John Gill Commentary Genesis 16

Now Sarai, Abram's wife, bore him no children
She was previously said to be barren, and he was childless (Genesis 11:30; Genesis 15:2); God had promised him a seed, but as yet he had none, which was a trial of his faith. He had been married many years to Sarai his wife; she was his wife when they came out of Ur of the Chaldees, and how long before that cannot be said. They stayed and lived some time at Haran, the Jews ^F24 say five years, and they had been now ten years in the land of Canaan (Genesis 16:3). They were advanced in years, the one being seventy-five and the other eighty-five, so that there was no great probability of having any children. Therefore, the following step was taken:

and she had a handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.
No doubt she had many, but this was a principal one, who might be over others and was chiefly entrusted with the care and management of family affairs under her mistress. She might be the daughter of an Egyptian, born in Abram's house, as Eliezer was the son of a Syrian of Damascus, born there also; or she might be one of the maidservants Pharaoh, king of Egypt, gave to Abram (Genesis 12:16).

The Jews ^F25 have a tradition that she was a daughter of Pharaoh, who, when he saw the wonders done for Sarai, said, 'It is better that my daughter should be a handmaid in this house than a mistress in another,' and therefore gave her to Sarai. Others say ^F26 she was a daughter of his by a concubine, but neither is probable.

From her came the people called Hagarites (1 Chronicles 5:10) and Hagarenes (Psalms 83:6). There were also a people in Arabia called Agraei, both by Strabo ^F1 and Pliny ^F2; and the latter speaks of a royal city in that country called Agra, which seem to have their names from this person.

Melo ^F3, a Heathen writer, speaking of Abram, says that he had two wives, one of his own country and akin to him, and the other an Egyptian, a servant. Of the Egyptian he begot twelve sons, who, going into Arabia, divided the country among them and were the first that reigned over the inhabitants of it. As to her twelve sons, he mistakes, for these were not Hagar's sons by Abram, but her grandsons, the sons of Ishmael .

FOOTNOTES:

• F24: Seder Olam Rabba, p. 2.
• F25: Targum Jon. & Jarchi in loc. Bereshit Rabba, sect. 45. fol. 40. 2.
• F26: Pirke Eliezer, c. 26.
• F1: Geograph. l. 16. p. 528.
• F2: Hist. Nat. l. 6. c. 28.
• F3: Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 19. p. 420, 421.

And Sarai said to Abram, look now, the Lord has
restrained me from bearing
Or, "has shut me up" ^F4 ; that is, her womb, as were the wombs of the house of Abimelech, (Genesis 20:18) ; so that she could not conceive and bear children; she now at this age despaired of having children, perceiving very probably that it ceased to be with her after the manner of women; and this she refers to the will and power of God; for, as children are his gift, and an heritage from him, (Psalms 127:3) , so it is his will and pleasure sometimes to withhold this blessing from those who are very desirous of them:

Please go in to my maid ;
Hagar, the Egyptian before mentioned; her meaning is, that he would take her to wife, and use her as such:

it may be that I may obtain children by her ;
for whatsoever were born of her handmaid, and in her house, were her own, and so she should account them, and especially as they would be her husband's, see (Exodus 21:4) ; or, "may be builded by her" ^F5 ; for women, by bearing children, build up an house, see (Ruth 4:11) ; hence a son in Hebrew is called "ben", from "banah", to build:

and Abram listened to the voice of Sarai ;
without consulting God about it, the proposal being agreeable to the flesh, which may be imputed to the infirmity of the good man;

though it does not appear to arise from previous lust predominant in him; but both Sarai's proposal, and his compliance with it, might be owing to the eager desire of each after the promised seed; they both believed the promise, but did not know it, being not as yet revealed, that Abram should have a son by Sarai; so that Sarai knowing her own case and circumstances, might conclude it was to be by another, and by her handmaid; and Abram might reason and judge after the same manner, which inclined him to listen to her:

Josephus ^F6 says, indeed, that Sarai moved this to Abram by the direction and order of God himself; and the Jewish writers say ^F7 , that Abram listened to the Holy Spirit of God that was in her.

