Genesis 16 · Verse 13

Genesis 16:13

And she called the name of the Lord that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?

Genesis 16:13, King James Version

Genesis 16:13 in other translations

BSB	So Hagar gave this name to the LORD who had spoken to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “Here I have seen the One who sees me!”
WEB	She called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, “You are a God who sees,” for she said, “Have I even stayed alive after seeing him?”
ASV	And she called the name of Jehovah that spake unto her, Thou art a God that seeth: for she said, Have I even here looked after him that seeth me?
YLT	And she calleth the name of Jehovah who is speaking unto her, ‘Thou art, O God, my beholder;' for she said, ‘Even here have I looked behind my beholder?'
DARBY	And she called the name of Jehovah who spoke to her, Thou art the God who reveals himself, for she said, Also here have I seen after he has revealed himself.
BBE	And to the Lord who was talking with her she gave this name, You are a God who is seen; for she said, Have I not even here in the waste land had a vision of God and am still living?
Webster	And she called the name of the LORD that spoke to her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?

What does Genesis 16:13 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

13. called the name--common in ancient times to name places from circumstances; and the name given to this well was a grateful recognition of God's gracious appearance in the hour of Hagar's distress.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 13 And she called the name of the Lord - She invoked (ותקרא vattikra) the name of Jehovah who spake unto her, thus: Thou God seest me! She found that the eye of a merciful God had been upon her in all her wanderings and afflictions; and her words seem to intimate that she had been seeking the Divine help and protection, for she says, Have I also (or have I not also) looked after him that seeth me? This last clause of the verse is very obscure and is rendered differently by all the versions. The general sense taken out of it is this, That Hagar was now convinced that God himself had appeared unto her, and was surprised to find that, notwithstanding this, she was still permitted to live; for it is generally supposed that if God appeared to any, they must be consumed by his glories. This is frequently alluded to in the sacred writings. As the word אחרי acharey, which we render simply after, in other places signifies the last days or after times, (see Exo 33:23), it may probably have a similar meaning here; and indeed this makes a consistent sense: Have I here also seen the Latter Purposes or Designs of him who seeth me? An exclamation which may be referred to that discovery which God made in the preceding verse of the future state of her descendants.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Genesis 16:7-16

Hagar was out of her place, and out of the way of her duty, and going further astray, when the Angel found her. It is a great mercy to be stopped in a sinful way, either by conscience or by providence. Whence comest thou? Consider that thou art running from duty, and the privileges thou wast blest with in Abram's tent. It is good to live in a religious family, which those ought to consider who have this advantage…

Read the full comment on Genesis 16:7-16 →

Genesis 16:13 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַתִּקְרָ֤אva.tik.Ra'and she calledH7121

שֵׁם\־shem-[the] name ofH8034

יְהוָה֙Yah.wehYahwehH3068

הַדֹּבֵ֣רha.do.Verwho spokeH1696

אֵלֶ֔יהָ'e.Lei.hato herH413

אַתָּ֖ה'a.TahyouH859

אֵ֣ל'el[are] a God ofH410

רֳאִ֑יro.'IseeingH7210

כִּ֣יkiforH3588

אָֽמְרָ֗ה'a.me.Rahshe saidH559

הֲגַ֥םha.Gam¿ alsoH1571

הֲלֹ֛םha.LomhereH1988

רָאִ֖יתִיra.'I.tihave I seenH7200

אַחֲרֵ֥י'a.cha.Rei[the] back<s> ofH310

רֹאִֽי\׃ro.'I[the] [one who] sees meH7200

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Genesis 16:13

Psalms 139:1-12
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. …
Genesis 32:30
And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
Proverbs 15:3
The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.
Proverbs 5:21
For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his goings.
Genesis 16:7
And the angel of the Lord found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.
Genesis 31:42
Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight.
Genesis 22:14
And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah–jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.
Exodus 34:5-7
And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
Genesis 28:17
And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.
Genesis 16:9-10
And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands. And the angel of the Lord said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.
Exodus 33:18-23
And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: …
Judges 6:24
Then Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord, and called it Jehovah–shalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abi–ezrites.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

called.
7,9,10; 22:14; 28:17:19; 32:30; Jud 6:24
Thou.
32:30; Ex 33:18-23; 34:5-7; Ps 139:1-12; Pr 5:21; 15:3
him that.
31:42

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Genesis 16:12
And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.
Genesis 16:13
And she called the name of the Lord that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?
Genesis 16:14
Wherefore the well was called Beer–lahai–roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.

Read all of Genesis 16

Genesis 16:13 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Entonces llamó el nombre de Jehová que con ella hablaba: Tú eres el Dios de la vista; porque dijo: ¿No he visto también aquí al que me ve?
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Et elle appela le nom de l’ Éternel qui lui avait parlé: Tu es le ✶Dieu qui te révèles; car elle dit: N’ai-je pas aussi vu ici, après qu’il s’est révélé?
German Elberfelder 1871	Da nannte sie Jehova, der zu ihr redete: Du bist ein Gott, der sich schauen läßt! Denn sie sprach: Habe ich nicht auch hier geschaut, nachdem er sich hat schauen lassen?
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Vocavit autem nomen Domini qui loquebatur ad eam: Tu Deus qui vidisti me. Dixit enim: Profecto hic vidi posteriora videntis me.