“God was with [et] the lad, and he grew. He lived in the wilderness and became an archer” (Genesis 21:20). “God was with the lad [et hanaar], and he grew” – Rabbi Yishmael asked Rabbi Akiva, saying to him: ‘Because you studied under Naḥum of Gam Zo for twenty years, [who taught:] The words akh and rak are restrictive expressions, et and gam are inclusive expressions, [I ask you] what is the meaning of the et that is written here?’
He said to him: ‘Had it said: “God was the lad” that would have been difficult; instead, [the Torah writes] “with the lad.” He said to him: “For it is not an empty thing for you [mikem]” (Deuteronomy 32:47); if it appears empty, it is from you [mikem],42If you find something in the Torah that appears devoid of significance, it is because of your own ignorance. because you do not know how to expound.
The correct explanation is, rather, “et hanaar” refers to him, his donkey drivers, his camel drivers, and the members of his household.’ “Became an archer [roveh kashat]” – he grew [rava] and his obstinacy [vekashyuto] remained with him. 43The difference between the two versions is whether the word imo is spelled with an ayin or with an alef. He grew [rava] and trained as an archer; he became greater [rava] than all the archers.
“He lived in the wilderness of Paran and his mother took him a wife from the land of Egypt” (Genesis 21:21). “He lived in the wilderness of Paran” – Rabbi Yitzḥak said: Toss a stick into the air, and it will fall on its base.44This saying means that a person has a tendency to go back to his roots eventually. So, too, because it is written: “She had an Egyptian maidservant and her name was Hagar” (Genesis 16:1); “his mother took him a wife from the land of Egypt.”