The Birth of Ishmael, 1-16
16:1 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had not given birth to any children, but she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar. 16:2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Since the LORD has prevented me from having children, have sexual relations with my servant. Perhaps I can have a family by her.” Abram did what Sarai told him.
Hagar – The name is Semitic, not Egyptian, and was possibly given to her by Abraham after she left Egypt.
When Sarah realised that she was barren, she gave her maidservant to Abraham so that the family line could be continued through her. An example of this ancient custom has been discovered in the Nuzi tablets.
Enns and Byas comment:
‘It is quite possible that Abraham and Sarah figure that Hagar would have to be the one to bear the children promised to Abraham. After all, Sarah is way too old to have children. Sarah might not be acting impulsively but logically. And remember that God didn’t mention Sarah in his promise to Abraham; he never said who the mother would be. Finally, in the ancient world, it was common practice to use a surrogate mother to ensure descendants.’ (Genesis for Normal People)
The same writers point to a hint of ambiguity in the story: when we read that ‘Abram did what Sarai told him’, this is an idiom meaning that he ‘obeyed’ her. This echoes the previous time a husband is said to have done what his wife told him (Gen 3:17)
16:3 So 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. 16:4 He had sexual relations with Hagar, and she became pregnant. Once Hagar realized she was pregnant, she despised Sarai. 16:5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You have brought this wrong on me! I allowed my servant to have sexual relations with you, but when she realized that she was pregnant, she despised me. May the LORD judge between you and me!”
16:6 Abram 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.
16:7 The LORD’s angel found Hagar near a spring of water in the desert—the spring that is along the road to Shur. 16:8 He 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.”
16:9 Then the LORD’s angel said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her authority. 16:10 I will greatly multiply your descendants,” the LORD’s angel added, “so that they will be too numerous to count.” 16:11 Then the LORD’s angel 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.
16:12 He 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.”
16:13 So 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!” 16:14 That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi. (It is located between Kadesh and Bered.)
This is ‘is an expression of thankful amazement that God cares for people in the most unexpected situations (cf. Ps. 139:1–12).’ (Steinmann)
‘In Scripture when God sees, he cares (cf. Gen 29:32; Exod 3:7).’ (Wenham)