John Gill Commentary Genesis 16:7

"And the angel of Jehovah found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur." — Genesis 16:7 (ASV)

And the angel of the Lord found her
This is the first time that mention is made of an angel in Scripture, but is not to be understood of a created angel, but of a divine Person, as appears from (Genesis 16:10Genesis 16:13) , the uncreated angel, the Logos or Son of God, called the Angel of God's presence, and the Angel of the covenant, (Isaiah 63:9) (Malachi 3:1) ; who often appeared in a human form before his incarnation, being sent by his divine Father on one account or another; and hence called an angel, a messenger, or one sent, as in the fulness of time he was sent in human nature to be the Redeemer of his people; though many of the Jewish writers take this angel to be a man sent of God.

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by a fountain of water in the wilderness ; which lay between Egypt and Canaan, the same through which the Israelites passed afterwards from the one to the other: here was a fountain of water, and meeting with it she stopped to refresh herself,

by the fountain in the way to Shur ; a place before or over against Egypt, from which the wilderness had its name, see (Genesis 25:18) (1 Samuel 15:7) (Exodus 15:22) , which shows that she was making her way to Egypt, as fast as she could, her native country, where in all probability she proposed to continue, and never return more: what the name of the place the angel found her at was, at that time, is not certain, or whether it had any; for it seems to be so called from the Lord's "looking" upon her here, which "Shur" signifies:

The Jerusalem Targum calls it Chalaza; and both the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan name it Chagra or Hagra, after her own name, as it should seem: and it is remarkable, that this very place, and the wilderness, and parts adjacent, were the habitation of her posterity, the sons of Ishmael, (Genesis 25:18) ; and must be in Arabia Petraea, which they inhabited; and Ptolemy ^F17 speaks of a city called Suratta, in that country.

FOOTNOTES:

• F14: says he was one of the prophets that lived in those times, and observes, that some of their Rabbins say he was Shem, the son of Noah; and Maimonides suggests, that this angel was but a mere man, by comparing this passage with that in (Genesis 37:15) , "a certain man found him" but the context most clearly confutes this notion, and proves him to be the almighty and omniscient God; since he promises to do what none but the omnipotent Being could do, and declares such things as none but the omniscient God could know: and when it is said he "found Hagar", it is not to be understood as if it was a chance matter, or the fruit and effect of search and inquiry, or as if he had not seen her before; but rather it shows that his eye was upon her, and he has a concern for her, and at a proper time and place appeared to her at once, and unawares, and unthought of by her.
• F15: Bereshit Rabba, sect. 45. fol. 41. 1. says he was Shem, the son of Noah.
• F16: Moreh Nevochim, par. 2. c. 42. p. 311. suggests, that this angel was but a mere man.
• F17: Geograph. l. 5. c. 17.