창세기 Chapter 16

Translation: ESV

1

Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar.

Key Message

The gap between God's promise and present reality is the space where faith is tested; barrenness is not the end of the promise but the stage on which the miracle unfolds.

▸The opening of Genesis 16 is 'Sarai had borne him no children' — a heavy statement of tension in the context of the promise.

The opening of Genesis 16 is 'Sarai had borne him no children' — a heavy statement of tension in the context of the promise. God promised Abraham countless offspring like the stars and the dust, but in reality there is no child. This gap between promise and reality is the source of the story that unfolds in this chapter. Hagar is introduced as 'an Egyptian maidservant,' and it is thought that she was one of the gifts Abraham received during the Egypt episode of chapter 12.

Related Verses

And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: 'This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.'
2

And Sarai said to Abram, 'Behold now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.' And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

Key Message

When humans try to fulfill God's promise with their own methods, it brings greater pain; God's promise is accomplished through God's time and God's way.

▸Sarai's proposal is understandable from a human perspective, but the phrase 'Abram listened to the voice of Sarai' is an ominous echo.

3

So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife.

Key Message

Long waiting is the greatest test of faith; the temptation to reach the destination through one's own means intensifies with the length of waiting.

▸Ten years had already passed since Abraham arrived in the land of Canaan.

4

And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress.

Key Message

Human plans bring unintended consequences; the solution of handling things our way often creates greater problems.

▸The expected problem arises.

5

And Sarai said to Abram, 'May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the LORD judge between you and me!'

Key Message

When human plans fail, humans seek scapegoats; but the root of the problem is the original choice that deviated from God's will.

▸Sarai's complaint to Abram shows the extreme tension within the household.

6

But Abram said to Sarai, 'Behold, your servant is in your power; do to her as you please.' Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her.

Key Message

Abdicating responsibility makes situations worse; a leader must take responsibility for decisions made.

▸Abram's response is passive — he returns the authority over Hagar entirely to Sarai.

7

The angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur.

Key Message

God actively finds the lonely and marginalized; God's care extends even to those who have been pushed to the margins.

▸This is the first appearance of 'the angel of the LORD' (malak YHWH) in the Bible.

8

And he said, 'Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?' She said, 'I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.'

Key Message

God knows each person's name and situation; God's question is not for rebuke but for self-reflection and restoration.

▸The angel of the LORD calls Hagar by name — 'Hagar, servant of Sarai.

9

The angel of the LORD said to her, 'Return to your mistress and submit to her.'

Key Message

Running away does not solve problems; facing reality while trusting in God's care is true courage.

▸The angel of the LORD's command — 'Return and submit' — is not an easy command.

10

The angel of the LORD also said to her, 'I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude.'

Key Message

God's grace is not limited to the socially privileged; even the lowest in society receives God's promise directly.

▸The angel of the LORD gives Hagar a promise remarkably similar to the promise given to Abraham.

11

And the angel of the LORD said to her, 'Behold, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because the LORD has listened to your affliction.'

Key Message

The name Ishmael declares that God hears; God does not miss any human suffering, however small and hidden.

▸The name Ishmael (Yishma'el) means 'God hears.

12

He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.

Key Message

The tensions arising from human choices persist through generations; yet God cares for and guides even within conflict.

▸Ishmael is described as 'a wild donkey of a man' (pere adam).

13

So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, 'You are a God of seeing,' for she said, 'Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.'

Key Message

God sees each person personally; El Roi — the God who sees — sees even the most marginalized and forgotten.

▸Hagar names God — this is one of the most remarkable events in the Bible.

14

Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; it lies between Kadesh and Bered.

Key Message

Encounters with God leave traces in places; the memory of God's meeting with us is preserved in our personal history.

▸The well is named Beer-lahai-roi, meaning 'well of the Living One who sees me.

15

And Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.

Key Message

Ishmael is also God's beloved, yet there are limits to the path of human methods; God's purposes are not frustrated but are advanced differently.

▸Hagar returned and bore a son.

16

Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.

Key Message

God's time is not our time; what human methods achieve is not God's ultimate plan, but waiting for God's time brings greater miracles.

▸Abram was 86 years old when Ishmael was born.