Genesis 21:14

Genesis 21:14, in plain English

The next morning, Abraham follows God's direction. He gives Hagar some bread and water, puts them on her shoulders, and sends her and Ishmael away into the wilderness. It's done quickly, as if prolonging it would be unbearable.

Why it's here

Abraham doesn't argue. He doesn't delay. He gets up early—maybe before Sarah wakes, maybe because he needs to do this before his heart breaks completely. He gives them supplies, but it's clear they're being sent away with little. The wilderness they're heading into isn't a pleasant place to camp; it's dangerous. Abraham is obeying, but every detail shows the cost of this obedience.

Who's speaking

The narrator describes Abraham's actions.

Where it sits in the story

Abraham's obedience is real, but so is his loss. He's demonstrating the kind of faith that costs something—faith that means trusting God even when you have to give up what you love. Later, this will echo when God asks Abraham to sacrifice Isaac himself.

The scholarly reading

Abraham obeys God's command, providing minimal supplies (bread and water) and sending Hagar and Ishmael away into the Wilderness of Beersheba, surrendering his son to divine providence.

Language and setting

The early morning departure (shakaḥ babbōqer, שַׁכַּחׁ בַּבֹּקֶר) emphasizes Abraham's prompt obedience, even in the darkness before dawn. The meager provisions—bread and a skin of water—suggest either Abraham's reluctance (providing bare minimum) or his faith (trusting God's care). Beersheba ('well of seven' or 'well of oath'), located in the Negev wilderness, will later become an important sanctuary site associated with Abraham.

Voice

The narrator, chronicling Abraham's obedience

Significance

This act fulfills God's command and represents Abraham's final and supreme test of faith: he surrenders not just his inheritance hope (which had shifted to Isaac) but his beloved firstborn son to the wilderness. In Christian theology, this moment prefigures Abraham's willingness to sacrifice Isaac in Genesis 22, establishing a pattern of surrendering the dearest to God.

12But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed about the boy and your maidservant. Listen to everything that Sarah tells you, for through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.

13But I will also make a nation of the slave woman’s son, because he is your offspring.”

14Early in the morning, Abraham got up, took bread and a skin of water, put them on Hagar’s shoulders, and sent her away with the boy. She left and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba.

15When the water in the skin was gone, she left the boy under one of the bushes.

16Then she went off and sat down nearby, about a bowshot away, for she said, “I cannot bear to watch the boy die!” And as she sat nearby, she lifted up her voice and wept.

Read all of Genesis 21 — The promised son arrives — and Sarah laughs again, this time with joy. But the arrival of one son means the departure of another.