Abram marries Agar 1 Now Sarai the wife of Abram, had brought forth no children; having a handmaid, an Egyptian, named Agar, 2 She said to her husband: Behold, the Lord has restrained me from bearing: go in unto my handmaid, it may be I may have children of her at least. And when he agreed to her request, 3 She took Agar the Egyptian her handmaid, ten years after they first dwelt in the land of Chanaan, and gave her to her husband to wife. 4 And he went in to her. But she, perceiving that she was with child, despised her mistress.
Agar flees from Sarai 5 And Sarai said to Abram: You did unjustly with me: I gave my handmaid into your bosom, and she perceiving herself to be with child, despises me. The Lord judge between me and you. 6 And Abram answered, and said to her: Behold your handmaid is in your own hand, use her as it pleases you. And when Sarai afflicted her, she ran away.
An angel counsels Agar to return 7 And the angel of the Lord having found her, by a fountain of water in the wilderness, which is in the way to Sur in the desert, 8 He said to her: Agar, handmaid of Sarai, where do you come from? and where are you going? And she answered: I flee from the face of Sarai, my mistress. 9 And the angel of the Lord said to her: Return to your mistress, and humble yourself under her hand. 10 And again he said: I will multiply your seed exceedingly, and it shall not be numbered for multitude.
Ismael to be born to Agar 11 And again: Behold, said he, you are with child, and you shall bring forth a son: and you shall call his name Ismael, because the Lord has heard your affliction. 12 He shall be a wild man: his hand will be against all men, and all men's hands against him: and he shall pitch his tents over against all his brethren. 13 And she called the name of the Lord that spoke unto her: You the God who has seen me. For she said: Truly here have I seen the hinder parts of him that sees me. 14 Therefore she called that well, The well of him that lives and sees me. The same is between Cades and Bared. 15 And Agar brought forth a son to Abram: who called his name Ismael. 16 Abram was fourscore and six years old when Agar brought him forth Ismael.
Commentary on Genesis 16
16:1-4 Neither nature nor any law promulgated at that time forbade polygamy, and his wife was barren and importuned her husband to have intercourse with the servant girl, not so that he would become a slave to lust, but so they could be called parents. (Theodoret of Cyrus Ques Gen 68) In the Old Testament the polygamy of patriarchs and kings is not yet explicitly rejected. (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1610) It is well known that the history of the Old Testament is the scene for the systematic defection from monogamy. This fact must have a fundamental significance in our understanding of the prohibition: "You shall not commit adultery." Especially at the time of the patriarchs, the abandonment of monogamy was dictated by the desire for offspring, a very numerous offspring. This desire was very profound, and procreation as the essential end of marriage was very evident. This was so much so that wives who loved their husbands but were not able to give them children, on their own initiative asked their husbands who loved them, if they could carry "on their own knees," or welcome, his children born of another woman, for example, those of the serving woman, the slave. Such was the case of Sarah regarding Abraham (cf. Gn 16:2) or the case of Rachel and Jacob (cf. Gn 30:3). (Pope John Paul II Theo Bod 32.2) Christ restored marriage to its first perfection, by banishing polygamy, and forbidding divorce Mt 19. (Augustin Calmet Dic Bible)
16:1 Agar (Hagar): We do not know when Hagar died. Rabbis say she was Pharaoh’s daughter; but Chrysostom asserts, that she was one of those slaves which Pharaoh gave to Abraham (Gen 12:16). The Chaldee paraphrasts, and many of the Jews believe Hagar and Keturah to be the same person. But this is not credible. Philo thinks that Hagar embraced Abraham’s religion, which is very possible. (Augustin Calmet Dic Bible)
16:5-6 What happens here is proof against any dishonorable pleasure of Abraham. When Hagar conceived, she made her pregnancy a ground for boasting and behaved insolently towards Sarah, who became upset and unjustly complained against Abraham. But he took her unreasonable behavior very |
patiently and handed Hagar over to her for punishment without even waiting for the birth of the child in her womb. (Theodoret of Cyrus Ques Gen 68) Now, I say, had he been any one else would he not have been moved to anger? Would he not also have stretched forth his hand, saying as it were, “What do you mean? I had no desire to have anything to do with the woman; it was all your own doing; and now you turn again and accuse me?”—But no, he says nothing of the sort;—but what? “Behold, your maid is in your hand; do to her that which is good in your eyes.” He delivered up the partner of his bed, that he might not grieve Sarah. And yet surely is there nothing greater than this for producing affection. (St. John Chrysostom Hom Eph 20)
16:7 For the desert of Shur stretches to the Red Sea, which extends to the borders of Egypt. (St. Jerome De situ 23,919)
16:8 Here one can see into the goodness of Agar, that she is not to be despised since the angel talks with her and is concerned for her. She could have very well been a woman of great zeal, not to mention she was chosen by Sarah to be her husband’s partner. (St. Didymus the Blind In Genesim 242)
16:10-11 Ismael: The Hebrew name is translated as 'the listening of God'. (St. Jerome Heb Ques Gen 16:11) The descendants of Ismael are usually mentioned in history under the general name of Arabians and Ishmaelites. Since the seventh century, they have almost all embraced the religion of Muhammad. (Augustin Calmet Dic Bible) Ismael is recognized by Muslims as the ancestor of several prominent Arab tribes and being the forefather of Muhammad.
16:12 This is to such an extent that the Saracens (Bede's term for Muslims) hold the whole breadth of Africa in their sway, and they also hold the greatest part of Asia and some part of Europe, hateful and hostile to all. (St. Bede Com Gen)
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