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Genesis

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Hagar and the Birth of Ishmael

Chapter 16

1 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had not given birth to any children, but she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar. 2 So 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.⁠ 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.⁠ 4 He slept with Hagar, and she became pregnant. Once Hagar realized she was pregnant, she despised Sarai. 5 Then 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!” 6 Abram said to Sarai, “Since your servant is under your authority, do to her what is right in your eyes22.”⁠ Then Sarai treated Hagar harshly, so she ran away from Sarai.⁠ 7 The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring of water in the wilderness—the spring that is along the road to Shur.⁠ 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.” 9 Then the angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her authority. 10 I will greatly multiply your descendants,” the angel of the Lord added, “so that they will be too numerous to count.”⁠ 11 Then 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.⁠ 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.” 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!”⁠ 14 That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi. (It is located between Kadesh and Bered.) 15 So 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.)

Texts in conversation

Compare Genesis 16:6 and Exodus 14:5

Hebrew Bible

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Summary

Genesis 16 describes Hagar fleeing from Sarai’s harsh treatment, using the language from Exodus 14 that describes how Israel fled from Pharaoh. This connects Hagar’s escape with Israel’s exodus, ironically placing Sarai in a role parallel to Pharaoh.

Passages

Genesis 16:6

Hebrew Bible
5 Then 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!” 6 Abram said to Sarai, “Since your servant is under your authority, do to her what is right in your eyes22.” Then Sarai treated Hagar harshly, so she ran away from Sarai. 7 The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring of water in the wilderness—the spring that is along the road to Shur.
750–400 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Genesis

Exodus 14:5

Hebrew Bible
4 I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will chase after them. I will gain honor because of Pharaoh and because of all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” So this is what they did. 5 When it was reported to the king of Egypt that the people had fled, the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people, and the king and his servants said, “What in the world have we done? For we have released the people of Israel from serving us!” 6 Then he prepared his chariots and took his army with him.
750–400 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Exodus

References

"... furthermore, ענה is the same verb used to describe Shechem’s rape of Dinah (Genesis 34:2), Ammon’s rape of Tamar (2 Samuel 13:22), and the rape of the Levite’s concubine (Judges 19:24). By using the Hebrew verb ענה, the text paints a graphic picture of Sarah’s deliberate, brutal, and violent oppression of Hagar. It is no wonder Hagar chooses to flee (ברח) and risk a perilous journey through the wilderness, rather than remain under the oppressive hand of Sarah. Williams notes that Hagar is ‘the first female in the Bible to liberate herself from oppressive power structures’. Goldingay points out that the word ברח [flee] is also used in the exodus narrative when the Israelites flee from Pharaoh (Exodus 14:5). Furthermore, as Wenham points out, the Hebrew verb ברח is often used when individuals are fleeing from people who are endeavouring to kill them (Genesis 27:43; Exodus 14:5; 1 Samuel 19:18; 22:17; 27:4). Therefore, it is possible that Hagar flees from Sarah because her life and the life of her child are in danger ..."
A. Rebecca Basdeo Hill and Lee R. Martin, “Seeing and Hearing Hagar: An Affective Reading of Genesis 16,” IDS 58.1 (2024): 1–7.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Genesis 16:6 and Exodus 14:5

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