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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.
It was not because he was ablaze with the heat of some unbridled passion, not because he was overcome by the charm of seductive beauty that Abraham gave preference to a relationship with a slave girl over the conjugal bed, but through a desire to procure a posterity and to enlarge his progeny. After the flood the human race was still numerically sparse. Hence it was also a matter of moral obligation that no one be seen to have failed to render the debt to nature. For this reason, even the children of holy Lot were inspired by this motive to procure a posterity for themselves so that the human race would not become extinct. Thus the merit of having done one’s duty to society excused individual guilt. And it is not without significance that the wife is presented as the instigator of the deed. In [a] sense [this] exculpates her husband, so that no one could believe that he was carried away by some mad perversion. At the same time … women might learn to love their husbands, not to allow themselves to be tormented by empty suspicions of infidelity and not to dislike their stepchildren, when they themselves have been childless. That wonderful wife desired only that her husband forgive her sterility, and, wishing to avoid being herself the reason for her husband’s not having children, she persuades him to go in to the slave girl. Later on, Leah and Rachel did the same thing. Learn, O woman, to put aside jealousy, which often drives women to madness.
As we said above, it is a most authentic proof of moderation (sophrosyne) that Sarah gives in offering her slave girl to Abraham without a hint of jealousy, after she had observed that in ten months’ time she had not conceived. And we have acknowledged too the passionlessness (apatheia) of the wise man, in that his clear purpose in yielding to his wife’s request was to have children.The anagogical [mystical] sense has already been expounded. It is in accordance with its goal that virtue asks us to first make use of the introductory sciences so as to first have children by them. This does not prevent the works of preparatory education from being themselves children of virtue, since they are engaged for the sake of virtue. By employing these, it was not long before the wise man effected a conception, for progress is spontaneous for the wise man.
Virtue’s purpose was, as we have said, that the wise man do training exercises first in preliminary education and shadow so that later, with this training behind him, he might arrive at greater things—which is the proper procedural order. It is likewise illogical that after the knowledge of perfect things one should turn back to petty things. This is in fact what the apostle Paul writes to the Galatians, who, after the gospel had been preached to them, wanted to live with the shadow, which is the law.… They had been taken in by a certain Ebion, who wanted to practice Judaism after having become a Christian and who was so successful in persuading others that the apostles gave him this surname to show his poverty. Ebion, in fact, means “poor,” and he was so called because of the perversion and poverty of his ideas. As for the fact that the Galatians were of pagan origin, Paul writes, “Formerly, when you did not know God, you were in bondage to beings that by nature are not gods, but now you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God.” He reproached them, as I said, in these terms (to produce now the text I announced): “Having begun with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh?” Indeed, when once they had given a wholly divine beginning to their edifice, they were looking for figures in an inappropriate manner, for they were searching for them when it was no longer their time. For we must understand why the visible circumcision was given and until what time it was appropriate to practice it. If one has understood this, he has had children from the concubine and is able, after this, to comprehend the circumcision of the heart that is effected by the Spirit. This holy man, upon the advice of virtue, went in to the slave girl whom she had placed at his disposal, as we have explained, and the slave girl conceived. But after this, it is inappropriate to remain with her beyond the time of her favor. Many indeed, having made use of the preparatory exercises in view of the perfect teaching, never go beyond this point, thus giving birth to a progeny of slavery, and in a certain sense dishonor virtue.… One dishonors virtue, then, who gives other things precedence over it. For if one chooses virtue, not for its own sake but for the sake of something else—praise, for example, or glory—then in a certain sense one is dishonoring the good, which in itself is not susceptible to dishonor.
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SUMMARY
Genesis 16:3 meticulously records Sarai's pivotal decision to give her Egyptian maidservant, Hagar, to her husband Abram as a wife. This act transpired a decade after Abram had settled in the land of Canaan, a period marked by Sarai's continued barrenness despite God's explicit promise of an heir. Driven by impatience and a desire to facilitate the divine covenant through human means, Sarai's action represents a significant departure from waiting on God's miraculous intervention, setting the stage for profound familial and theological consequences.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Genesis 16:3 details a critical decision made by Sarai, illustrating the human tendency to intervene in divine plans when God's timing seems slow. This verse serves as a pivot point, moving the narrative from God's promise to Abram's family's human response.
