Topical Bible: Children: Illegitimate: Sometimes Sent Away With Gifts

◄ Children: Illegitimate: Sometimes Sent Away With Gifts ►

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In the biblical context, the term "illegitimate children" often refers to those born outside the bounds of marriage. The treatment and status of such children in biblical times varied, and there are instances where they were sent away with gifts, reflecting a complex interplay of social, familial, and covenantal considerations.

One of the most notable examples of this practice is found in the account of Abraham and his son Ishmael. Ishmael was born to Hagar, Sarah's Egyptian maidservant, and Abraham, making him Abraham's firstborn but not the child of promise as Isaac was. In Genesis 21, Sarah saw Ishmael mocking Isaac and urged Abraham to send Hagar and Ishmael away. Despite his distress, Abraham complied after God reassured him that Ishmael would also become a great nation. Genesis 21:14 states, "So Abraham got up early the next morning, took some bread and a skin of water, and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and sent her away with the boy."

This narrative illustrates the practice of sending away an illegitimate child with provisions, which, in this case, were minimal but symbolically significant. The act of giving gifts or provisions can be seen as a gesture of care and responsibility, acknowledging the child's connection to the family while also adhering to the social and divine directives of the time.

The sending away of Ishmael with gifts also underscores the broader biblical theme of God's providence and care for those who are marginalized or outside the primary covenant line. Despite being sent away, Ishmael was not abandoned by God. Genesis 21:17-18 recounts how God heard the boy's cries and provided for him and Hagar in the wilderness, promising, "Do not be afraid, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he lies. Get up, lift up the boy, and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation."

This account reflects the tension between human social structures and divine purposes. While Ishmael was not the child through whom the covenant with Abraham would be fulfilled, he was still blessed and cared for by God, illustrating the biblical principle that God's compassion extends beyond human limitations and societal norms.

In summary, the practice of sending away illegitimate children with gifts in biblical times was a complex issue influenced by familial, social, and divine factors. It highlights the importance of provision and care, even when separation was deemed necessary, and underscores the broader biblical narrative of God's inclusive care and providence.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Genesis 25:6
But to the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, to the east country.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

They Shall be Called the Children of God
... Persons illegitimate cannot inherit legally. ... Consider the honour of God's children
positively and comparatively ... Sometimes they give the lion in regard of their ...
/.../the beatitudes an exposition of matthew 51-12/19 they shall be called.htm

The Princesses of the Comneni
... the number of enemies he had sent to the ... language of the princess, and sometimes
mildly nodded ... She and her two illegitimate children were later captured and ...
/.../brittain/women of early christianity/xiv the princesses of the.htm

The Earlier Hebrew Histories.
... of the altars of Jehovah"all illegitimate according to ... death of Joshua that the children
of Israel ... Sometimes they attempt, indeed, to explain or reconcile ...
/.../gladden/who wrote the bible/chapter iv the earlier hebrew.htm

The Old Testament and Comparative Religion
... for the sake of another; 154-158, Illegitimate sexual intercourse ... 185-194, Treatment
of adopted children; 195-214 ... Sometimes the one, sometimes the other may be ...
/.../eiselen/the christian view of the old testament/chapter v the old testament.htm

Summa Theologica
... Whether a divine person is sent only by the ... the angel's intellect is sometimes in
potentiality, sometimes in act? ... in the state of innocence children would have ...
//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/

The Memphite Empire
... mosquito-houses, and they say that the children of Israel ... usual of minerals or
turquoises, he sent thither one ... Sometimes as many as two or three thousand men ...
/.../chapter iithe memphite empire.htm

The Last Days of the Old Eastern World
... the vanquished petty princes or their children were reinvested ... he was deprived of
his fiefs, and sent to Kyrta ... a bell-like curve, and sometimes ornamented with ...
/.../chapter iithe last days of 2.htm

The Medes and the Second Chaldaean Empire
... palace, perished therein, together with his children and his ... the waist by a belt,
and sometimes reinforced by ... succeeded in overthrowing the forces sent out to ...
/.../chapter iiithe medes and the.htm