Genesis Vol 3.pdf - College Press

SOJOURN IN THE NEGEB 20;1-21:34
Other versions (LXX, Vulgate, JB) gave it “playing with
her son Isaac.” Leupold translates: “Sarah observed that
the son of the Egyptian woman Hagar, whom she had
borne to Abraham, was (always) mocking”: the fre-
quentative particple is used here, says this writer. “Another
allusion to Isaac’s name, cf. 17:17f.; the one verb means
‘to laugh’ and ‘to play’” (JB, 37, n,). The recently
published Hebrew commentary (SC, 103 -1 04) reads:
ccmaking sport: the verb denotes idolatry (cf. Exod. 32:6),
immorality (cf. 39:17), or murder (cf. 2 Sam. 2:14f.) ; in
all these passages the same or a similar verb occurs, and in
the last-mentioned the meaning is to fight to the death.
Also, he quarreled with Isaac about the inheritance, claim-
ing he would be the heir as the eldest son; this follows from
Sarah’s insistence in the next verse that he should not be
co-heir with Isaac. . . . Ishmael derided Isaac and jeered
at the great feast, and Sarah resented that the son of a
bondmaid should presume to do this, which explains her
allusion to his lowly parentage.’’ Skinner (ICCG, 322)
certainly disagrees: “playin,g with Isaac her soiz , . . It is
the spectacle of two young children playing together,
innocent of social distinctions, that excites Sarah’s maternal
jealousy and prompts her cruel demand.” Leupold takes
the opposite view (EG, J99): “The writer did not want
to say that he mocked Isaac, because, apparently, Ishmael
mocked the prospects of Isaac and his spiritual destiny; in
fact, just adopted a mocking attitude over against every-
thin,g involved in Isaac’s future. . . . To translate, as many
would do, “he was playing,” certainly imputes to Sarah
the cheapest kind of jealousy, quite unworthy of this
woman of faith.” But, why should we nQt here, as else-
where, resolve this problem in the light of New Testament
teaching, on the principle that any Scripture must be in
harmony with the teaching of the whole Bible? Therefore,
we shall allow Gal. 4:29 to settle the question: “he that
was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after
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