Abraham (originally Abram) and Sarah (originally Sarai) → They are the first of the three great Patriarchs and Matriarchs.
Abraham (originally Abram) and Sarah (originally Sarai) → They are the first of the three great Patriarchs and Matriarchs.
Genesis 16:1Verse: “Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.”Interpretation: This verse introduces Hagar, emphasizing her foreign origin (Egyptian), which may reflect broader themes of social hierarchy and cultural interactions.
Genesis 16:2Verse: “And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, YHWH hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her.”Interpretation: Sarai’s frustration leads her to propose a surrogate arrangement, reflecting ancient customs regarding inheritance and childbearing.
Genesis 16:3Verse: “And 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.”Interpretation: Hagar’s new status as Abram’s secondary wife shows the importance of lineage in patriarchal culture and highlights Sarai’s desperation for a child.
Genesis 16:4Verse: “And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.”Interpretation: Hagar’s pregnancy alters the power dynamic between her and Sarai, introducing tension and highlighting the complexities of surrogate relationships.
Genesis 16:5Verse: “And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom… YHWH judge between me and thee.”Interpretation: Sarai blames Abram for the resulting tension.
Genesis 16:6Verse: “But 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.”Interpretation: Abram’s passive response shifts responsibility to Sarai, whose harsh treatment drives Hagar to flee, highlighting social inequities and personal conflict.
Genesis 16:8Verse: “And he said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, whence camest thou?
And he said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, whence camest thou?
And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.
YHWH: The name of God used prominently in this chapter, particularly in Sarai’s lament (verse 2) and the promises made by the malʾāḵ YHWH to Hagar (verses 7–13).
Genesis 16:1"Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar."
Genesis 16:2"And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, YHWH 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."
Genesis 16:3"And 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."
Genesis 16:5"And 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: YHWH judge between me and thee."
Genesis 16:6"But 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 16:8"And he said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, whence camest thou?
And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai."
Passages where YHWH is introduced often emphasize divine power and control, such as in Genesis 16:5, where Sarai appeals to YHWH to judge between her and Abram.
It’s the name Hagar, Sarai’s servant, gives to God after He speaks to her in the wilderness.
Pregnant and fleeing from Sarai’s harsh treatment, Hagar encounters God near a spring.
When Abraham awoke he told Sarai, his wife, and she was troubled, being barren, and she prayed God for Abraham's sake.
Now it came to pass that Hagar, Sarai's maid, had a son, and called his name Ishmael; and Sarai was jealous of Hagar, and abused her during pregnancy.
And God said: I told you* you shouldst be a father of many peoples, and you toldst Sarai, your* wife.
Now Sarai became vain in her desires for offspring, and, in her eagerness, she opened the door of your* house to satan, and hence this matter is upon you*.
And Abraham told Sarai what God had said.
And Sarai inquired of Abraham, saying: Before God, tell me, is Ishmael thy son?
Teach me, O God, to answer Sarai, that I may reconcile them.
And when Abraham told Sarai God's words, she cried in sorrow and repentance, saying: You are wise, O God!
And Sarai went to Hagar and said: O my sister, I have sinned before the Lord, my God.
And Sarai said: Nay, O Hagar.
Sarai had a son, and he was called Isaac, because he was born of Sarai after she had passed the time of child-bearing.
And when Hagar beheld that Sarai bore a son, Hagar became jealous for Ishmael's sake, and she wept before Abraham.
Sarai told Abraham what God had said to her; and so Abraham and Sarai went to the altar which Abraham had built, and they prayed alone; and God came and spake, saying: What would ye?
And God said: Because of the blessing of Sarai, your*** wife, who hath been upright all her days, I will give her comfort in her old age.
So it came to pass after some days, Rebecca departed from her people, and by her faith in God came to Abraham's home, and Isaac took her to wife, and Sarai rejoiced before God because of the light of his kingdom through Abraham's heirs.
Abram deduces that he is the strong cedar, and that Pharaoh will seek to kill him while sparing Sarai.
Abram instructs Sarai to say she is his sister so that they can avoid this.
Sarai was very distressed by this dream as they entered Egypt, and for five years was exceedingly careful so that the Pharaoh of Zoan would not see her.
Eventually members of the Egyptian court visit Abram and Sarai, and one attendant, Hyrcanos describes Sarai's wondrous beauty in a poem.
Sarai ensures that Abram is spared by declaring he is her brother.
Abram weeps along with Lot the night that Sarai is taken.
Lot tells the attendant the truth, and Pharaoh becomes angry and sends Sarai back to Abram along with a substantial amount of wealth and gifts.
[1] Now the LORD Elohim YHWH had said unto Abram, Get thee you out of thy your country, and from thy your kindred, and from thy your father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee you:[2] And I will make of thee you a great nation, and I will bless thee you, and make thy your name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:[3] And I will bless them that bless thee you, and curse him that curseth thee you: and in thee you shall all families of the earth be blessed.[4] So Abram departed, as the LORD Elohim YHWH had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five 75 years old when he departed out of Haran.[5] And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.[6] And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh.
[9] And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.[10] And there was a famine extreme and widespread scarcity of food in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn temporarily resides there; for the famine extreme and widespread scarcity of food was grievous in the land.[11] And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon:[12] Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee you alive.[13] Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee you.[14] And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair.[15] The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.[16] And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses donkeys, and camels.
[17] And the the LORD Elohim YHWH plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife.
In this passage, when Abram (later known as Abraham) and Sarai (later known as Sarah) entered Egypt due to a famine in the land of Canaan, Abram feared that the Egyptians would kill him because Sarai was very beautiful.
To avoid this, Abram asked Sarai to pretend to be his sister rather than his wife.
When Sarai entered Egypt, she caught the attention of the officials and princes of Pharaoh.
They saw her beauty, and this furthered Abram's concerns about his safety, leading him to tell Sarai to pretend to be his sister to protect himself.
This deception eventually led to the events where Sarai was taken into Pharaoh's house, as mentioned in Genesis 12:19, before God intervened to protect her and her true identity as Abram's wife was revealed.
Egypt: Abram and his wife Sarai go to Egypt to live there for a while due to the famine in Canaan.
[29] And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.[30] But Sarai was barren; she had no child.[31] And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.[32] And the days of Terah were 205 years: and Terah died in Haran.
And Enlil plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram’s wife.
Genesis 12 – Abram & Sarai