Remembering Hagar and Her Son (Gen 21: 9–21): A Narrative Reading of Helpless Victims and Hopeful Survivors in the Wheel of Providence
Narratives are fundamentals of storytelling. In Biblical literature, narratives do not only tell what happened (the context for God’s revelation), they also indicate why what happened matters (the purpose of history). Employing a narrative methodology and a hermeneutic of identification as an interp...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Religions |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/12/1474 |
| _version_ | 1797379488725598208 |
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| author | Blessing Onoriode Boloje |
| author_facet | Blessing Onoriode Boloje |
| author_sort | Blessing Onoriode Boloje |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Narratives are fundamentals of storytelling. In Biblical literature, narratives do not only tell what happened (the context for God’s revelation), they also indicate why what happened matters (the purpose of history). Employing a narrative methodology and a hermeneutic of identification as an interpretive approach, this article explores the Hagar–Ishmael narrative in Genesis 21: 9–21 against the background of those who have been marginalized, exploited, excluded, trafficked, and sitting in a wilderness of despair, struggle, and mistreatment and are in need of survival. The exploration seeks to understand the narrative structure, plot, characters, and themes within the text. The Hagar–Ishmael position is too painfully close to the realities of many today. In this narrative account, one finds a pitiable scene of human suffering and misery, and yet it is bounded by divine mercy and compassion. The stream of helplessness and consequent hope of survival shows that, no matter how mistreated people might have been, they can rise above their “victimization” and embrace the promises of God by staving off defeat, shaking off despair, and vanquishing discouragement. Thus with a hermeneutic of identification, readers are encouraged to identify with the characters, situations, and experiences described in the biblical narrative. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T20:24:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-550b81c3e1ca4560a0d1c765af954b2b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T20:24:56Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj.art-550b81c3e1ca4560a0d1c765af954b2b2023-12-22T14:38:29ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442023-11-011412147410.3390/rel14121474Remembering Hagar and Her Son (Gen 21: 9–21): A Narrative Reading of Helpless Victims and Hopeful Survivors in the Wheel of ProvidenceBlessing Onoriode Boloje0Department of Old Testament and Hebrew Scriptures, Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0028, South AfricaNarratives are fundamentals of storytelling. In Biblical literature, narratives do not only tell what happened (the context for God’s revelation), they also indicate why what happened matters (the purpose of history). Employing a narrative methodology and a hermeneutic of identification as an interpretive approach, this article explores the Hagar–Ishmael narrative in Genesis 21: 9–21 against the background of those who have been marginalized, exploited, excluded, trafficked, and sitting in a wilderness of despair, struggle, and mistreatment and are in need of survival. The exploration seeks to understand the narrative structure, plot, characters, and themes within the text. The Hagar–Ishmael position is too painfully close to the realities of many today. In this narrative account, one finds a pitiable scene of human suffering and misery, and yet it is bounded by divine mercy and compassion. The stream of helplessness and consequent hope of survival shows that, no matter how mistreated people might have been, they can rise above their “victimization” and embrace the promises of God by staving off defeat, shaking off despair, and vanquishing discouragement. Thus with a hermeneutic of identification, readers are encouraged to identify with the characters, situations, and experiences described in the biblical narrative.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/12/1474Genesis 21Haggai–Ishmaelhelpless victimshuman suffering and miseryprovidencesurvival |
| spellingShingle | Blessing Onoriode Boloje Remembering Hagar and Her Son (Gen 21: 9–21): A Narrative Reading of Helpless Victims and Hopeful Survivors in the Wheel of Providence Religions Genesis 21 Haggai–Ishmael helpless victims human suffering and misery providence survival |
| title | Remembering Hagar and Her Son (Gen 21: 9–21): A Narrative Reading of Helpless Victims and Hopeful Survivors in the Wheel of Providence |
| title_full | Remembering Hagar and Her Son (Gen 21: 9–21): A Narrative Reading of Helpless Victims and Hopeful Survivors in the Wheel of Providence |
| title_fullStr | Remembering Hagar and Her Son (Gen 21: 9–21): A Narrative Reading of Helpless Victims and Hopeful Survivors in the Wheel of Providence |
| title_full_unstemmed | Remembering Hagar and Her Son (Gen 21: 9–21): A Narrative Reading of Helpless Victims and Hopeful Survivors in the Wheel of Providence |
| title_short | Remembering Hagar and Her Son (Gen 21: 9–21): A Narrative Reading of Helpless Victims and Hopeful Survivors in the Wheel of Providence |
| title_sort | remembering hagar and her son gen 21 9 21 a narrative reading of helpless victims and hopeful survivors in the wheel of providence |
| topic | Genesis 21 Haggai–Ishmael helpless victims human suffering and misery providence survival |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/12/1474 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT blessingonoriodeboloje rememberinghagarandhersongen21921anarrativereadingofhelplessvictimsandhopefulsurvivorsinthewheelofprovidence |