Genesis 16:9

God’s angel messenger said to her, “Don’t do that. Go back to your boss, and do what she says.”

Plain English Version

In The King James Version

And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.

In Context

8He said, “Hagar, you belong to Sarai, so why are you sitting out here in the desert? Where are you going?” Hagar said, “I’m running away from my boss Sarai. She is too hard on me.”

10And the angel also said, “God is going to give you a really big family. You will have a son, and later on lots of people will be born into his family, and they will be a real big family, so that nobody will be able to count all those people.”

Read all of Genesis 16

Cross References

Ephesians 6:5Now I’m talking to you workers, you people that have to work for other people all the time. Your bosses are only people, but that doesn’t matter, you have to respect them properly, and do whatever they tell you. Work hard for them, like you are working for Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2:18Some of you are workers that belong to your bosses. Maybe your boss is good to you, or maybe your boss is hard on you. It doesn’t matter. You have to listen carefully to your boss anyway and do what your boss tells you. Sometimes you don’t do anything wrong, but your boss makes trouble for you or hits you because you are following Jesus. You have to respect your boss anyway and take it quietly. Don’t try to do payback to your boss. Then God will be pleased with you, and he will say that you are good.

Matthew Henry on Genesis 16:8-10

7 And the angel of the Lord found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. 8 And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. 9 And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands. Here is the first mention we have in scripture of an angel's appearance. Hagar was a type of the law, which was given by the disposition of angels; but the world… Read the whole commentary →

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Study Genesis 16:9