Genesis — Chapter 16
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1Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.
2And 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.
3And 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.
4And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.
5And 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.
6But 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.
7And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.
8And 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.
9And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.
10And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.
11And 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.
12And 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.
13And 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?
14Wherefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.
15And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son’s name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael.
16And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.
1Now Sarai, Abram`s wife, bare him no children: and she had a handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.
2And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, Jehovah hath restrained me from bearing; go in, I pray thee, unto my handmaid; it may be that I shall obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.
3And Sarai, Abram`s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her handmaid, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to Abram her husband to be his wife.
4And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.
5And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I gave my handmaid into they bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: Jehovah judge between me and thee.
6But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her that which is good in thine eyes. And Sarai dealt hardly with her, and she fled from her face.
7And the angel of Jehovah found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.
8And he said, Hagar, Sarai`s handmaid, whence camest thou? and whither goest thou? And she said, I am fleeing from the face of my mistress Sarai.
9And the angel of Jehovah said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.
10And the angel of Jehovah said unto her, I will greatly multiply thy seed, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.
11And the angel of Jehovah said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son; and thou shalt call his name Ishmael, because Jehovah hath heard thy affliction.
12And he shall be [as] a wild ass among men; his hand [shall be] against every man, and every man`s hand against him; and he shall dwell over against all his brethren.
13And she called the name of Jehovah that spake unto her, Thou art a God that seeth: for she said, Have I even here looked after him that seeth me?
14Wherefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.
15And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bare, Ishmael.
16And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.
1Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had not given birth to any children, but she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar.
2So Sarai said to Abram, “Since the Lord has prevented me from having children, please sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have a family by her.” Abram did what Sarai told him.
3So after Abram had lived in Canaan for ten years, Sarai, Abram’s wife, gave Hagar, her Egyptian servant, to her husband to be his wife.
4He slept with Hagar, and she became pregnant. Once Hagar realized she was pregnant, she despised Sarai.
5Then Sarai said to Abram, “You have brought this wrong on me! I gave my servant into your embrace, but when she realized that she was pregnant, she despised me. May the Lord judge between you and me!”
6Abram said to Sarai, “Since your servant is under your authority, do to her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai treated Hagar harshly, so she ran away from Sarai.
7The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring of water in the wilderness—the spring that is along the road to Shur.
8He said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” She replied, “I’m running away from my mistress, Sarai.”
9Then the angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her authority.
10I will greatly multiply your descendants,” the angel of the Lord added, “so that they will be too numerous to count.”
11Then the angel of the Lord said to her, “You are now pregnant and are about to give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard your painful groans.
12He will be a wild donkey of a man. He will be hostile to everyone, and everyone will be hostile to him. He will live away from his brothers.”
13So Hagar named the Lord who spoke to her, “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “Here I have seen one who sees me!”
14That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi. (It is located between Kadesh and Bered.)
15So Hagar gave birth to Abram’s son, whom Abram named Ishmael.
16(Now Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.)
1Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, bore him no children. She had a servant, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.
2Sarai said to Abram, “See now, Yahweh has restrained me from bearing. Please go in to my servant. It may be that I will obtain children by her.” Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.
3Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to Abram her husband to be his wife.
4He went in to Hagar, and she conceived. When she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.
5Sarai said to Abram, “This wrong is your fault. I gave my servant into your bosom, and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes. Yahweh judge between me and you.”
6But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your maid is in your hand. Do to her whatever is good in your eyes.” Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her face.
7Yahweh’s angel found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain on the way to Shur.
8He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s servant, where did you come from? Where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from the face of my mistress Sarai.”
9Yahweh’s angel said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hands.”
10Yahweh’s angel said to her, “I will greatly multiply your offspring, that they will not be counted for multitude.”
11Yahweh’s angel said to her, “Behold, you are with child, and will bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because Yahweh has heard your affliction.
12He will be like a wild donkey among men. His hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him. He will live opposite all of his brothers.”
13She called the name of Yahweh who spoke to her, “You are a God who sees,” for she said, “Have I even stayed alive after seeing him?”
14Therefore the well was called Beer Lahai Roi. Behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.
15Hagar bore a son for Abram. Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.
16Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.
Summary
Sarai gives her servant Hagar to Abram; Hagar conceives Ishmael, but conflict erupts and God meets Hagar in the wilderness.
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- Beer-lahai-roi (v.14) — meaning "the well of the Living One who sees me." Located between Kadesh and Bered in the Negev desert, along the road to Shur (toward Egypt).
- The wilderness of Shur (v.7) — the desert region between Canaan and Egypt, along the trade route. Hagar flees toward her homeland (Egypt).
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik covers Sarai's plan, the consequences, the angel of the LORD, and God's care for Hagar.
- Charles Spurgeon: Sermon: "The God Who Sees" on v.13 (MTP Vol. 22, No. 1312) "Thou God SEEST me — El Roi. A runaway slave in the wilderness — alone, pregnant, desperate, outcast. And God SEES her. Not overlooks, not ignores, not forgets — sees. He sees the invisible ones. He notices the overlooked. He finds the lost. Hagar was nobody to the world — but God saw her, spoke to her, promised her a future. If God sees a runaway slave, He sees you. Wherever you are, however low, however forgotten — Thou God seest me."
Reflection
- 1. Sarai's plan (v.2) was culturally acceptable but not God's plan. Where are you trying to fulfill God's promises through human effort rather than waiting for His timing? "Helping God" often creates more problems.
- 2. "The angel of the LORD found her" (v.7). God seeks the outcast, the runaway, the desperate. Have you ever felt invisible? God sees you. He finds you in the wilderness.
- 3. "Thou God seest me" (v.13). El Roi — the God who sees. He sees your pain, your situation, your need. You are not invisible to Him. Does this comfort you?
- 4. Ishmael was born from impatience — Abram was 86 and had waited 10 years (v.3). Isaac wouldn't come for 14 more years. God's timing often requires longer waiting than we expect. Can you wait?
- 5. The consequences of Sarai's plan continue to this day (Arab-Israeli conflict). Our impatient decisions can have generational consequences. What decisions are you making that might affect generations?