Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 16:11/רמב"ן על בראשית ט״ז:י״א

אוְקָרָאת שְׁמוֹ יִשְׁמָעֵאל הוֹדִיעַ הַמַּלְאָךְ לְהָגָר שֶׁיִּהְיֶה שְׁמוֹ יִשְׁמָעֵאל, כְּדֶרֶךְ "הִנֵּה בֵן נוֹלָד לְבֵית דָּוִד יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ שְׁמוֹ" (מלכים א יג ב), וְאָמַר לָהּ שֶׁהִיא תִּקְרָאֶנּוּ כֵן וְתִזְכֹּר כִּי שָׁמַע אֱלֹהִים אֶל עָנְיָהּ, וְאַבְרָהָם מֵעַצְמוֹ קָרָא שְׁמוֹ כֵן, שֶׁיִּשְׁמַע אֵל וְיַעֲנֶנּוּ, אוֹ שֶׁשָּׁרְתָה עָלָיו רוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ כְּדִבְרֵי רַשִׁ"י, וְקָרָא אוֹתוֹ יִשְׁמָעֵאל כִּי שָׁמַע אֱלֹהִים אֶל עֳנִי אִמּוֹ, כִּדְבַר הַמַּלְאָךְ. וְהַנָּכוֹן בְּעֵינַי כִּי הַמַּלְאָךְ צִוָּה לְהָגָר שֶׁתִּקְרָאֶנּוּ כֵן, וְהִיא יָרְאָה בַּעֲבוּר הֱיוֹתָהּ פִּלֶגֶשׁ לִקְרֹא שֵׁם לְבֶן אֲדוֹנֶיהָ, וְגִלְּתָה לוֹ הָעִנְיָן, וְאַבְרָם קִיֵּם דְּבַר ה', אֲבָל לֹא הֻצְרַךְ הַכָּתוּב לְהַאֲרִיךְ בָּזֶה:

1AND THOU SHALT CALL HIS NAME ISHMAEL. The angel informed Hagar that his name will be Ishmael — just as in the verse, Behold, a son shall be born unto the house of David Josiah by name³⁶⁰ — and he told her that she should so call him, and thus remember that G-d heard her affliction.³⁶¹ (G-d heareth) is, as the angel explained to Hagar, “because the Eternal hath heard thy affliction.” (Verse 11.) Now Abraham either called him by this name on his own,³⁶². with the intent that G-d hear him and answer him, or the Holy Spirit rested upon him, as Rashi has it, and he called him Ishmael because G-d had heard his mother’s affliction, as the angel had said.The correct interpretation appears to me to be that the angel commanded Hagar that she call him so, but she, being a concubine,³⁶³ was afraid to give a name to her master’s son, so she revealed the matter to him, and Abram fulfilled the word of G-d. Scripture, however, did not need to delve at length into this matter.