Genesis 16

Sarai and Hagar

1 # ch. 15:2, 3 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was #ch. 21:9; Gal. 4:24Hagar. 2And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children#16:2 Hebrew be built up, which sounds like the Hebrew for children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 3So, after Abram #ch. 12:5had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife. 4And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, #[1 Sam. 1:6, 7]she looked with contempt on her mistress.#16:4 Hebrew her mistress was dishonorable in her eyes; similarly in verse 5 5And Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May #ch. 31:53; 1 Sam. 24:12the Lord judge between you and me!” 6But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your servant is in your power; do to her as you please.” Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her.

7The angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to #ch. 25:18; Ex. 15:22Shur. 8And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.” 9The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her.” 10The angel of the Lord also said to her, #ch. 17:20; 21:18; See ch. 25:12-18“I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude.” 11And the angel of the Lord said to her,

“Behold, you are pregnant

and shall bear a son.

You shall call his name Ishmael,#16:11 Ishmael means God hears

# [ch. 29:32] because the Lord has listened to your affliction.

12He shall be #Job 39:5-8; [ch. 21:20] a wild donkey of a man,

his hand against everyone

and everyone’s hand against him,

and he shall dwell #ch. 25:18over against all his kinsmen.”

13So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,”#16:13 Or You are a God who sees me for she said, #[ch. 32:30; Ex. 19:21; 33:20; Judg. 13:22]“Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.”#16:13 Hebrew Have I really seen him here who sees me? or Would I have looked here for the one who sees me? 14Therefore the well was called #ch. 24:62; 25:11 Beer-lahai-roi;#16:14 Beer-lahai-roi means the well of the Living One who sees me it lies between #ch. 14:7; 20:1; Num. 13:26Kadesh and Bered.

15And Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. 16Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.

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Genesis 16

The Birth of Ishmael

1 # Gen 11.30; 21.9; Gal 4.24 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, bore him no children. She had an Egyptian slave whose name was Hagar, 2#Gen 30.3, 4, 9, 10and Sarai said to Abram, “You see that the Lord has prevented me from bearing children; go in to my slave; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 3#Gen 12.5So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her slave, and gave her to her husband Abram as a wife. 4He went in to Hagar, and she conceived, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress. 5#Gen 31.53Then Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my slave to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the Lord judge between you and me!” 6But Abram said to Sarai, “Your slave is in your power; do to her as you please.” Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she ran away from her.

7 # Gen 20.1; 21.17, 18; 22.11, 15; 31.11 The angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur. 8And he said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” She said, “I am running away from my mistress Sarai.” 9The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit to her.” 10#Gen 17.20The angel of the Lord also said to her, “I will so greatly multiply your offspring that they cannot be counted for multitude.” 11#Ex 3.7, 9And the angel of the Lord said to her,

“Now you have conceived and shall bear a son;

you shall call him Ishmael,#16.11 That is, God hears

for the Lord has given heed to your affliction.

12 # Gen 25.18 He shall be a wild ass of a man,

with his hand against everyone,

and everyone’s hand against him,

and he shall live at odds with all his kin.”

13 # Gen 32.30 So she named the Lord who spoke to her, “You are El-roi,”#16.13 Perhaps God of seeing or God who sees for she said, “Have I really seen God and remained alive after seeing him?”#16.13 Meaning of Heb uncertain 14Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi;#16.14 That is, well of the living one who sees me it lies between Kadesh and Bered.

15 # Gal 4.22 Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram named his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. 16Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him#16.16 Heb Abram Ishmael.

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