Hagar — Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary

Egyptian handmaid of Sarai, the wife of Abram. At Sarai’s insistence, Abram took Hagar as his concubine, and she became the mother of his son Ishmael (Gn 16:1-16; 21:9-21).

When God commanded Abram to leave Mesopotamia, he promised to make a great nation of him and to give the new land to his seed (Gn 12:2, 7 OET GEN 12:2 · OET GEN 12:7). After ten years in Canaan and still childless, Sarai suggested to Abram that he take Hagar as his concubine and have children by her. It was the custom in northeast Mesopotamia that, when a wife failed to produce an heir for her husband, she could give him a slave for that purpose. Any son born of the union of husband and concubine was considered the child of the wife (cf. 30:1-6).

Show passage in OET: GEN 12:2; GEN 12:7

OET-RV GEN 12:2

2 I’ll bless you and make you into a great nation. I’ll make you famous and you’ll be a blessing to others.

OET-RV GEN 12:7

7 Then Yahweh came to Avram and told him, “I’ll give this land to your descendants.” So Avram built an altar there and made a burnt offering to Yahweh, who had appeared to him.

OET-LV GEN 12:2

2 And_I _will _make_you(ms) to_(a)_nation great and_I _will _bless_you(ms) and_I _will _make _big/great your(ms)_name and_be a _blessing.

OET-LV GEN 12:7

7 And_ YHWH _he _appeared to ʼAⱱrām and_he/it _said to_offspring _of_your I _will _give DOM the_earth/land (the)_this and_he/it _built there an _altar to/for_YHWH who_had_appeared to_him/it.

Show passage in OET: GEN 30:1–6

OET-RV GEN 30:1

30 Now Rahel realised that she wasn’t producing any children for Ya’akov (Jacob), so she envied her sister Le’ah, and she demanded from Ya’akov, “Give me children, and if you don’t, I’ll die!”

OET-RV GEN 30:2

2 But Ya’akov’s anger flared up against Rahel and he asked, “Am I in the place of God who’s kept you from getting pregnant?”

OET-RV GEN 30:3

3 Rahel answered, “Listen, here’s my slave Bilhah. Sleep with her so that she’ll have children on my behalf and I’ll also be able to have a family through her.”

OET-RV GEN 30:4

4 Then she gave Bilhah to him as a slave wife and Ya’akov slept with her,

OET-RV GEN 30:5

5 so then Bilhah got pregnant and produced a son for Ya’akov.

OET-RV GEN 30:6

6 Rahel said, “God has vindicated me, and indeed he’s listened to my request and given me a son!” That’s why she named him ‘Dan’ (which means ‘he judged (in my favour)’).

OET-LV GEN 30:1

30 And_ Rāḩēl _she/it _saw if/because _that not she _had _borne _children to_Yaˊₐqoⱱ/(Jacob) and_ Rāḩēl _she _was _jealous of_sister _of_her and_she/it _said to Yaˊₐqoⱱ come_NOW to/for_me children and_if not I am_about _to _die.

OET-LV GEN 30:2

2 And_ the _anger of_Yaˊₐqoⱱ _it _glowed/burnt on_Rāḩēl and_he/it _said in_place _of god am_I who he _has _withheld from_you fruit _of the_womb.

OET-LV GEN 30:3

3 And_she/it _said HERE maidservant _of_my Bilhāh go to_her/it so_that _she _may _bear _children on knees _of_my and_ also I _so _that _I _may _be _built _up from_her.

OET-LV GEN 30:4

4 And_she _gave to_him/it DOM Bilhāh maidservant _of_her to/for_(a)_woman and_he _went to_her/it Yaˊₐqoⱱ.

OET-LV GEN 30:5

5 And_ Bilhāh _she/it _conceived/became _pregnant and_she/it _gave _birth to_Yaˊₐqoⱱ a _son.

OET-LV GEN 30:6

6 And_ Rāḩēl _she/it _said he_has _vindicated _me god and_also he _has _listened to_voice _of_my and_he _has _given to_me a _son therefore yes/correct/thus/so she _called his/its_name Dān.

Jump to OET GEN 12:2 section. · OET GEN 12:7 section.

Jump to OET GEN 30:1–6 section.

During her pregnancy, Hagar became disrespectful to Sarai. Sarai dealt so harshly with Hagar that she fled to the desert. An angel of God appeared to her at a well in the desert and told her to return to Abram’s house, promising that she would have a son, Ishmael (“God hears”), who would be a wild and quarrelsome man. Hagar then named the place Beer-lahairoi, meaning “the well of one who sees and lives.”

