Let’s talk a little bit about Ishmael, the name of the child born to Hagar. First, Ishmael means “God pays attention”, or “God has given heed”. God tells Hagar that she will have a male child who would eventually become the father of a large number of descendants. While Ishmael is the patriarch of several […]

So we are continuing on the heels of the last post. Sarai, who is barren, summons her slavegirl Hagar to sleep with Abram. And just as planned, Hagar gives birth to a child. However, Sarai is just downright insecure about the whole situation. She feels like Hagar is parading a sense of superiority around her […]

Today we begin Genesis Chapter 16. For the Complete Jewish Bible, click here. For the King James version, click here. In this chapter, we are introduced to a series of events leading to the birth of the forefather of the Arab race. A good long 10 years has passed since Abram departed from his hometown […]

“As the sun was about to set, a deep sleep fell on Abram; horror and great darkness came over him.” -Genesis 15:12  After driving away the birds of prey, Abram falls into a deep slumber and while asleep we are told that a “great darkness” came over him. The Hebrew word used for dark dread […]

“Birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.“-Genesis 15:11 As Abram was laying out the animal parts into two groups on the ground in preparation for the covenantal ceremony,  it says that carrion or birds of prey swept down in attempt to carry away the dead animal carcasses. However, Abram […]