John Gill Commentary Genesis 16:1

"Now Sarai, Abram`s wife, bare him no children: and she had a handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar." — Genesis 16:1 (ASV)

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 .

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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.