In brief
Hagar is the Egyptian servant of Sarai, Abram's wife, in the age of the patriarchs. Sarai gives her to Abram so that he may have a child, and Hagar gives birth to Ishmael. Mistreated, she flees into the desert, where the angel of the Lord finds her and speaks to her. Later, sent away with her son, she is in the desert again, and God opens her eyes to a well. We remember that God sees and hears those whom no one looks at.
What does the name Hagar mean?
The meaning of Hagar's name is uncertain: it is sometimes linked to the idea of flight or of a foreigner, though the Bible does not explain it. The text simply presents her as an Egyptian servant (Genesis 16:1). The Bible does explain the name of her son Ishmael: the Lord heard her in her affliction.
The story of Hagar
A servant given to Abram
Genesis 16:1-4Sarai has no child. She suggests that Abram go in to her Egyptian servant Hagar, hoping to have children through her. Abram listens to Sarai. Hagar becomes pregnant, then looks on her mistress with contempt. A human solution was chosen to hurry along God's promise, and it creates conflict in the household.
Flight into the desert
Genesis 16:5-8Sarai complains to Abram, who leaves her free to deal with her servant. Sarai mistreats her, and Hagar runs away. The angel of the Lord finds her by a spring in the desert, on the way to Shur. He calls her by name and asks her two questions: where she has come from and where she is going. She answers that she is fleeing from her mistress.
Return and the birth of Ishmael
Genesis 16:9-16The angel tells her to go back to her mistress and submit to her, and he makes promises about her son. Hagar gives the Lord a name in memory of this meeting. She bears a son, and Abram calls him Ishmael. Abram is eighty-six years old at the time.
Sent away with her son
Genesis 21:8-16Isaac is born and has been weaned. Sarah sees Hagar's son laughing and asks Abraham to drive out the servant and her son. God tells Abraham to listen to Sarah, and promises to make a nation of the servant's son as well. Abraham sends Hagar away. She wanders in the desert, and the water runs out.
God hears the voice of the boy
Genesis 21:17-21The angel of God calls to Hagar from heaven: she must not be afraid, for God has heard the voice of the boy. He tells her to lift the boy up, for he will make him a great nation. God opens her eyes, she sees a well and gives the boy a drink. God is with Ishmael, who grows up in the wilderness of Paran.
What Hagar teaches us
- God sees and knows by name the one whom others have forgotten or mistreated.
- Trying to fulfil God's promise ourselves leaves wounds in families and in hearts.
- God asks his questions, where have you come from and where are you going, to bring us back to him and not to condemn us.
- In the desert, God can open our eyes to the spring that was already there.
- God hears the cry of the child as he hears that of the mother, and he stays faithful to his promises to them.
Key verses
The angel of the Lord calls Hagar by name and by her role, then asks where she has come from and where she is going. God speaks to a runaway servant as to a person who matters in his eyes.
God tells Hagar not to be afraid, for he has heard the voice of the boy where he is. The God of the Bible hears even in the desert, where no one else hears.
God opens Hagar's eyes: she sees a well of water, fills the skin and gives the boy a drink. The help came from God, who showed her what she needed.
Sermons about Hagar
Frequently asked questions
Who was Hagar in the Bible?
Hagar was the Egyptian servant of Sarai, Abram's wife. Sarai gave her to Abram so that he might have a child, and Hagar bore Ishmael. She is the first person to whom the angel of the Lord speaks in the desert, and God sees her in her distress.
What does the name Hagar mean?
The meaning of Hagar's name is uncertain, and the Bible does not explain it. It is sometimes linked to the idea of flight or of a foreigner, which remains a guess. The text only says that she is Egyptian. What the Bible does explain is the name of her son Ishmael, tied to the fact that God heard her.
Where can I find Hagar's story in the Bible?
Hagar's story is found in the book of Genesis, in two places. In chapter 16, she is given to Abram, runs away and meets the angel of the Lord. In chapter 21, she is sent away with Ishmael into the desert, where God hears the voice of the boy and opens her eyes to a well.