Genesis 21:13 - Exposition

And also of the son of the bond-woman will I make a nation. Literally, to nation I will set or put him ; a promise already given ( Genesis 17:20 ), but here repeated to render Ishmael's dismissal easier. Because he is thy seed . "Thy son according to the flesh, though not after the promise, as Isaac was" (Ainsworth); a proof that men may sometimes receive mercies for their fathers' sakes.