וְשָׂרַי֙ אֵ֣שֶׁת אַבְרָ֔ם לֹ֥א יָלְדָ֖ה ל֑וֹ וְלָ֛הּ שִׁפְחָ֥ה מִצְרִ֖ית וּשְׁמָ֥הּ הָגָֽר׃

And Sarai, Abram’s wife, bore him no children, despite the fact that they had been married for many years. According to some traditions, Abram was twenty-five years old, or even younger, when he married Sarai. And she had an Egyptian maidservant, and her name was Hagar. Hagar was apparently Sarai’s personal maidservant.

וַתֹּ֨אמֶר שָׂרַ֜י אֶל־אַבְרָ֗ם הִנֵּה־נָ֞א עֲצָרַ֤נִי יְהוָה֙ מִלֶּ֔דֶת בֹּא־נָא֙ אֶל־שִׁפְחָתִ֔י אוּלַ֥י אִבָּנֶ֖ה מִמֶּ֑נָּה וַיִּשְׁמַ֥ע אַבְרָ֖ם לְק֥וֹל שָׂרָֽי׃

Sarai said to Abram: Please, behold, the Lord has kept me from bearing children; I cannot give birth. Please, consort with my maidservant; perhaps I shall be built and have children through her. Sarai may have felt that she was nearing the end of her years of fertility, and she hoped that this act would cause her to give birth as well. Abram heeded the voice of Sarai. He did not initiate the matter or act for his own reasons, but cooperated with his wife, and complied for her sake alone.

וַתִּקַּ֞ח שָׂרַ֣י אֵֽשֶׁת־אַבְרָ֗ם אֶת־הָגָ֤ר הַמִּצְרִית֙ שִׁפְחָתָ֔הּ מִקֵּץ֙ עֶ֣שֶׂר שָׁנִ֔ים לְשֶׁ֥בֶת אַבְרָ֖ם בְּאֶ֣רֶץ כְּנָ֑עַן וַתִּתֵּ֥ן אֹתָ֛הּ לְאַבְרָ֥ם אִישָׁ֖הּ ל֥וֹ לְאִשָּֽׁה׃

Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her maidservant, at the conclusion of ten years of Abram’s residence in the land of Canaan. Sarai’s suggestion came after she and Abram had experienced many long journeys together. Ten years had passed since they had arrived in Canaan and they were still childless. And she gave her to Abram her husband as a wife. Hagar was apparently a full-fledged wife, not merely a maidservant or concubine. However, this change of status caused problems afterwards.

וַיָּבֹ֥א אֶל־הָגָ֖ר וַתַּ֑הַר וַתֵּ֙רֶא֙ כִּ֣י הָרָ֔תָה וַתֵּקַ֥ל גְּבִרְתָּ֖הּ בְּעֵינֶֽיהָ׃

He, Abram, consorted with Hagar, and in a short time she conceived; she saw that she conceived, and her mistress was diminished in her eyes. Hagar saw her pregnancy as a sign of a new status. According to some Sages, she considered her conception an indication of moral superiority over her mistress. However, the change in her attitude toward Sarai can also be explained in a different manner. According to the laws and customs of several nations in ancient times, if a woman married to a man who has more than one wife bears him a child, especially a son, she becomes the primary wife. According to this, Hagar’s pregnancy strengthened her position, and even if she did not openly disparage her mistress, her self-esteem would increase.

וַתֹּ֨אמֶר שָׂרַ֣י אֶל־אַבְרָם֮ חֲמָסִ֣י עָלֶיךָ֒ אָנֹכִ֗י נָתַ֤תִּי שִׁפְחָתִי֙ בְּחֵיקֶ֔ךָ וַתֵּ֙רֶא֙ כִּ֣י הָרָ֔תָה וָאֵקַ֖ל בְּעֵינֶ֑יהָ יִשְׁפֹּ֥ט יְהוָ֖ה בֵּינִ֥י וּבֵינֶֽיׄךָ׃

The situation was very delicate for Sarai, and her emotional response to Hagar’s pregnancy was ambivalent. Sarai said to Abram: The villainy done to me [ h · ] is on you; you have done me wrong. In this context ḥamas does not bear its usual meaning of theft or robbery, but merely indicates an illegal or improper act. Sarai said: Of my own volition, I gave my maidservant into your bosom. And then she saw that she conceived and I was diminished in her eyes. Therefore, the Lord shall judge between me and you. This was not an outright accusation that Abram had harmed her, but a demand that he stand by her side in a more conspicuous manner.

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אַבְרָ֜ם אֶל־שָׂרַ֗י הִנֵּ֤ה שִׁפְחָתֵךְ֙ בְּיָדֵ֔ךְ עֲשִׂי־לָ֖הּ הַטּ֣וֹב בְּעֵינָ֑יִךְ וַתְּעַנֶּ֣הָ שָׂרַ֔י וַתִּבְרַ֖ח מִפָּנֶֽיהָ׃

Abram said to Sarai: Behold, your maid is in your hand. Although she is pregnant with my child, I will not defend her; you can take her back as a maidservant. Apparently, Abram had not developed close ties with Hagar, or even if he had, he was willing to give her up for Sarai. Do to her that which is favorable in your eyes. So Sarai treated her harshly. The verse does not specify whether this harassment was mental or physical, if it involved reprimands, curses, the imposition of hard labor, or some other form of persecution. And she, Hagar, fled from her.

וַֽיִּמְצָאָ֞הּ מַלְאַ֧ךְ יְהוָ֛ה עַל־עֵ֥ין הַמַּ֖יִם בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר עַל־הָעַ֖יִן בְּדֶ֥רֶךְ שֽׁוּר׃

The angel of the Lord found her in the wilderness at, or next to, the spring of water on the way to Shur, in the Negev.

