Bible Dictionary
BOWSHOT
A distance measured by the stretch or flight of a bow. In Genesis 21:16 it describes how far Hagar sat from Ishmael in the wilderness.
Definition
A bowshot is a distance indicated by the stretch or flight of a bow. The expression describes a considerable distance measured in the characteristic oriental manner by reference to a bow’s reach.
Biblical Usage
The term occurs only in Genesis 21:16, where Hagar sat apart from her child in the wilderness at about a bowshot’s distance.
Historical Background
The underlying phrase literally means “stretchings of a bow,” an idiomatic way of indicating distance.
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>bo'-shot: Found only in Ge 21:16 in the account of Hagar and her child: "And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot," literally "stretchings of a bow," a typical oriental way of indicating distance.</p>