1889、本章中的亚伯兰、撒莱、夏甲和以实玛利这些名字也一样。从概览和接下来对每个名字的解释可以看出它们里面都包含什么。然而，它们都是诸如难以轻易理性解释的那类事物，因为这些名字所涵盖的主题是主的理性心智，它如何被孕育和生出，以及在与主的内在人，也就是耶和华合一之前，它是何性质。这个主题之所以难以轻易理性解释，是因为如今人们不知道内在人是什么，内层人（interiorman，新世纪版本译为中间人）、外在人又是什么。当论到理性心智或理性人时，人们对它能形成某种概念；但当说理性心智介于内在人和外在人之间时，就很少有人明白了。然而，此处在内义上论述的主题是主的理性人，它如何因内在人进入外在人的流注而被孕育和生出，这就是亚伯兰、夏甲和以实玛利的历史故事所体现的主题。所以，为防止下面的解释变得完全无法理解，需要指出的是，每个人都有一个内在人，一个介于中间的理性人和一个外在人；这三者彼此截然不同，互相分离。关于这些问题，详情可参看前面的讨论（978节）。
创世记16
1.亚伯兰的妻子撒莱没有为他生孩子。她有一个埃及婢女，名叫夏甲。
2.撒莱对亚伯兰说，看哪，耶和华使我不能生育，求你和我的婢女同房，也许我可以从她被建立。亚伯兰听从了撒莱的声音。
3.于是，亚伯兰在迦南地住了十年之后，亚伯兰的妻子撒莱才取了她的埃及婢女夏甲给了自己的丈夫亚伯兰为他的女人。
4.亚伯兰与夏甲同房，夏甲就怀了孕；她见自己有孕，她的主母在她眼里就被小看。
5.撒莱对亚伯兰说，我因你受屈；我将我的婢女送到你怀中，她见自己有了孕，我便在她眼里被小看；愿耶和华在你我之间判断。
6.亚伯兰对撒莱说，看哪，你的婢女在你手中；在你眼里怎样好，你就怎样待她吧。撒莱羞辱她，她就从撒莱面前逃走了。
7.耶和华的使者在旷野的水泉旁，在往书珥路上的泉旁遇见她。
8.就说，撒莱的婢女夏甲，你从哪里来？要往哪里去？她说，我从我的主母撒莱面前逃出来。
9.耶和华的使者对她说，回到你主母那里，服在她手下。
10.耶和华的使者又对她说，我必使你的种极其繁多，多到不可胜数。
11.耶和华的使者再对她说，看哪，你怀着孩子，必生一个儿子；你要给他起名叫以实玛利，因为耶和华听见了你的苦情。
12.他必是个野驴人；他的手要攻打众人，众人的手也要攻打他；他必住在众弟兄的对面。
13.她就称那对她说话的耶和华名为你是看见我的神；因为她说，在这里我也在看见我的那一位后面看见吗？
14.所以，她称那泉为看见我的那一位永活者之泉；看哪，这泉就在加低斯和巴列之间。
15.夏甲给亚伯兰生了一个儿子，亚伯兰给夏甲所生的儿子起名叫以实玛利。
16.夏甲给亚伯兰生以实玛利的时候，亚伯兰是个八十六岁的人。
Potts(1905-1910) 1889
1889. In this chapter it is the same with the names Abram, Sarai, Hagar, and Ishmael; and what they involve may be seen from the CONTENTS, and further on from the explication of each name in its place. But these matters are of a nature that does not admit of easy explication, for the subject treated of in connection with these names is the Lord's rational, and how it was conceived and born, and what its quality was before it was united to the Lord's Internal, which was Jehovah. The reason why this subject is not of easy explication, is that at this day it is not known what the internal man is, what the interior, and what the exterior. When the rational is spoken of, or the rational man, some idea can be formed of it; but when it is said that the rational is the intermediate between the internal and the external, few if any comprehend it. Yet as the subject here treated of in the internal sense is the Lord's Rational Man, and how it was conceived and born by the influx of the internal man into the external, and as it is these very matters that are involved in the historical facts stated concerning Abram, Hagar, and Ishmael, therefore in order to prevent what we have to say in the following explication from being utterly unintelligible, be it known that in every man there is an internal man, a rational man which is intermediate, and an external man, and that these are most distinct from one another. (Concerning this subject see what was said above, n. 978.) GENESIS 16 1. And Sarai, Abram's wife, did not bear unto him; and she had a handmaid, an Egyptian, and her name was Hagar. 2. And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold I pray, Jehovah hath shut me up from bearing; go in I pray unto my handmaid; it may be that I shall be built up by her. And Abram harkened to the voice of Sarai. 3. And Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her handmaid, after ten years of Abram's dwelling in the land of Canaan, and gave her to Abram, her man, for a woman to him. 4. And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived; and she saw that she had conceived, and her mistress was despised in her eyes. 5. And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee; I gave my handmaid unto thy bosom; and she saw that she conceived, and I am despised in her eyes; Jehovah judge between me and thee. 6. And Abram said unto Sarai, Behold thy handmaid is in thy hand, do to her that which is good in thine eyes; and Sarai humbled her, and she fled from her face. 7. And the Angel of Jehovah found her by a fountain of waters in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. 8. And he said, Hagar, Sarai's handmaid, whence comest thou? and whither goest thou? And she said, From the face of Sarai, my mistress, am I fleeing. 9. And the Angel of Jehovah said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and humble thyself under her hands. 10. And the Angel of Jehovah said unto her, In multiplying I will multiply thy seed, and it shall not be numbered for multitude. 11. And the Angel of Jehovah said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and thou shalt call his name Ishmael; because Jehovah hath heard thine affliction. 12. And he will be a wild-ass man; his hand against all, and the hand of all against him and he shall dwell against the faces of all his brethren. 13. And she called the name of Jehovah that was speaking unto her, Thou God seest me; for she said, Have I also here seen after Him that seeth me? 14. Therefore she called the fountain, The fountain of the Living One who seeth me; behold it is between Kadesh and Bared. 15. And Hagar bare Abram a son; and Abram called the name of his son that Hagar bare, Ishmael. 16. And Abram was a son of eighty years and six years, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.
