Genesis 21:18Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Oh, how gracious is the Lord! He did not reject her, even though she was a servant. In fulfillment of His promise to her ancestors, specifically to the lineage of Ishmael, He bestowed upon Hagar great compassion and inquired, What troubles you, Hagar? God has listened to the cries of the young man where he is. Rise, lift up the young man, and take his hand, for I will make him the father of a mighty nation. Do not despair, He reassures her, because although you have been sent away, from your son I will establish a fruitful heritage, so that he too shall have a multitude of descendants.

And the remaining details are not a source of misunderstanding. The essential point is that in the Hebrew text, following the statement, "I will not witness the death of my child," there is an account of Hagar positioning herself opposite her boy, raising her voice in sorrowful lamentation, and God hearing the boy's cries. This indicates that, while the mother mourned in anticipation of her son's demise, God listened to the young man's pleas. He had assured Abraham, saying, "But I will also make the son of your handmaid into a great nation" (Genesis 17:20). Furthermore, the mother’s grief was not for her own fate, but for that of her son. Consequently, God safeguarded the life of the one over whom the mother grieved.