Genesis 16:1

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children, but she had an Egyptian slave-girl whose name was Hagar.

Open English Bible (US)

In The King James Version

Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.

In Context

2Sarai said to Abram, “the Lord has denied me children; Take my slave-girl; maybe I will obtain children by her.” Then Abram listened to her

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Cross References

Genesis 11:30Sarai was barren; she had no child.

Genesis 15:2But Abram said, “Lord God, what can you give me? I am childless, and the person who will be possessor of my house is Eliezer of Damascus,

Genesis 21:12But the Lord said to Abraham, “Do not be displeased because of the boy and because of your slave-girl. Listen to all that Sarah says to you, for only through the line of Isaac will your name be perpetuated.

Genesis 25:21Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she had no children; and the Lord heard his prayer, and Rebekah became pregnant with twins.

Luke 1:7But they had no child, Elizabeth being barren; and both of them were advanced in years.

Galatians 4:24This story may be taken as an allegory. The women stand for two covenants. One covenant, given from Mount Sinai, produces a race of slaves and is represented by Hagar.

Matthew Henry on Genesis 16:1

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, ch. xiv. 16 . Concerning her, we have four things in this chapter:—I. Her marriage to Abram her master, ver. 1-3 . II. Her misbehaviour towards Sarai her mistress, ver. 4-6 . III. Her discourse with an… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

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