Genesis 16:10-13
“And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.”
King James Version · the opening — all 4 verses are below
More of Genesis 16 on this siteGenesis 16:12
God's promise to multiply Hagar's descendants into a great nation, fulfilled in the Arab peoples.
Read the whole passage — all 4 verses (KJV)
16:10And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.
16:11And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
16:12And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.
16:13And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?
Fulfillment References
Genesis 25:12-18
How Traditions Read This Prophecy
Apostolic (Oneness) PentecostalThe angel of the LORD finds Hagar — a foreign slave woman, afflicted and cast out — alone in the wilderness, and promises to multiply her seed beyond number (fulfilled in Ishmael's descendants). Then comes the wonder of v. 13: Hagar becomes the first person in all Scripture to give God a name — 'Thou God seest me' (El Roi, the God who sees) — for the despised outcast discovered that God had sought her out and seen her in her affliction. This is the very heart of God, revealed fully in the Lord Jesus, who came for the outcast, the foreigner, and the lost: the God who sees.
JewishGod's promise to Hagar of innumerable descendants through Ishmael; the LORD's mercy to the afflicted bondwoman and her son.
CatholicGod's compassion on Hagar and the multiplication of Ishmael; a witness to divine care beyond the covenant line.
ProtestantThe literal fulfillment in Ishmael's vast progeny; God's mercy to Hagar, who names Him the God who sees.
AcademicThe 'angel of the LORD' first appears here; the promise-of-multitude formula (cf. the patriarchs) is applied to Hagar's line.
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Bible Prophecy Explorer · based on J. Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy catalogue · an openly Apostolic (Oneness) Pentecostal study resource — all traditions presented fairly. Pastor: C. Myles Young, D.Min. · Bishop: Nathaniel J. Wilson, Ed.D.