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The narrative of Genesis 16:3 employs several literary devices to convey its profound theological message. Irony is evident in Sarai's attempt to "help" God fulfill His promise, which ultimately leads to discord and suffering rather than the desired blessing and peace. Her human ingenuity, intended to bring about a solution, ironically introduces a major obstacle to the smooth unfolding of God's plan. The verse also employs Foreshadowing, subtly hinting at the future conflict and strife that will arise from this decision, particularly between Sarai and Hagar (Genesis 16:4-6) and ultimately between their descendants (Isaac and Ishmael). Furthermore, there is a clear Contrast between human impatience and divine timing. The "ten years" highlight Sarai's and Abram's inability to wait on God, setting their human-driven actions against the backdrop of God's perfect, though delayed, plan.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Genesis 16:3 serves as a profound theological lesson on the dangers of human impatience and the temptation to take matters into one's own hands when God's promises seem delayed. Sarai's decision, though culturally acceptable at the time, represents a profound lack of faith in God's unique ability to fulfill His word in His own way and time. It underscores the critical distinction between human ingenuity and divine sovereignty, illustrating that God's covenant promises are not contingent upon human manipulation or shortcuts, but upon His miraculous power and faithfulness. This narrative implicitly challenges believers to trust God's perfect timing and methods, even when circumstances appear to contradict His word, reminding us that God's ways are often higher and more mysterious than our own. The immediate strife and long-term consequences of this decision highlight the inherent flaws in attempting to achieve spiritual ends through fleshly means.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Genesis 16:3 stands as a timeless cautionary tale for believers across generations. It powerfully reminds us that God's divine plans are perfect and do not require our human ingenuity, manipulation, or shortcuts to be accomplished. In our own lives, when faced with periods of waiting, uncertainty, or seemingly insurmountable obstacles to God's promises, the temptation to "help God out" can be overwhelming. Sarai's story encourages us to resist this impulse, understanding that our impatience often leads to unintended complications and long-term strife, rather than the desired outcome. True faith involves patiently waiting on the Lord, even when His timing defies our expectations or logic, trusting that His faithfulness will ultimately prevail. This narrative calls us to cultivate a deeper reliance on God's sovereign power, knowing that His methods are always superior and His timing always perfect. It challenges us to ask ourselves whether our actions are born of faith and patient endurance or of anxiety and a desire to control outcomes that rightly belong to God. We are called to truly wait on the Lord, knowing that those who wait on Him will renew their strength.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why did Sarai give Hagar to Abram as a wife?
Answer: Sarai was barren, and in ancient Near Eastern cultures, it was a common practice for a barren wife to provide her husband with a maidservant to bear children on her behalf. These children would then be legally considered the primary wife's offspring. Sarai's action was an attempt to fulfill God's promise of an heir through a culturally accepted, though divinely unintended, method, driven by her impatience after ten years of waiting for God to act. She sought to ensure the continuation of Abram's lineage through a means she understood, rather than waiting for God's miraculous intervention as promised in Genesis 15.
What was Hagar's status after being given to Abram?
Answer: Hagar's status was elevated from a mere maidservant to a secondary wife or concubine (pilgesh in Hebrew). While she was considered Abram's wife in a legal and social sense for the purpose of procreation, her status was distinct from that of a primary wife like Sarai. Children born from such unions were legally attributed to the primary wife, meaning any child Hagar bore would be considered Sarai's heir. This arrangement, however, did not grant Hagar the full rights and privileges of a primary wife.
Did God approve of this arrangement?
Answer: While the practice was culturally permissible at the time, the biblical narrative clearly indicates that this arrangement was not God's intended method for fulfilling His covenant promise. God had promised an heir directly from Abram's own body through Sarai (Genesis 17:15-16). The immediate and long-term consequences of this decision—strife in the household (Genesis 16:4-6) and the ongoing conflict between the descendants of Isaac and Ishmael—demonstrate that it was not in line with God's perfect will. God's plan was for a miraculous birth through Sarai, emphasizing His power and faithfulness, not human ingenuity.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
The narrative of Genesis 16:3 profoundly underscores humanity's inherent inability to achieve God's promises through fleshly means or human ingenuity. Sarai and Abram's attempt to "help" God produce an heir highlights the critical need for divine intervention and miraculous power, a theme that finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ. The failure of their human-driven solution points forward to Christ, who is the true and ultimate fulfillment of God's promise of an heir, not through human effort but through divine grace. The spiritual descendants of Abram, the vast multitude promised by God, are not born through human lineage or works of the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ, as the Apostle Paul articulates in Galatians 3:29. Christ, born not of human will or fleshly desire but of God's Spirit (John 1:12-13), perfectly embodies God's faithfulness to His promises, accomplishing what human weakness and impatience could never achieve. He is the true "seed" through whom all nations are blessed (Galatians 3:16), demonstrating that God's covenant is fulfilled purely by His sovereign grace and power, not by our flawed attempts to manipulate or hasten His perfect plan.