Genesis 21:21

Genesis 21:21 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.
• New International Version (NIV)While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt.
• English Standard Version (ESV)He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
• New King James Version (NKJV)He dwelt in the Wilderness of Paran; and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

Context of Genesis 21:21

19Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. 20And God was with the boy, and he grew; and he lived in the wilderness and became an archer. He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt. 22Now it came about at that time that Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, “God is with you in all that you do; 23so now, swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my offspring or with my descendants, but according to the kindness that I have shown to you, you shall show to me and to the land in which you have resided.”

Genesis 21:21 word by word

וַיֵּ֖שֶׁב בְּמִדְבַּ֣ר פָּארָ֑ן וַתִּֽקַּֽח־ל֥וֹ אִמּ֛וֹ אִשָּׁ֖ה מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃ פRead the interlinear

• He livedיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
• in the wildernessמִדְבָּרmidbâr · wildernessH4057
• of Paranפָּארָןpâ'rân · ParanH6290
• and his motherאֵם'êm · motherH517
• tookלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
• a wifeאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · woman: wifeH802
• for him from the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• of Egyptמִצְרַ֫יִםmitsrayim · EgyptH4714

Cross-references for Genesis 21:21

• Numbers 10:12and the sons of Israel set out on their journeys from the wilderness of Sinai. Then the cloud settled in the wilderness of Paran.
• Numbers 12:16Afterward, however, the people moved on from Hazeroth and camped in the wilderness of Paran.
• Numbers 13:3So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran at the command of the Lord, all of them men who were heads of the sons of Israel.
• 1 Samuel 25:1Then Samuel died; and all Israel assembled and mourned for him, and they buried him at his house in Ramah. And David set out and went down to the wilderness of Paran.
• Genesis 24:3and I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live;
• Genesis 26:34When Esau was forty years old he married Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite;
• Genesis 27:46And Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am tired of living because of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob takes a wife from the daughters of Heth like these from the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?”
• Genesis 28:1So Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and commanded him, saying to him, “You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.
• Judges 14:2So he came back and told his father and mother, “I saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines; so now, get her for me as a wife.”
• 1 Corinthians 7:38So then, both the one who gives his own virgin in marriage does well, and the one who does not give her in marriage will do better.

Commentaries on Genesis 21:21

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21He dwelt in the wilderness of Paran - This is generally allowed to have been a part of the desert belonging to Arabia Petraea, in the vicinity of Mount Sinai; and this seems to be its uniform meaning in the sacred writings.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-34Verses 1-34 - The Birth of Isaac 7. מלל mı̂lēl “speak,” an ancient and therefore solemn and poetical word. 14. חמת chêmet “bottle,” akin to חמה chāmâh “surround, enclose,” and הוּם chûm “black. באר שׁבע beêr -sheba‛ Beer-sheba, “well of seven.” 22. פיכל pı̂ykol Pikhol, “mouth or spokesman of all.” 23. נין nı̂yn “offspring, kin;” related: “sprout, flourish.” נכד neked “progeny,” perhaps “acquaintance,” cognate with נגד ngd “be before” (the eyes) and…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 14-21Verses 14-21 If Hagar and Ishmael had behaved well in Abraham's family, they might have continued there; but they were justly punished. By abusing privileges, we forfeit them. Those who know not when they are well off, will be made to know the worth of mercies by the want of them. They were brought to distress in the wilderness. It is not said that the provisions were spent, or that Abraham sent them away without money. But the water was spent; and having…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 14-21God rescued Hagar and Ishmael in the wilderness and promised them a future (compare 16:7–14). This passage is like chapter 16, but there are key differences. God saves Hagar and Ishmael, but there is no special naming. God repeats the promise to Hagar, but she is not told to return to Sarah. These repeated themes show God's plan for Hagar and Ishmael. As Joseph later explained to Pharaoh, a repeated event confirms God's plan (41:32). God did not leave…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 20-2120-21. God was with the lad, &c.--Paran (that is, Arabia), where his posterity has ever dwelt (compare Ge 16:12; also Is 48:19; 1Pe 1:25). his mother took him a wife--On a father's death, the mother looks out for a wife for her son, however young; and as Ishmael was now virtually deprived of his father, his mother set about forming a marriage connection for him, it would seem, among her relatives.Read the comment

Topics related to Genesis 21:21

• Ishmael
• Marriage
• Paran
• Rulers
• Women

In the dictionaries

• Egypt
• Paran
• Egypt, Egyptian
• Call
• Cast
• Desert
• Everlasting
• Falsely
• Grievous
• Hagar

Commentaries on Genesis 21

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings