“… The idea of this ancient form of surrogate motherhood seems to be attested in the Code of Hammurabi § 146, although there it applies to the marriage of a nadītu, a woman who was attached to a temple and not permitted to bear children. Such a woman’s husband could take a second wife to be the mother of his children, but this situation could be forestalled if she gave him a slave who would be regarded as an ‘incubator’ in place of the real wife. Any children would be deemed to belong to the wife. The idea that the Genesis account is linked to the Hammurabi material is supported by Sarai’s treatment of Hagar as an ordinary slave, which accords with the expectations of law Code of Hammurabi § 146. The occurrence of this form of surrogacy in ancient Israel is also attested in Genesis 30:1-12 in relation to Rachel and Leah, and Bilhah and Zilpah, where the children of the latter pair are regarded as belonging to the ‘real’ wives of Jacob. …”