Sarai's Plan with Hagar
Study note
After ten years in Canaan with no children, Sarai takes matters into her own hands. She gives her Egyptian servant Hagar to Abram as a wife, following a common practice in the ancient Near East where a childless wife could provide a servant as a surrogate. When Hagar becomes pregnant, she begins to look down on Sarai. Sarai blames Abram, and Abram gives Sarai permission to deal with Hagar as she wishes. Sarai treats Hagar so harshly that Hagar runs away.
1 Now Sarai, Abram's wife, still had not been able to have any children. But she had an Egyptian servant girl named Hagar. Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.
2 Sarai told Abram, "Look, the Lord has kept me from having babies. Why don't you sleep with my servant girl? Maybe I can build a family through her." Abram went along with the idea. And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.
3 Abram had been living in Canaan for ten years. His wife Sarai brought her Egyptian servant Hagar to him and gave her to Abram as a second wife. And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.
4 Abram slept with Hagar, and she got pregnant. But as soon as Hagar realized she was expecting a baby, she started looking down on Sarai. And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.
5 Sarai complained to Abram, "This whole mess is your fault! I'm the one who gave you my servant, and now that she's pregnant, she treats me like I'm nothing. Let the Lord decide who is in the wrong here — you or me!" And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee.
6 Abram answered, "She's your servant — handle it however you want." So Sarai was so harsh with Hagar that Hagar ran away. But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.
The Angel Finds Hagar
Study note
This is the first time an angel of the Lord appears in the Bible. The angel finds Hagar by a spring in the wilderness on the road to Shur, heading back toward Egypt. The angel tells her to go back and submit to Sarai. But the angel also gives Hagar an amazing promise — her descendants will be too numerous to count. Her son is to be named Ishmael, meaning 'God hears,' because God has heard her misery. Hagar gives God a name: 'The God who sees me.' She is the first person in the Bible to give God a name. The well is called Beer Lahai Roi, meaning 'well of the Living One who sees me.'
7 The angel of the Lord tracked Hagar down near a spring of water out in the desert, right along the road that leads to Shur. And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.
8 The angel asked her, "Hagar, servant of Sarai — where did you come from, and where are you headed?" She answered, "I'm running away from Sarai, my mistress." And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.
9 The angel of the Lord told her, "Go back to your mistress and accept her authority." And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.
10 The angel also promised her. "I will give you so many children. No one will be able to count them all." And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.
11 Then the angel continued, "Right now you are pregnant, and you are going to have a baby boy. Name him Ishmael, which means 'God hears,' because the Lord has heard about your suffering." And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 "Your son will be wild and free, like a donkey running in the open desert. He will pick fights with everyone, and everyone will pick fights with him. He will live near his relatives but always be independent from them." And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.
13 Hagar gave the Lord a special name after he spoke to her. She called him "The God Who Sees Me," because she said, "I have seen the One who watches over me!" 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?
14 Therefore the well at that spot was named Beer Lahai Roi, meaning 'the well of the Living One who sees me.' You can still find it between Kadesh and Bered. Wherefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.
Ishmael Is Born
Study note
Hagar returns and gives birth to a son. Abram names him Ishmael, as the angel instructed. Abram is eighty-six years old. Ishmael will become the father of twelve princes and a great nation, but he is not the son of the promise — that son is still to come.
15 Hagar had her baby boy, and Abram named his new son Ishmael. And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son's name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael.
16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Ishmael was born. And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.