Elliott(1983-1999) 1889
1889. It is similar in this chapter with the names Abram, Sarai, Hagar, and Ishmael. What these include within themselves becomes clear from the Contents and after that from the explanation of each name in what follows. They are however things such as cannot be explained easily and intelligibly, for the subject covered by those names is the Lord's Rational - how it was conceived and born, and the nature of it before it had been united to the Lord's Internal, which was Jehovah. The reason this cannot be explained easily and intelligibly is that people at the present day do not know what the internal man is, what the interior man is, or what the exterior man is. When one speaks of the rational or of the rational man some idea can be formed of these, but when one speaks of the rational as that which lies between the internal and the external, few if any can grasp it. Nevertheless since the subject in the internal sense of this chapter is the way in which the Lord's Rational Man was conceived and born from an influx of the Internal Man into the External Man - for this is the subject embodied within the historical descriptions involving Abram, Hagar, and Ishmael and yet to prevent the ideas presented in the explanation that follows from becoming utterly strange and unintelligible, let it be recognized that with everyone there exists an internal man, there exists a rational man which is situated in between, and there exists an external man, and that these three are quite distinct and separate from one another. For these matters see what has been stated already in 978.
Latin(1748-1756) 1889
1889. Similiter se habet in hoc capite cum nominibus Abrami, Sarai, Hagaris et Ismaelis; quae autem illa involvunt, constare potest a Contentis, dein ab explicatione singulorum in sequentibus; sed talia sunt quae non facile ad captum explicari possunt; agitur enim sub illis de Rationali Domini quomodo illud conceptum et natum, et quale fiat antequam unitum Domini Interno, quod erat Jehovah quod non facile ad captum explicabile sit, causa est quia hodie non scitur quid internus homo, quid interior, et quid exterior; cum dicitur `rationale,' aut `rationalis homo,' tunc aliqua idea habetur, at cum dicitur quod rationale sit medium inter internum et externum, hoc pauci si ulli capiunt; sed usque quia in sensu interno hic agitur de Rationali Homine apud Dominum quomodo conceptus et natus ab Interni Hominis influxu in Externum, et haec sunt quae historica de Abramo, Hagare et Ismaele involvunt, ne prorsus peregrina obveniant quae in explicatione sequuntur, sciendum quod apud unumquemvis hominem sit internus homo, sit rationalis qui medius, et sit externus; et quod hi inter se distinctissimi sint, de quibus videantur quae prius dicta n. 978. CAPUT XVI 1. ET Sarai uxor Abrami non peperit illi; et ei ancilla Aegyptia, et nomen ejus Hagar. 2. Et dixit Sarai ad Abram, Ecce quaeso conclusit me JEHOVAH a pariendo, ingredere quaeso ad ancillam meam forte aedificabor ab ea et; et auscultavit Abram voci Sarai. 3. Et accepit Sarai uxor Abrami Hagarem Aegyptiam ancillam suam, a fine decem annorum ab habitando Abram in terra Canaan, et dedit Abramo viro suo, illi in mulierem. 4. Et ingressus ad Hagarem, et concepit; et vidit quod conceperit, et vilis fuit domina ejus in oculis ejus. 5. Et dixit Sarai ad Abram, Injuria mea super te, ego dedi ancillam meam in sinum tuum, et vidit quod concepit, et vilis sum in oculis ejus, judicet JEHOVAH inter me et inter te. 6. Et dixit Abram ad Sarai, Ecce ancilla tua in manu tua, fac ei quod bonum in oculis tuis; et humiliavit eam Sarai, et fugit a facie ejus. 7. Et invenit eam angelus JEHOVAE ad fontem aquarum in deserto, ad fontem in via Shur. 8. Et dixit, Hagar, ancilla Sarai, unde venis? et quo vadis? et dixit, A facie Sarai dominae meae ego fugio. 9. Et dixit ei angelus JEHOVAE, Revertere ad dominam tuam, et humilia te sub manibus illius. 10. Et dixit ei angelus JEHOVAE, Multiplicando multiplicabo semen tuum, et non numerabitur prae multitudine. 11. Et dixit ei angelus JEHOVAE, Ecce tu gravida, et paries filium, et appellabis nomen ejus Ismael, quia audivit JEHOVAH ad afflictionem tuam. 12. Et is erit onager homo, manus ejus in omnes, et manus omnium in eum, et contra facies omnium fratrum suorum habitabit. 13. Et vocavit nomen JEHOVAE loquentis ad se, TU DEUS videns me, quia dixit, Num etiam hic vidi post videntem me? 14. Propterea vocavit fontem, fons Vivo videnti me; ecce inter Kadesh et inter Bared. 15. Et peperit Hagar Abramo filium, et vocavit Abram nomen filii sui, quem peperit Hagar, Ismael. 16. Et Abram filius octoginta annorum et sex annorum, in pariendo Hagar Ismaelem Abramo.