Skip to content

Passage Research

Genesis 21 — Sermon Preparation

Below is a research summary for Genesis 21, drawn from openly licensed scholarly databases — original-language morphology, classic sermons from the church fathers through the Puritans, and ancient geography data.

34
verses
436 / 154
Hebrew words / lemmas
11
classic sermon excerpts
4
preachers & commentators

Genesis 21 in the Hebrew

Distinctive vocabulary of this chapter, based on original-language morphology.

Hebrew Transliteration Strong's Count Glosses
אַבְרָהָם ʼAbrâhâm H85 18 Abraham
שָׂרָה Sârâh H8283 8 Sarah
אֲבִימֶלֶךְ ʼĂbîymelek H40 7 Abimelek
בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע Bᵉʼêr Shebaʻ H884 6 Beer-Sheba
יִצְחָק Yitschâq H3327 6 Jitschak
נַעַר naʻar H5288 6 boy, servant
הָגָר Hâgâr H1904 4 Hagar

How preachers through history handled this text

11 public-domain excerpts on Genesis 21, from the church fathers to the Puritans.

Matthew Henry 5 Spurgeon 4 Calvin 1 John Wesley 1

“Abimelech felt sure that the promises of God would be fulfilled to Abraham. It is wise to connect ourselves with those who are blessed of God; and we ought to requite kindness to those who have been kind to us. Wells of water are scarce and valuable in eastern countries. Abraham took care to have his title to the well allowed, to prevent disputes in future. No more can be expected from an honest man than that he be ready to do right, as soon as he knows he has done wrong. Abraham, being now in a good neighbourhood, stayed a great while there. …”

— Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible (Concise), on Genesis 21:22–35 (Public Domain)

Places in the text

Based on ancient-geography data

  • Beersheba 2 — Gen 21:14
  • Egypt — Gen 21:21
  • Paran — Gen 21:21

Need the complete sermon prep report on this passage?

Greek exegesis, historical background, current scholarship, sermon outlines, illustrations — a complete PDF report on Genesis 21, delivered in 45 minutes.