Verse Lens · Context pointer
Genesis 16:16 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 16. 16And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Role in This Section
Abram is eighty-six when Hagar bears Ishmael. The age notice closes this episode and prepares the thirteen-year narrative jump to Abram's ninety-ninth year in Genesis 17.
Read It With
- Genesis 16:1–16
Read verses 15–16 and Genesis 17:1. Verse 15 reports birth and naming; verse 16 dates the event; Genesis 17 opens at age ninety-nine with covenant renewal, new names, and Isaac's promised birth.
Why It Needs Context
The verse is a chronological close rather than an independent teaching about age, fertility, waiting, or covenant status.
Read Genesis 16:15–16 together
Why these verses belong together: Birth, naming, and Abram's age close the episode and date its fulfillment.
Verse 15. 15 And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son’s name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael.
Verse 16. 16 And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Genesis 16:1–16 — Hagar Flees and Encounters the God Who SeesSources used for this context pointer
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Displayed wording, narrative sequence, names, promises, birth, chronology, and canonical connections.
Exact location: Genesis 16:1–16 in the pinned eng-kjv2006 source; compared with Genesis 12:10–20; 15; 17; 21; 25; Exodus 1–3; and Galatians 4:21–31
Open source ↗hebrew text morphology and lemma data
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project
Open Scriptures, Version 2.2 released 2021; repository inspected 2026
Supports: Enslaved-woman terminology, built-up wordplay, wife status, light-in-eyes idiom, oppression and submission verbs, messenger language, Ishmael, verse 12, El Roi, and well name.
Exact location: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible, wlc/Gen.xml, Genesis 16:1–16
Open source ↗