Genesis 21:16 stands as a pivotal verse within the account of Hagar and Ishmael’s expulsion from Abraham’s household, an event dated to approximately 1898 B.C.E. according to a literal biblical chronology. The Masoretic Text (MT), as the divinely preserved Hebrew foundation of the Old Testament, records this moment with precision: “Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot, for she said, ‘Let me not look on the death of the child.’ And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept” (Genesis 21:16, conservative modern translation). This rendering, rooted in the authoritative Hebrew, portrays Hagar as the one weeping, her maternal anguish palpable as she distances herself from her son, Ishmael, whom she believes faces imminent death. However, the Greek Septuagint (LXX) deviates sharply, claiming, “and the child cried aloud and wept,” shifting the focus to Ishmael’s cries instead. This article, grounded in the conservative evangelical commitment to the MT’s primacy, examines the textual evidence, historical context, and theological implications of Genesis 21:16, asserting the MT’s reading as the inspired original unless overwhelming evidence compels otherwise.
The Masoretic Text’s Clear Testimony in Genesis 21:16
The Hebrew of Genesis 21:16, preserved meticulously by the Masoretes, reads: וַתִּשָּׂ֥א אֶת־קֹלָ֖הּ וַתֵּֽבְךְּ׃ (wattissaʾ ʾet-qōlāh wattēbk), translating directly to “she lifted up her voice and wept.” The subject, Hagar, is unambiguously established by the preceding feminine singular verbs and pronouns—watēleḵ (“she went”), watēšeḇ (“she sat”), and watōʾmer (“she said”)—all aligning with the narrative context of Hagar’s actions. The verb nāśāʾ (“to lift up”) paired with qôl (“voice”) and bāḵâ (“to weep”) forms a common Hebrew idiom for audible mourning, as seen elsewhere in the MT, such as Genesis 27:38: “And Esau lifted up his voice and wept” (wayyiśśāʾ ʿēśāw qōlô wayyēbk). This construction leaves no grammatical or contextual room for ambiguity: Hagar is the one crying.
The MT’s account aligns seamlessly with the emotional tenor of the passage. Hagar, having cast Ishmael under a bush (Genesis 21:15), sits at a distance—about a bowshot, roughly 100-150 yards—because she cannot bear to witness his death. Her words, “Let me not look on the death of the child,” reveal a mother’s despair, naturally culminating in her weeping. The subsequent verse, Genesis 21:17, states, “And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, ‘What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is.’” The MT distinguishes Hagar’s cry (qōlāh) from Ishmael’s voice (qôl hannaʿar), which God hears, indicating separate actions: Hagar weeps, and Ishmael’s distress—whether vocalized or not—is divinely perceived. The MT requires no harmonization; its reading is coherent and consistent with Hebrew narrative style.
The Septuagint’s Embellishment and Its Weaknesses
In contrast, the Septuagint renders Genesis 21:16 as “and the child cried aloud and wept” (kai to paidion anekraxen kai eklauen), redirecting the action to Ishmael. This alteration appears to stem from an interpretive impulse to align the verse with Genesis 21:17, where God hears “the voice of the boy.” The LXX translators, working around 250-150 B.C.E., often adapted the Hebrew text to suit Greek sensibilities or to resolve perceived tensions, a practice well-documented in conservative textual criticism. Here, they likely assumed that Hagar’s weeping alone insufficiently explained God’s response to Ishmael, prompting them to insert the child’s cries into verse 16.
This variant, however, falters under scrutiny. First, it contradicts the Hebrew syntax of the MT, where the feminine singular wattissaʾ and wattēbk cannot grammatically refer to Ishmael, a masculine noun (naʿar). The LXX’s shift requires an unattested subject change absent from the Hebrew, undermining its fidelity to the original. Second, the MT nowhere states Ishmael wept; his condition—exhausted and near death after being cast under a bush—suggests silence or faintness rather than loud crying. Genesis 21:17’s “voice of the boy” need not imply audible weeping; God’s omniscience allows Him to hear Ishmael’s unspoken distress, as Psalm 139:4 affirms: “Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Jehovah, you know it altogether.” The LXX’s addition thus appears as an unnecessary embellishment, lacking Hebrew manuscript support.
Corroboration from Other Ancient Witnesses
The Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS), dated from 250 B.C.E. to 68 C.E., offer fragmentary evidence for Genesis 21, but no complete manuscript of this verse survives in the extant scrolls (e.g., 1QGen or 4QGen). Where the DSS align with Genesis, they overwhelmingly support the MT over the LXX, as seen in Peter W. Flint’s analysis of Qumran texts. The Syriac Peshitta and Aramaic Targums, both reliant on Hebrew traditions, retain Hagar as the subject of weeping, reinforcing the MT. The Latin Vulgate, translated by Jerome around 405 C.E., also follows the MT with et levavit vocem suam et flevit (“and she lifted up her voice and wept”). These witnesses, while secondary to the MT, collectively affirm its reading, placing a heavy burden of proof on the LXX’s divergence—a burden it fails to meet.
Theological Implications of Upholding the Masoretic Reading
The MT’s portrayal of Hagar’s weeping underscores Jehovah’s compassion toward the afflicted, a recurring theme in Scripture. Exodus 2:23-24 states, “During those many days the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.” Similarly, Hagar’s cry—paired with Ishmael’s silent distress—prompts divine intervention, fulfilling Genesis 17:20: “As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly.” The LXX’s focus on Ishmael’s crying diminishes Hagar’s role, diluting the narrative’s emphasis on her faith and suffering as a mother cast out yet not forsaken by Jehovah.
Moreover, the MT’s integrity preserves the historical reliability of the account. Dated to 1898 B.C.E., based on synchronizing Abraham’s age (Genesis 21:5, 100 years at Isaac’s birth in 1898 B.C.E.) with Ishmael’s expulsion at age 17 (Genesis 17:25; 21:8-14), this event reflects Jehovah’s sovereign care over both the covenant line (Isaac) and the non-covenant line (Ishmael). The MT’s clarity ensures that this chronology and theology remain untainted by speculative harmonization.
Conclusion: The Masoretic Text Stands Unassailable
Genesis 21:16, as preserved in the Masoretic Text, unequivocally presents Hagar’s weeping as the authentic record of this account, supported by its grammatical precision, contextual coherence, and alignment with other Hebrew-based witnesses. The Septuagint’s variant, while perhaps well-intentioned, introduces an unwarranted alteration that lacks manuscript evidence and disrupts the narrative’s integrity. Conservative evangelical scholarship, prioritizing the MT as the authoritative Word of Jehovah, finds no compelling reason to deviate from it here. As Proverbs 30:5 declares, “Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” The MT’s reading of Genesis 21:16 stands as that true word, a testament to Jehovah’s faithfulness in hearing the cries of the distressed—whether voiced by Hagar or silently borne by Ishmael.
EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. He has authored over 220+ books. In addition, Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV).
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