Old Testament

Genesis 16

Hagar, Ishmael, and the God Who Sees

5 passages

Overview

When Sarai's impatience leads her to offer her servant Hagar to Abram as a surrogate wife, the resulting pregnancy fractures the household with contempt and conflict — yet God pursues the fleeing Hagar into the wilderness, reveals Himself as El Roi, the God who sees the forgotten, and promises that her son Ishmael will father a great people, even as his birth remains a waypoint short of the covenant's true fulfillment.

Passages

1–3The Detour of Impatience: Sarai, Hagar, and the Testing of Promise 4–6Conflict in the Household: Contempt, Complaint, and Flight 7–12Seen in the Wilderness: The Angel of the Lord and the Promise to Hagar 13–14The God Who Sees: Hagar Names the Living One 15–16The Birth of Ishmael: Fruitfulness Outside the Promise

Study Resources

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Genesis 16

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, she despised me. May 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 opposed to 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.

Genesis 15 Genesis 17