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11 Then the Lord’s angel said to her:

“You are now pregnant and shall bear a son;
    you shall name him Ishmael,[a]
For the Lord has heeded your affliction.

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Footnotes

  1. 16:11 Ishmael: in Hebrew the name means “God has heard.” It is the same Hebrew verb that is translated “heeded” in the next clause. In other ancient Near Eastern texts, the name commemorated the divine answer to the parents’ prayer to have a child, but here it is broadened to mean that God has “heard” Hagar’s plight. In vv. 13–14, the verb “to see” is similarly broadened to describe God’s special care for those in need.

The descendants from Hagar are included in the promise given to Abram that his family will be so large that he will not be able to count them.

11     Look, you are pregnant,
        and you’re going to have a son.
    I want you to call him Ishmael
        because the Eternal One has heard your anguished cries.

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