וַיֹּאמַ֗ר הָגָ֞ר שִׁפְחַ֥ת שָׂרַ֛י אֵֽי־מִזֶּ֥ה בָ֖את וְאָ֣נָה תֵלֵ֑כִי וַתֹּ֕אמֶר מִפְּנֵי֙ שָׂרַ֣י גְּבִרְתִּ֔י אָנֹכִ֖י בֹּרַֽחַת׃

He said: Hagar, Sarai’s maidservant. The angel addressed her by name; he knew who she was. From where did you come, and where will you go? She said: From my mistress Sarai I flee.

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לָהּ֙ מַלְאַ֣ךְ יְהוָ֔ה שׁ֖וּבִי אֶל־גְּבִרְתֵּ֑ךְ וְהִתְעַנִּ֖י תַּ֥חַת יָדֶֽיהָ׃

The angel of the Lord said to her: Return to your mistress, and suffer under her hands. So it has been decreed upon you, and this is the best thing for you.

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לָהּ֙ מַלְאַ֣ךְ יְהוָ֔ה הַרְבָּ֥ה אַרְבֶּ֖ה אֶת־זַרְעֵ֑ךְ וְלֹ֥א יִסָּפֵ֖ר מֵרֹֽב׃

The angel of the Lord said to her: I will multiply your descendants; the child in your womb will grow into a great nation. And they shall not be counted due to their great number. Hagar’s child would also receive the blessing of fertility and strength granted to Abram.

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לָהּ֙ מַלְאַ֣ךְ יְהוָ֔ה הִנָּ֥ךְ הָרָ֖ה וְיֹלַ֣דְתְּ בֵּ֑ן וְקָרָ֤את שְׁמוֹ֙ יִשְׁמָעֵ֔אל כִּֽי־שָׁמַ֥ע יְהוָ֖ה אֶל־עָנְיֵֽךְ׃

The angel of the Lord said to her: Behold, as you already know, you are with child, and I am hereby informing you that you shall bear a son, not a daughter. You shall call his name Ishmael, as the Lord has heard [ shama ] your suffering.

וְה֤וּא יִהְיֶה֙ פֶּ֣רֶא אָדָ֔ם יָד֣וֹ בַכֹּ֔ל וְיַ֥ד כֹּ֖ל בּ֑וֹ וְעַל־פְּנֵ֥י כָל־אֶחָ֖יו יִשְׁכֹּֽן׃

He shall be a wild man. He will have a reputation as a wild, uncontrolled, and unsettled figure. His hand shall be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him; he will be continually involved in fights, quarrels, and wars. Perhaps the angel was alluding to the tendency of Ishmael and his descendants to choose the life of the nomad. As is typical of the nomadic existence, they would be drawn to banditry and suffer from endless conflicts. And yet, he shall dwell among all his brethren. He will achieve greatness in the eyes of his brothers and the members of his family.

וַתִּקְרָ֤א שֵׁם־יְהוָה֙ הַדֹּבֵ֣ר אֵלֶ֔יהָ אַתָּ֖ה אֵ֣ל רֳאִ֑י כִּ֣י אָֽמְרָ֗ה הֲגַ֥ם הֲלֹ֛ם רָאִ֖יתִי אַחֲרֵ֥י רֹאִֽי׃

Realizing that that the angel was no more than a messenger, she called, described, the name of the Lord who spoke to her as: You are the God of my vision, the God who is seen, the God who reveals Himself. It is hard to ascertain much about the character of the quiet Hagar, but as one who came from the house of Abram, she must have absorbed something of his worldview. She was therefore aware that the angel was not a god, but a mouthpiece of God. For she said: Have I seen a revelation here too, after my vision, in addition to those I saw in Abram’s house? Hagar had some prior familiarity with angels, as she had lived in a spiritual environment. She exclaimed in surprise that even here, in a distant wilderness, the God she had seen and known in her home had revealed Himself to her.

עַל־כֵּן֙ קָרָ֣א לַבְּאֵ֔ר בְּאֵ֥ר לַחַ֖י רֹאִ֑י הִנֵּ֥ה בֵין־קָדֵ֖שׁ וּבֵ֥ין בָּֽרֶד׃

Therefore, one called the cistern Be’er Lahai Roi, meaning the well [ be’er ] of the living [ ḥai ] God of my vision [ ro’i ]. Behold, this well is still known, and is mentioned several times later (24:62; 25:11); it is located between Kadesh and Bered, to the south of Canaan.

וַתֵּ֧לֶד הָגָ֛ר לְאַבְרָ֖ם בֵּ֑ן וַיִּקְרָ֨א אַבְרָ֧ם שֶׁם־בְּנ֛וֹ אֲשֶׁר־יָלְדָ֥ה הָגָ֖ר יִשְׁמָעֵֽאל׃

After returning home as instructed by the angel, Hagar ultimately bore to Abram a son; Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. It is possible that he had not heard from Hagar that this was the name recommended by the angel, and yet he selected it of his own accord, as the Lord had heard [ shama ] him and his misery as well, and had given him his firstborn son.

וְאַבְרָ֕ם בֶּן־שְׁמֹנִ֥ים שָׁנָ֖ה וְשֵׁ֣שׁ שָׁנִ֑ים בְּלֶֽדֶת־הָגָ֥ר אֶת־יִשְׁמָעֵ֖אל לְאַבְרָֽם׃ (ס)

And Abram was eighty-six years old, when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.