Genesis 16:11
“And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction.”
KJV
Read in Genesis 16Meaning
The messenger announces a son and instructs Hagar to name him Ishmael because the LORD has heard of her affliction.
Read carefully
The verse explicitly connects the child's name with Hagar's suffering, reinforcing that her distress is not peripheral to the narrative.
Reflection
To hear affliction is to take suffering seriously; faithful reading should likewise resist minimizing the pain of people with little social power.