FOOTNOTES:

• F4: (ynrue) "couclusit me", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus, Drusius, Schmidt; "occlusit me", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Cocceius.
• F5: (hnba) "aedificatur", Montanus, Piscator, Cocceius, Schmidt, Cartwright; so Ainsworth.
• F6: Antiqu. l. 1. c. 10. sect. 4.
• F7: Jarchi in loc. Bereshit Rabba, ut supra. (sect. 45. fol. 2.)

And Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian ,
&c.] Took her by the hand, it is probable, and led her into the apartment where Abram was, and presented her to him; their characters are very exactly described, and the contrast beautifully given, that the affair might be the more remarkable and observable:

after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan ;
so that he was now eighty five years of age, for he was sventy five when he departed from Haran and came into Canaan, (Genesis 12:4) ; and Sarai, being ten years younger than he, must be sventy five; the Jews from hence have formed a rule or canon; that if a man marries a woman, and she has no children in ten years, he is obliged to marry another ^F8 :

and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife ;
his secondary wife, or concubine; which, though contrary to the first institution of marriage, was connived at of God, and was practised by good men: nothing can excuse them but their earnest desire after the Messiah, the promised seed; and one may conclude, that nothing but this especially could move Sarai to take such a step, so contrary to the temper and disposition of women in common.

FOOTNOTES:

• F8: Bereshit Rabba, ut supra. (sect. 45. fol. 40. 2.). Jarchi & Aben Ezra in loc.

And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived
The formality of the marriage being over, he enjoyed her as his wife, and she immediately conceived by him:

and when she saw that she had conceived ;
when she perceived that she was with child:

her mistress was despised in her eyes ;
she thought herself above her, and treated her as her inferior, with contempt, and reproached her for her barrenness, as Peninnah did Hannah, (1 Samuel 1:6 1 Samuel 1:7) ; and it was the more ungrateful, as it was at the motion of her mistress that she was given to Abram for wife.

And Sarai said to Abram
Being affronted with the behaviour of her maid to her, she applies to Abram for the redress of her grievance, judging it, perhaps, below her dignity to enter into an altercation with her maid:

my wrong [be] upon you ;
in her passion imprecating evil on him, as a just punishment upon him for suffering wrong to be done her by her maid; or, "is upon you" ^F9 ; pointing at his duty, and suggesting to him what he ought to do; that it was incumbent on him as her husband to right her wrongs, and do her justice, and vindicate her from the calumnies and reproaches of her servant; and tacitly complaining of him, and accusing him with indolence and unconcern at the injury done her, being silent when it became him to check her insolence and chide her for it:

or, "is for you" ^F11 ; for your sake; it was for the sake of Abram chiefly, that he might have a son and heir, which he was very solicitous, that she gave him her maid to wife; the consequence of which was, that she was now insulted and abused by her, and so suffered wrong for his sake; and the rather she might be tempted to say it was on his account, as she might be jealous of a growing affection in him to Hagar, and that he showed greater respect to her, being likely to have a child by her, and so connived at her haughtiness and arrogance:

I have given my maid into your bosom ;
to be his wife, (Micah 7:5) ; Sarai had no reason to upbraid Abram with this, since it was not at his solicitations she gave her to him, but it was her own motion:

and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes ;
when she found herself with child, and hoped to bring forth a son, that should be heir to Abram's large possessions, and inherit the land of Canaan, given to his seed, she began to think highly of herself, and looked with disdain upon her mistress, set lightly by her, made no account of her, showed her no respect, carried it haughtily to her, as if she was beneath her, and as if she had more authority in the house, and a better claim to the affection of Abram, and deserving of more honour and respect, as she was favoured of God with conception, a blessing Sarai never enjoyed:

the Lord judge between me and you :
which was very rashly and hastily said, as if Abram was not inclined and was unwilling to do her justice, and therefore she appeals to God against him, as an unrighteous man, and desires that he would interpose, and by his providence show who was in the right and who in the wrong: or "the Lord will judge" ^F12 ; expressing her confidence not only in the justness of her cause, but in the appearance of divine Providence in her favour; believing that the Lord would arise and help her, and defend her against the insults made upon her, and resent the injury done her.

FOOTNOTES:

• F9: (Kyle yomx) "injuria mea super te est", Cocceius; so Ainsworth.
• F11: "Vel injuria mea est propter te", Cocceius; "quid si legamus propter te?" Drusius.
• F12: (jpvy) "judicabit", Junius & Tremellius.