Who called God El Roi?

Hagar, Sarah's Egyptian servant and the mother of Ishmael, in Genesis 16:13.

What does “the God who sees me” mean?

That God knows each person's situation, even of those who are alone or forgotten — and acts on their behalf, as he did for Hagar in the desert.

Hebrew word · Strong H7210

What does El Roi mean?

El Roi means “the God who sees me”. It is the name Hagar, Sarah's Egyptian servant, gives to God in the desert after she runs away pregnant and is found by him: “Thou God seest me” (Genesis 16:13).

רֳאִי

rŏʼîy · transliteration · ro-ee' · pronunciation

In Strong’s lexicon: sight, whether abstractly (vision) or concretely (a spectacle)
In the King James: seen2
Appears in: 5 verses

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The meaning of El Roi in the Bible

Hagar was a foreigner, a slave and alone. The angel of the LORD finds her by a spring, calls her by name, and promises that her son, Ishmael, would become a great people — Ishmael means “God hears”. She answers by giving God a name: El Roi, the God who saw her when no one else did.

The well where it happened was called Beerlahairoi, “the well of him that liveth and seeth me” (Genesis 16:14). It is the only time the name appears in the Bible, and it comes from someone on the margins of Abraham's story — a reminder that God's sight reaches those whom others overlook.

Where El Roi appears

Genesis 16:13

And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?

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Frequently asked questions

Who called God El Roi?: Hagar, Sarah's Egyptian servant and the mother of Ishmael, in Genesis 16:13.
What does “the God who sees me” mean?: That God knows each person's situation, even of those who are alone or forgotten — and acts on their behalf, as he did for Hagar in the desert.

The meaning of El Roi in the Bible

Where El Roi appears

Genesis 16:13

Frequently asked questions

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