And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bow shot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.
She walked away and sat down at a distance from him, about as far as an arrow could be shot. She said to herself, 'I can't bear to watch my child die.' So she sat there facing away from him, and she began to cry loudly.
Hagar, overwhelmed with grief and despair, moves away from her dying son because she cannot bear to watch him die, and breaks down weeping.
📚 Historical Context
This occurs after Abraham sent Hagar and her son Ishmael away into the wilderness with only bread and water, following Sarah's demand that they be cast out. In the harsh desert environment, their water ran out, and Hagar believed her teenage son was about to die of thirst. She distances herself so she won't have to witness his death.
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