Will the Real Hagar Please Stand Up?

Abstract

Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. She had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. 2And Sarai said to Abram, "Look, the LORD has kept me from bearing. Consort with my maid; perhaps I shall have a son through her. ” And Abram heeded Sarai’s request.3 So Sarai, Abram’s wife, took her maid, Hagar the Egyptian—after Abram had dwelt in the land of Canaan ten years—and gave her to her husband Abram as a concubine.4 He cohabited with Hagar and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was lowered in her esteem.5 And Sarai said to Abram, "The wrong done me is your fault! I myself put my maid in your bosom; now that she sees that she is pregnant, I am lowered in her esteem. The LORD shall decide between you and me!”6 Abram said to Sarai, "Your maid is in your hands. Deal with her as you think right. ” Then Sarai treated her harshly, and she ran away from her.