This chapter gives an account of Abram's marrying his maid, at the instance of his wife Sarai, Ge 16:1, who, upon conceiving, despised her mistress; of which complaint is made to Abram, who leaving his maid to his wife, to deal with her as she pleased, dealt harshly by her, and therefore fled from her, Ge 16:4; when she was met by an angel, who advised her to return and submit herself to her mistress, and told her her seed would be greatly multiplied, gave a name to the child she went with, and described his temper and disposition, Ge 16:7; and then we have the name of God that spoke to her, and of the place where the discourse passed between them, Ge 16:13; and the chapter is concluded with the birth of Ishmael, and the age of Abram at his birth, Ge 16:15.
Ver. 1. Now Sarai, Abram's wife, bare him no children,.... She is before said to be barren, and he to be childless, Ge 11:30; 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 cannot be said; they stayed and dwelt some time at Haran, the Jews say five years, and they had been now ten years in the land of Canaan, Ge 16:3; and 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, wherefore the following step was taken:and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name [was] Hagar; no doubt but she had many, but this was a principal one, that 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, Ge 12:16; the Jews 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 she was a daughter of his by a concubine, but neither is probable: from her came the people called Hagarites, 1Ch 5:10, and Hagarenes, Ps 83:6; and there were a people in Arabia called Agraei, both by Strabo and Pliny ; and the latter speaks of a royal city in that country called Agra, which seem to have their names from this person.
Melo , an 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 beget 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, see Ge 17:20.
Seder Olam Rabba, p. 2. Targum Jon. & Jarchi in loc. Bereshit Rabba, sect. 45. fol. 40. 2. Pirke Eliezer, c. 26. Geograph. l. 16. p. 528. Hist. Nat. l. 6. c. 28. Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c.
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