تكوين ١٦:١٤

Hagar is the person mostly concerned in the story of this chapter, an obscure Egyptian woman, whose name and story we never should have heard of if Providence had not brought her into the family of Abram. Probably she was one of those maid-servants whom the king of Egypt, among other gifts, bestowed upon Abram (Gen 14:16). Concerning her, we have four things in this chapter: - I. Her marriage to Abram her master (Gen 16:1-3). II. Her misbehaviour towards Sarai her mistress (Gen 16:4-6). III. Her discourse with an angel that met her in her flight (Gen 16:7-14). IV. Her delivery of a son (Gen 16:15, Gen 16:16).

16:14-15 The names Beer-lahai-roi, which means “well of the Living One who sees me,” and Ishmael (see 16:11) were a message and a rebuke for Abram and Sarai. God sees affliction and hears the cries of those in need. Sarai and Abram should have prayed rather than taking the fulfillment of the promise into their own hands by following social custom (cp. 25:21). Giving children to the barren woman is God’s work (Ps 113:9; cp. 1 Sam 1:1-28; Luke 1:1-25); impossible difficulties cannot be resolved by human intervention. The Lord hears the afflicted, sees them in their need, and will miraculously provide for them.