Genesis 16:2

So Sarai said to her husband, “Yahweh hasn't given me any children yet. So take this girl and sleep with her. Then if she has any children they will be mine.” Abram agreed.

Anindilyakwa (portions)

In The King James Version

And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD 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.

In Context

1Abram stayed there in Canaan. He lived there for ten years, but his wife Sarai still didn't have any children. Before that Sarai had taken a girl from Egypt called Hagar. Her husband had bought her from her family so that she could work for Sarai as a servant.

3So Sarai gave Hagar to her husband to be his wife

Read all of Genesis 16

Cross References

Genesis 3:12The man said, “This woman you gave me, she gave me the fruit and I ate it.”

Genesis 11:30Sarai was not able to have children.

Genesis 18:10One of the men was Yahweh and he said to Abraham, “In nine months I will come back here, and your wife will have a son.” Sarah was behind him. She was inside the tent, behind the door, listening to the men talking with Abraham.

Genesis 25:21Rebecca had no children. So Isaac prayed to Yahweh for her to have children. Yahweh heard his prayer and Rebecca became pregnant.

Genesis 30:3Rachel said, “Here is my servant Bilhah. Sleep with her so that she can have a child for me. Then I can have sons and grandsons.”

Genesis 30:9Leah realized that she had stopped having children and so she gave her servant Zilpah to Jacob to be his wife.

Matthew Henry on Genesis 16:2-4

Abram, Sarai, and Hagar. ( b. c. 1911.) 1 Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had a handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord 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. 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. We… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

Study Genesis 16:2