Ishmael was born when Abram was 86 years old, and 14 years later God gave Abraham and Sarah the promised son, Isaac. At the time of Isaac’s weaning (at approximately three years of age), a feast was held. At the weaning feast Ishmael mocked Isaac (Gn 21:9), and Sarah in anger asked Abraham to send Hagar and Ishmael away. Abraham hesitated until God spoke to him and told him to do so (v 12).

Show passage in OET: GEN 21:9

OET-RV GEN 21:9

9 But Sarah noticed that Yishmael (Ishmael) (the son of Hagar the Mitsri (Egyptian) who she had given birth to for Avraham) was mocking,

OET-LV GEN 21:9

9 And_ Sārāh _she/it _saw DOM the _son _of Hāgār the_from _Miʦrayim/(Miʦrayim/(Egypt)) whom she _had _borne to_ʼAⱱrāhām mocking.

Show passage in OET: GEN 21:12

OET-RV GEN 21:12

12 but God told him, “Don’t get distressed because of the boy and your slave woman. Listen to what Sarah’s telling you, because it’s in Yitshak that your descendants will be called yours.

OET-LV GEN 21:12

12 And_ god _he/it _said to ʼAⱱrāhām not let _it _be _displeasing in_eyes _of_your on the_lad and_on your(ms)_female _slave all _of that she _says to_you Sārāh listen to_voice _of_her if/because in_Yiʦḩāq it _will _be _named to/for_yourself(m) offspring.

Jump to OET GEN 21:9 section.

Jump to OET GEN 21:12 section.

Hagar and Ishmael left to wander in the wilderness of Beersheba. When their water was exhausted, God miraculously rescued Hagar and Ishmael from death and assured Hagar that Ishmael would be the father of a great nation (Gn 21:17-19). Ishmael lived in the wilderness of Paran, became a hunter, married an Egyptian, and became the father of the Ishmaelites.

Show passage in OET: GEN 21:17–19

OET-RV GEN 21:17

17 Now God heard the boy’s voice, so one of God’s messengers called Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What’s the matter, Hagar? Don’t be afraid, because God has heard the boy’s voice over there.

OET-RV GEN 21:18

18 Get up and get the boy and hold on to him by the hand, because I’ll make his descendants into a great nation.”

OET-RV GEN 21:19

19 Then God enabled her to see a well, so she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.

OET-LV GEN 21:17

17 And_ god _he/it _listened DOM the _sound _of the _lad and_ the _messenger _of god _he/it _called to Hāgār from the_heavens and_he/it _said to/for_her/it what is_to_you Oh _Hāgār do _not be _afraid if/because god he _has _listened to the _sound _of the _lad at_where he is_there.

OET-LV GEN 21:18

18 Arise lift _up DOM the_lad and_take _hold DOM hand _of_your in/on/over_him/it if/because to_(a)_nation great I_will _make _him.

OET-LV GEN 21:19

19 And_ god _he _opened DOM eyes _of_her and_she/it _saw a _well _of water and_she _went and_she _filled DOM the_skin water and_she _gave _a _drink _to DOM the_lad.

Jump to OET GEN 21:17–19 section.

In an allegory developed by Paul (Gal 4:22-31), Hagar represents the old covenant of Sinai. As Ishmael was Abraham’s son by human arrangement, the Judaizing Christians who would bind all Christians to the law of Moses are like Hagar’s children born in slavery. Sarah, the freewoman, represents the new covenant of Christ. As Isaac was Abraham’s son by faith in the divine promise, Christians who are free of the fleshly ordinances of the law are spiritual children of Sarah. The contrast is between salvation by works, which is bondage to the law, and salvation by grace and faith, which is freedom.

Show passage in OET: GAL 4:22–31

OET-RV GAL 4:22

22 It’s written in the scriptures that Avraham had two sons: one son with the slave girl Hagar, and one with the free woman.

OET-RV GAL 4:23

23 The slave girl’s son was born because of human actions, but in contrast, the free woman’s son was a result of God’s promise.

OET-RV GAL 4:24

24 So if we use this as an illustration, there are two agreements: one is from Mt. Sinay which relates to Hagar and gives birth to enslaved people.

OET-RV GAL 4:25

25 Hagar’s Mt. Sinay is in Arav and corresponds to the present earthly Yerushalem (Jerusalem) in slavery along with her children.

OET-RV GAL 4:26

26 However, the heavenly Yerushalem, which is our mother, is free,

OET-RV GAL 4:27

27 because it’s been written in the scriptures:
⇔ ‘Be glad barren woman,
⇔ you who have never borne a child.
⇔ Be bold and shout,
⇔ you who have never been in labour,
⇔ because the lonely woman now has many children,
⇔ even more than the woman with a husband.’

OET-RV GAL 4:28