The big picture
Waiting for the promised child strains Abram and Sarai's household. Sarai gives her Egyptian servant Hagar to Abram, and pregnancy intensifies conflict. The narrative follows the vulnerable woman who leaves the household, rather than treating her as an incidental means to an heir.
Scripture beside the summary
Genesis · King James Version · 16Genesis 16:1-6
Power and mistreatment
Sarai proposes the arrangement, Abram accepts, and Hagar conceives. Contempt, accusation and harsh treatment follow. Hagar has far less power than the people directing her life. The story records an ancient household practice without presenting its harms as a model for families.
Context that brings the passage to life
“Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.” Naming Abram and Egyptian keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it…” Naming Abram and Sarai keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and…” The number ten makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.
Genesis 16:1-6
King James Version1Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.
2And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.
3And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.
4And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.
5And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee.
6But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.
Genesis 16:7-12
A promise beyond the household
The angel of the Lord finds Hagar near a spring, addresses her by name and asks about her journey. Her son will be called Ishmael, linked to God hearing her affliction. A promise of descendants is given outside the central household's control.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.” Naming Shur keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“And he said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of…” The question slows the passage down. Notice who is being pressed to answer, what the question assumes, and whether the next lines provide a response.
Genesis 16:7-12
King James Version7And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.
8And he said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.
9And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.
10And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.
11And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.
Genesis 16:13-16
The God who sees
Hagar names the Lord in response to the encounter, and the well receives a name commemorating it. She bears Ishmael when Abram is 86. God's attention reaches a woman mistreated within the very family chosen to carry blessing.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
Genesis 16:13-16
King James Version13And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?
14Wherefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.
15And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son’s name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael.
16And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Genesis 16:1 begins with “Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.”
Where the chapter turns
Genesis 16:8 forms a natural hinge: “And he said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.”
The final note
Genesis 16:16 leaves the reader with “And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.”
A word trail through the chapter
The words Abram, LORD, Sarai, Hagar, maid, angel help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
Whose perspective receives unexpected attention?
Hagar's. The messenger finds her, names her and speaks about her future.
What does Ishmael's name commemorate?
God has heard her affliction, according to verse 11.
KJV words made clear
- behold
- look, or pay close attention
- unto
- to
- thee
- you
- thou
- you
- thy
- your
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Does Hagar's return command apply to every abused person?
Genesis 16 narrates a particular encounter with a particular woman and a promise concerning her son. It is not a general instruction that people suffering abuse must return to danger. The chapter calls attention to Hagar's affliction and to God seeing and hearing her.
Genesis 16:6-13 · Genesis 21:8-21
Does Genesis endorse every family arrangement it describes?
No. Polygamy, concubinage, enslavement, favoritism and inheritance disputes are narrated with their consequences. The fact that an ancestor participates in a practice is not a command for later readers. Genesis repeatedly exposes pain and injustice within the chosen household.
Genesis 1:27 · Genesis 16:6 · Genesis 24:58 · Genesis 29:31-35 · Genesis 34:1-31 · Genesis 38:26