21:17 But God heard the boy’s voice.34 The angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and asked her, “What is the matter,35 Hagar? Don’t be afraid, for God has heard36 the boy’s voice right where he is crying.
snGod heard the boy’s voice. The text has not to this point indicated that Ishmael was crying out, either in pain or in prayer. But the text here makes it clear that God heard him. Ishmael is clearly central to the story. Both the mother and the Lord are focused on the child’s imminent death.