John Calvin Commentary Genesis 16:11

"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 thy affliction." — Genesis 16:11 (ASV)

And shalt bear a son. The angel explains what he had briefly said concerning her seed; namely, that it would be impossible to count because of its multitude. He begins with Ishmael, who was to be its head and origin. Although we will later see that he was a reprobate, yet an honorable name is granted to him to mark the temporal benefit that Ishmael received as a son of Abram.

For I explain the passage in this way: God intended that a monument of the paternal kindness with which He embraced the whole house of Abram should endure for posterity. For although the covenant of eternal life did not belong to Ishmael, yet, so that he might not be entirely without favor, God constituted him the father of a great and famous people.

And thus we see that, with respect to this present life, the goodness of God extended to the seed of Abram according to the flesh. But if God intended the name of Ishmael (which signifies God will hear) to be a perpetual memorial of His temporal benefits, He will by no means bear with our ingratitude if we do not celebrate His celestial and everlasting mercies, even to death.

The Lord has heard thy affliction. We do not read that Hagar, in her difficulties, had recourse to prayer; and we are rather left to conjecture from the words of Moses that, when she was stupefied by her sufferings, the angel came of his own accord. It should therefore be observed that there are two ways in which God looks down upon people to help them: either when they, as supplicants, implore His aid, or when He, even unasked, helps them in their afflictions.

He is indeed especially said to listen to those who, by prayers, invoke Him as their Deliverer. Yet, sometimes, when people lie mute and, because of their stupor, do not direct their wishes to Him, He is said to listen to their miseries. That this latter mode of hearing was fulfilled for Hagar is probable, because God freely met her as she wandered through the desert.

Moreover, because God frequently deprives unbelievers of His help until they are worn down by slow disease, or else allows them to be suddenly destroyed; let none of us indulge our own sloth, but, being admonished by the awareness of our evils, let us seek Him without delay.

Meanwhile, however, it is of no small benefit for the confirmation of our faith that our prayers will never be despised by the Lord, since He anticipates even the slothful and the senseless with His help; and if He is present to those who do not seek Him, much more will He be favorable to the pious desires of His own people.