The angel of the LORD: the word translated angel originally meant “messenger,” the same as the equivalent Greek term. However, when the word is used in the patriarchal narratives with the LORD or other terms for God, it has the sense of God’s presence being shown to someone; that is, it describes a manifestation of God. People see the visible presence of God in this manner, because seeing God himself was believed to result in the death of the one seeing. The LORD appears also in Genesis 18, Judges 13, and Luke 1 to announce the birth of a child. In each case the formula follows much the same pattern as here. In verse 13 the LORD replaces the expression The angel of the LORD, giving the understanding that the two expressions mean the same in this passage, that is, an appearance or manifestation of God to a person. As von Rad says, “The one who speaks, now Yahweh, now the messenger…, is obviously one and the same person. The angel of the LORD is therefore a form in which Yahweh appears. He is God himself in human form.”
According to Speiser, use of the term angel to describe a distinct class of supernatural beings belongs to a much later period than the patriarchal stories. All modern English translations render The angel of the LORD literally; and it may therefore be difficult for translators to take any other course. If footnotes are being included in a translation, it may be desirable to give a footnote explaining the meaning of this expression.
Found her by a spring of water in the wilderness: found translates a verb meaning to find by searching. It is not a chance discovery. The word should not give the impression that the angel had lost Hagar. Problems with the use of a word meaning found may be avoided by saying “met her” or “came to her.” Spring of water refers to a source of fresh water coming out of the ground. In desert areas such springs often form pools or oases. A spring flows out of the earth, and is distinct from a well, which is a deep hole dug down to the water level. However, see “well” in verse 14.
In the wilderness completes the general description of the place of encounter with the angel. The phrase following it gives the actual name of the place. For wilderness see discussion of 14.6.
The spring on the way to Shur: Shur is mentioned in 20.1 as the area where Abram made his home “between Kadesh and Shur,” and in 25.18 as a place inhabited by Ishmaelites. Some interpreters take Shur to mean “wall” and so a reference to the Egyptian forts built along the Egyptian border. The spring was apparently somewhere on the desert track that led to Shur. Hagar being Egyptian would find it natural to flee toward her homeland. On the way to Shur may be rendered, for example, “near the road that goes to the place called Shur” or “near the path people walk on to go to Shur.”
Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .