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Commentary on Genesis 16 verses 1–3
We have here the marriage of Abram to Hagar, who was his secondary wife. Herein, though some excuse may be made for him, he cannot be justified, for from the beginning it was not so; and, when it was so, it seems to have proceeded from an irregular desire to build up families for the speedier peopling of the world and the church. Certainly it must not be so now. Christ has reduced this matter to the first institution, and makes the marriage union to be between one man and one woman only. Now,
I. The maker of this match (would one think it?) was Sarai herself: she said to Abram, I pray thee, go in unto my maid, Gen 16:2. Note, 1. It is the policy of Satan to tempt us by our nearest and dearest relations, or those friends that we have an opinion of and an affection for. The temptation is most dangerous when it is sent by a hand that is least suspected: it is our wisdom therefore to consider, not so much who speaks as what is spoken. 2. God's commands consult our comfort and honour much better than our own contrivances do. It would have been much more for Sarai's interest if Abram had kept to the rule of God's law instead of being guided by her foolish projects; but we often do ill for ourselves.
II. The inducement to it was Sarai's barrenness.
1.Sarai bare Abram no children. She was very fair (Gen 12:14), was a very agreeable, dutiful wife, and a sharer with him in his large possessions; and yet written childless. Note, (1.) God dispenses his gifts variously, loading us with benefits, but not overloading us: some cross or other is appointed to be an alloy to great enjoyments. (2.) The mercy of children is often given to the poor and denied to the rich, given to the wicked and denied to good people, though the rich have most to leave them and good people would take most care of their education. God does herein as it has pleased him.
2.She owned God's providence in this affliction: The Lord hath restrained me from bearing. Note, (1.) As, where children are, it is God that gives them (Gen 33:5), so where they are wanted it is he that withholds them, Gen 30:2. This evil is of the Lord. (2.) It becomes us to acknowledge this, that we may bear it, and improve it, as an affliction of his ordering for wise and holy ends.
3.She used this as an argument with Abram to marry his maid; and he was prevailed upon by this argument to do it. Note, (1.) When our hearts are too much set upon any creature-comfort, we are easily put upon the use of indirect methods for the obtaining of it. Inordinate desires commonly produce irregular endeavours. If our wishes be not kept in a submission to God's providence, our pursuits will scarcely be kept under the restraints of his precepts. (2.) It is for want of a firm dependence upon God's promise, and a patient waiting for God's time, that we go out of the way of our duty to catch at expected mercy. He that believes does not make haste.
4.Abram's compliance with Sarai's proposal, we have reason to think, was from an earnest desire of the promised seed, on whom the covenant should be entailed. God had told him that his heir should be a son of his body, but had not yet told him that it should be a son by Sarai; therefore he thought, "Why not by Hagar, since Sarai herself proposed it?" Note, (1.) Foul temptations may have very fair pretenses, and be coloured with that which is very plausible. (2.) Fleshly wisdom, as it anticipates God's time of mercy, so it puts us out of God's way. (3.) This would be happily prevented if we would ask counsel of God by the word and by prayer, before we attempt that which is important and suspicious. Herein Abram was wanting; he married without God's consent. This persuasion came not of him that called him.
Some might still be struck by the fact that Abraham had a relationship with his slave girl when he was already conversing with God, as it is written: “Sarah said to Abraham, ‘See now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children; go in to my maid to make children from her.’ ” And this is exactly what happened. But we should consider first of all that Abraham lived prior to the law of Moses and before the gospel; adultery, it seems, was not yet prohibited at this time. The penalty for the crime goes back only to the time of the law, which made adultery a crime. So there is no condemnation for the offense that precedes the law but only one based on the law. Abraham then cannot be said to have violated the law since he came before the law. Though in paradise God had praised marriage, he had not condemned adultery. In fact, he does not wish the death of sinners, and for this reason he promises the reward without exacting the penalty. Indeed, God prefers to stimulate with mild proddings than to terrify with severe threats. If you too sinned, when you were a pagan, you have an excuse. But now you have come to the church and have heard the law, “You shall not commit adultery,” you no longer have an excuse for the offense. However, since this discourse is directed also to those who are inscribed to receive the grace of baptism, if anyone has committed such a grave sin, let him be sure that he will be pardoned, but as one who has committed an offense. Let him know, however, that for the future he is obliged to abstain. Indeed, in the case of the adulterous woman spoken of in the Gospel, whom the scribes and Pharisees presented to the Lord, the Lord forgave her former sins but said, “Go, and from now on be careful not to sin any more.” In saying this to her, he says it to you. You have committed adultery as a pagan; you have sinned as a catechumen. The sin is forgiven you, remitted through baptism; go, and in the future, see that you do not sin. Such is the first defense of Abraham.
As for the anagogical [mystical] teaching, one could explain the text by recalling that Paul allegorically transposed the two women into the two covenants. Philo also used allegory here but giving the text another application: He understood Sarah to represent perfect virtue and philosophy, because she was a free woman and wife, of noble birth and living with her husband in lawful union. Now virtue lives with the wise man in lawful union so that he can give birth from her to a divine progeny: “Wisdom,” in fact, “begets a man of discernment.” In Scripture the devout and holy man is addressed with the words “your wife is like a fruitful vine.… Your children are like olive shoots around the table. So shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord.”Sarah then is allegorically transposed into perfect and spiritual virtue. Hagar, the Egyptian slave, symbolizes, according to Philo, the preliminary exercises (progymnasmata), and, in Paul, “the shadow” [of good things to come]. It is not possible, in fact, to understand anything of the spiritual or elevated ideas without the shadow that is the letter or without a preliminary study of the introductory sciences, for one must first bear children from inferior unions. In the era of the shadow, they offered actual animal sacrifices, they celebrated Passover in an external and tangible way, they received physical circumcision, and all of this was preparing them gradually so that eventually they could “offer to God a sacrifice of praise,” which pertains to the free woman. As the zeal of the wise impels them to go on to the higher realities in due order, virtue impels them, by divine intention, to make use first of the introductory sciences and to have children from them. Since it is impossible, in fact, for one who has just recently approached virtue so successfully to attain perfection as to have children through her too, virtue counsels such a one to subject himself first to the preparatory disciplines so that by this path he might perfectly grasp her, if he is able.
The apostle saw in these women the type of the two covenants, in accordance with the rule of allegory, but since what the text narrates actually took place, the literal sense also deserves consideration. The saints entered the married life not to pursue pleasure but for the sake of children. There is in fact a tradition that says they would go with their wives only when the time was suitable for conception. They would not go with them during the lactation period, when they were nursing their young, or when they were with child, because they regarded neither of these times as suitable for coming together.…When Sarah, therefore, who was wise and holy, had observed for a long time that in spite of coming together with her husband she was not conceiving, she abstained from conjugal relations, and since she knew that it was in the order of things that he should have children, she gave him her slave girl as a concubine. This shows the moderation (sophrosyne) and the absence of jealousy of Sarah and the passionlessness (apatheia) of Abraham, who chose this solution at his wife’s instigation and not on his own initiative and who yielded to her request only in order to give birth to children. The literal sense too, then, is useful according to the considerations offered above.
(Chapter 16, Verse 2) Behold, the Lord has made me barren, so go in to my maidservant; perhaps I shall obtain children by her. Take careful note that the procreation of children is written in Hebrew as building. For it is read there: Go in to my maidservant, that I may perhaps build through her. And see, lest perhaps this is what is said in Exodus: God blessed the midwives, and they built houses for themselves (Exodus 1:20).
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SUMMARY
Genesis 16:2 vividly portrays Sarai's desperate attempt to secure an heir for Abram, driven by the cultural imperative of childbearing and her own barrenness, which she attributes to the LORD's restraint. Her proposal to Abram to "go in" to her maidservant, Hagar, as a surrogate mother, was a culturally accepted practice, yet it represented a profound lapse in faith in God's unique and miraculous promise. Abram's subsequent agreement to Sarai's voice, rather than seeking divine counsel or patiently waiting, initiated a chain of events that would lead to significant domestic strife and long-lasting consequences for their descendants, underscoring the perils of human ingenuity attempting to fulfill divine promises outside of God's perfect timing and method.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
The verse unfolds a pivotal moment in the Abrahamic narrative: "And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai."
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The passage employs several significant literary devices. Euphemism is evident in the phrase "go in unto my maid," which delicately refers to sexual intercourse, a common practice in biblical narratives to avoid explicit language. The narrative also utilizes Foreshadowing, as Sarai's desperate, human-driven solution immediately hints at the future familial strife and long-term conflict between the descendants of Ishmael and Isaac. There is a strong sense of Irony in Sarai's belief that she is "helping" God fulfill His promise, when in fact her actions introduce significant complications and delay the miraculous birth of the true heir. Finally, the passage presents a stark Contrast between God's clear, unconditional promise to Abram in Genesis 12 and Genesis 15, and the human impatience and lack of faith displayed by Sarai and Abram, highlighting the tension between divine sovereignty and human agency.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Genesis 16:2 serves as a profound theological lesson on the dangers of human impatience and the critical importance of trusting God's perfect timing and methods. Despite God's clear and repeated promises to Abram regarding his numerous descendants, Sarai and Abram's decade-long wait led them to resort to a humanly conceived solution, reflecting a lapse in faith. This narrative powerfully illustrates that God's promises are not merely fulfilled by Him, but in His way and in His time. The consequences of their decision—familial strife, Hagar's mistreatment, and the eventual expulsion of Ishmael—underscore that even seemingly practical or culturally acceptable shortcuts can lead to unforeseen and painful repercussions, impacting generations. Ultimately, this passage highlights God's unwavering sovereignty and faithfulness, as He eventually fulfills His promise miraculously through Sarai, demonstrating that His plan does not depend on human ingenuity but on His divine power.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Genesis 16:2 offers profound and timeless lessons for believers navigating periods of waiting and uncertainty. Sarai and Abram's story serves as a powerful cautionary tale against the temptation to "help" God fulfill His promises when His timing seems delayed or His methods unclear. In our own lives, when we face unfulfilled desires, unanswered prayers, or prolonged periods of waiting for God's promises, it is easy to become impatient and devise our own solutions. This passage challenges us to examine our hearts: are we truly trusting in God's perfect wisdom and timing, or are we succumbing to the pressure of our circumstances or cultural expectations? Abram's "hearkening to the voice of Sarai" reminds us that even well-intentioned advice from those closest to us can lead us astray if it deviates from God's revealed will or requires us to act outside of faith. True faith involves patiently enduring, praying, and waiting for God to act in His sovereign way, rather than taking shortcuts that often lead to unintended and painful consequences, as vividly demonstrated by the long-standing conflict between the descendants of Isaac and Ishmael.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Was Sarai's proposal to Abram culturally acceptable in her time?
Answer: Yes, the practice of a barren wife providing her maidservant to her husband to bear children on her behalf was a recognized and accepted custom in the ancient Near East. This is evidenced by various legal codes and social practices from the period, such as those found in the Code of Hammurabi and the Nuzi tablets. These arrangements were designed to ensure the continuation of the family line and inheritance, highlighting the immense societal importance of progeny.
Why did Abram agree to Sarai's plan instead of waiting on God?
Answer: The text states Abram "hearkened to the voice of Sarai," implying he yielded to her persuasion and the prevailing cultural pressures of the time. While God had promised him an heir, the specific how and when were not yet revealed, and Sarai's barrenness was a significant cultural and personal burden. Abram's agreement reflects a lapse in faith and patience, choosing a humanly logical solution over continued trust in God's miraculous intervention. His decision, though culturally permissible, demonstrated a failure to rely solely on God's unique and supernatural power to fulfill His promise.
Does Sarai's statement, "the LORD hath restrained me from bearing," imply God directly caused her barrenness?
Answer: Sarai's statement reflects a common biblical understanding that God is ultimately sovereign over all aspects of life, including fertility. While it doesn't necessarily mean God caused her barrenness as a punishment, it acknowledges His ultimate control and permission over such matters. Her interpretation led her to believe that if God had restrained her, then a human alternative was necessary, rather than waiting for God to unrestrain her in His own way and time. This highlights her perception of divine sovereignty, albeit one that led her to a human-centered solution.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
The narrative of Genesis 16:2, marked by human impatience and the failure of self-devised plans to achieve God's promises, ultimately points to the necessity of divine intervention and the fulfillment of God's redemptive plan through His own perfect means, finding its ultimate fulfillment in Christ. Just as Abram and Sarai's human efforts produced Ishmael, a son born "according to the flesh" (Galatians 4:23) who brought conflict and bondage, God's ultimate promise of a true heir, Isaac, was a miraculous birth, "through promise" (Galatians 4:23), foreshadowing the spiritual lineage established through Christ. The true "seed" of Abraham, through whom all nations would be blessed (Galatians 3:16), is not born of human striving, cultural custom, or fleshly desire, but through the miraculous work of God's Spirit. Jesus Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of God's promise, born not of human will or fleshly means, but conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18-20), establishing a spiritual family that transcends earthly lineage and human imperfection. He brings true peace and reconciliation where human plans only brought strife, demonstrating that salvation and true blessing come only through God's sovereign grace and His perfect, divinely appointed Son (John 1:12-13).