Abraham; but how or when she became an inmate of his family we are not informed. Whatever were her origin and previous history, her servile condition in the family of Abraham must have prevented her from being ever known beyond the limits of her humble sphere, had not her name, by a spontaneous act of her mistress, become indissolubly linked with the patriarch's history. The long continued sterility of Sarah suggested to her the idea (not uncommon in the East) of becoming a mother by proxy through her handmaid, whom, with that view, she gave to Abraham as a secondary wife [[[Abraham; Adoption; Concubinage]]]  </p> <p> The honor of such an alliance and elevation was too great and unexpected for the weak and ill-regulated mind of Hagar: and no sooner did she find herself in a delicate situation, which made her, in the prospect of becoming a mother, an object of increasing interest and importance to Abraham, than she openly indulged in triumph over her less favored mistress, and showed by her altered behavior a growing habit of disrespect and insolence. The feelings of Sarah were severely wounded, and she broke out to her husband in loud complaints of the servant's petulance; and Abraham, whose meek and prudent behavior is strikingly contrasted with the violence of his wife, leaves her with unfettered power, as mistress of his household, to take what steps she pleases to obtain the required redress. </p> <p> Hagar, though taken into the relation of concubine to Abraham, continued still, being a dotal maid-servant, under the absolute power of her mistress, who was neither reluctant nor sparing in making the minion reap the fruits of her insolence. Sarah, indeed, not content with the simple exertion of her authority, seems to have resorted even to corporal chastisement. Sensible, at length, of the hopelessness of getting the better of her mistress, Hagar determined on flight; and having seemingly formed the purpose of returning to her relations in Egypt, she took the direction of that country; which led her to what was afterwards called Shur, through a long tract of sandy uninhabited country, lying on the west of Arabia Petræa, to the extent of 150 miles between Palestine and Egypt. In that lonely region she was sitting by a fountain to replenish her skin-bottle or recruit her wearied limbs, when the angel of the Lord, whose language on this occasion bespeaks him to have been more than a created being, appeared, and in the kindliest manner remonstrated with her on the course she was pursuing, and encouraged her to return by the promise that she would ere long have a son, whom Providence destined to become a great man, and whose wild and irregular features of character would be indelibly impressed on the mighty nation that should spring from him. Obedient to the heavenly visitor, and having distinguished the place by the name of Beer-lahai-roi, 'the well of the visible God,' Hagar retraced her steps to the tent of Abraham, where in due time she had a son; and having probably narrated this remarkable interview to Abraham, that patriarch, as directed by the angel, called the name of the child Ishmael, 'God hath heard.' </p> <p> Fourteen years had elapsed after the birth of Ishmael when an event occurred in the family of Abraham, by the appearance of the long-promised heir, which entirely changed the prospects of that young man, though nothing materially affecting him took place till the weaning of Isaac, which, as is generally thought, was at the end of his third year. Ishmael was then a lad of seventeen years of age; and being fully capable of understanding his altered relations to the inheritance, as well as having felt perhaps a sensible diminution of Sarah's affection towards him, it is not wonderful that a disappointed youth should inconsiderately give vent to his feelings on a festive occasion, when the newly-weaned child, clad according to custom with the sacred symbolic robe, which was the badge of the birthright, was formally installed heir of the tribe. The harmony of the weaning feast was disturbed by Ishmael being discovered mocking. This conduct gave mortal offence to Sarah, who from that moment would be satisfied with nothing short of his irrevocable expulsion from the family; and as his mother also was included in the same condemnation, there is ground to believe that she had been repeating her former insolence, as well as instigating her son to his improprieties of behavior. So harsh a measure was extremely painful to the affectionate heart of Abraham; but his scruples were removed by the timely appearance of his divine counselor, who said, 'Let it not be grievous in thy sight, because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman: in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice.' The incident affords a very remarkable instance of an overruling Providence in making this family feud in the tent of a pastoral chief 4000 years ago the occasion of separating two mighty nations, who, according to the prophecy, have ever since occupied an important chapter in the history of man. Hagar and Ishmael departed early on the day fixed for their removal, Abraham furnishing them with the necessary supply of traveling provisions. </p> <p> In spite of their instructions for threading the desert, the two exiles missed their way. Overcome by fatigue and thirst, increasing at every step under the unmitigated rays of a vertical sun, the strength of the young Ishmael, as was natural, first gave way, and his mother laid him down in complete exhaustion under one of the stunted shrubs of this arid region, in the hope of his obtaining some momentary relief from smelling the damp in the shade. The burning fever, however, continued unabated, and the poor woman, forgetting her own sorrow, destitute and alone in the midst of a wilderness, and absorbed in the fate of her son, withdrew to a little distance, unable to witness his lingering sufferings; and there 'she lifted up her voice and wept.' In this distressing situation the angel of the Lord appeared for the purpose of comforting her, and directed her to a fountain, which, concealed by the brushwood, had escaped her notice, and from which she drew a refreshing draught, that had the effect of reviving the almost lifeless Ishmael. </p> <p> Of the subsequent history of Ishmael we have no account, further than that he established him self in the wilderness of Paran, in the neighborhood of Sinai, was married by his mother to a countrywoman of her own, and maintained both himself and family by the produce of his bow. </p>