The Bible — World English Bible
Genesis 16
In brief
Genesis 16 tells what happens when the promise of a son is delayed. Sarai, barren, suggests that Abram go through her Egyptian servant Hagar. Hagar's pregnancy brings contempt, then jealousy, then harshness: Hagar runs away. In the desert, the angel of the Lord finds her by a spring, asks her two questions, tells her to return and announces a son, Ishmael. Hagar gives God a name: the One who sees me. The chapter shows both the consequences of a human solution and God's care for a woman without power.
The chapter in 5 parts
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.
Key verses
Sarai 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.
Sarai blames her barrenness on the Lord, then proposes a human solution that was accepted at the time. Abram listens to his wife's voice, without going back to the promise he received from God.
He 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.”
The angel asks two questions: where have you come from, and where are you going? God addresses Hagar by name and has her speak of her situation. These questions have become well known in preaching.
Yahweh’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. He 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.”
God announces the birth of a son and gives him a name: Ishmael, God hears. The name recalls that God heard Hagar's affliction.
She 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?”
Hagar is the only person in the Bible to give God a name: the One who sees me. God sees those whom society does not look at.
Bible verses to meditate on
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Frequently asked questions about Genesis 16
Why did Sarai give Hagar to Abram?
Sarai was barren and the promise of a son made to Abram had been delayed for ten years. In her time, it was accepted that a childless wife would give her servant to her husband so as to have an heir through her. The text does not present this solution as God's plan: it is born of impatience and brings rivalry and suffering.
What does the name Ishmael mean?
Ishmael means God hears. The name is given by the angel to Hagar, because the Lord has heard her affliction. He is the son of Abram and Hagar, but the promise of the covenant will be entrusted to Isaac, born later to Sarah. The Bible nonetheless says that God also blesses Ishmael.
What is the message of Genesis 16?
The chapter shows that trying to fulfill a promise of God by your own means leads to conflict. It also shows that God sees forgotten people, like Hagar, a foreign slave on the run. He finds her, calls her by name, gives her a promise and a direction. God stays attentive even in the midst of human mistakes.
Articles quoting Genesis 16
- Putting to Death the Flesh That Wants to Save Itself
- Hagar in the Desert: Where Have You Come From, Where Are You Going?
- Acts 20: Here I Am, Lord, the True Worship That Changes You
- Abraham Off the Rails: When Faith Can No Longer Wait
- The Covenant God Wants to Make With You (Genesis 15)
- Grace Received Transforms How You Live
World English Bible translation — public domain.