Genesis 16:1 kjv

Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.

Genesis 16:1 nkjv

Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar.

Genesis 16:1 niv

Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar;

Genesis 16:1 esv

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

Genesis 16:1 nlt

Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had not been able to bear children for him. But she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar.

Genesis 16 verses

Genesis 16 1 Meaning

Genesis 16:1 introduces a pivotal moment in the biblical narrative, stating that Sarai, Abram's wife, was barren, unable to bear children. It then reveals that she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar. This verse sets the stage for a critical deviation from God's direct promise of an heir to Abram, highlighting human attempts to fulfill divine promises through their own means, a choice with significant and long-lasting consequences.

Genesis 16 1 Context

Genesis 16:1 follows directly after the covenant God made with Abram in Genesis 15, where God reiterated His promise to give Abram a great number of descendants who would come from his own body, not through adoption. Abram believed God's promise, and it was credited to him as righteousness. Despite this profound divine promise and Abram's faith, Sarai remained physically barren. The ancient Near Eastern culture placed immense importance on bearing children, especially sons, for family lineage and security. Barrenness was often considered a source of shame and a potential curse. This immediate context of unfulfilled promise combined with cultural pressures creates the tension leading to Sarai's decision to act. The prior interactions of Abram in Egypt (Gen 12), where he acquired possessions, potentially including Hagar, also sets a subtle backdrop for the maidservant's origin.

Genesis 16 1 Word analysis

• Now Sarai: The Hebrew "וְשָׂרַי" (wə-sārāy), beginning with the conjunction "and" or "now," indicates a transition or continuation from the previous narrative, shifting focus from Abram's faith to Sarai's situation. Sarai (שָׂרַי, Sarai): Meaning "my princess." Her name reflects her esteemed status, yet paradoxically she is unable to fulfill a primary wifely duty of that era.
• Abram’s wife: Emphasizes her legal and covenantal connection to the recipient of God's promises, highlighting the direct relevance of her barrenness to the lineage promised by God.
• had borne him no children: The Hebrew "לֹא יָלְדָה לוֹ" (lō’ yāləḏāh lō), "she had not born to him." The blunt statement underscores her barrenness. The focus on "to him" reiterates that the promised heir for Abram could not come through Sarai in a conventional way, establishing the immediate problem. This directly counters the divine promise of descendants through Abram's body in Gen 15:4.
• She had: This verb indicates Sarai's existing possession, emphasizing the immediate availability of Hagar.
• an Egyptian maidservant: "מִצְרִית" (Mitzrit), meaning "Egyptian," specifies her origin. Egypt was a place Abram had recently visited and where he had received gifts (Gen 12:16), possibly including Hagar. This foreign origin might suggest a separation from the covenant people. "שִׁפְחָה" (shifchah), meaning "maidservant" or "bondswoman." This term denotes her legal status as property. In ancient Near Eastern customs, maidservants could be given by barren wives to their husbands to bear children as surrogates.
• whose name was Hagar: הָגָר (Hagar): Possibly derived from a root meaning "to flee" or "stranger/sojourner." This etymological possibility, while not definitive, offers a poignant foreshadowing of Hagar's eventual flight in the narrative (Gen 16:6-9) and her status as a foreign presence within the household.

Words-group analysis:

• "Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children": This phrase encapsulates the central problem that triggers the subsequent events. It highlights the tension between God's promise and the biological reality. This physical limitation becomes the catalyst for Sarai's proposal in the next verse, revealing a gap between human expectation and divine timing.
• "She had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar": This phrase introduces the alternative solution Sarai devises. Hagar's origin connects to the earlier narrative of Abram's descent into Egypt, where the patriarch had experienced a lack of faith, possibly incurring this "gift" of a maidservant as a subtle consequence or complication. The presence of an "Egyptian" specifically hints at worldly rather than divinely ordained solutions.

Genesis 16 1 Bonus section

The seemingly simple declaration in Gen 16:1 lays the groundwork for millennia of conflict. The decision made subsequent to this verse regarding Hagar and Ishmael (her son) has deep ramifications, ultimately becoming an allegorical point for two covenants in the New Testament (Gal 4). The detailed naming of Sarai, Abram, and Hagar at the outset emphasizes their personal roles in this unfolding narrative, where a choice stemming from perceived divine delay has lasting consequences for Abraham's lineage and the course of world history. It showcases how personal family decisions can impact broader redemptive history, affirming God's intricate orchestration even within human imperfection and deviation.

Genesis 16 1 Commentary

Genesis 16:1 is not merely a descriptive statement but a setup for human intervention into a divine plan. It starkly presents Sarai's barrenness directly after God's emphatic promise of an heir to Abram, creating a narrative tension. The cultural normalcy of using a maidservant for surrogate childbearing (a practice evidenced in ancient Near Eastern tablets) is implicitly presented, but the subsequent narrative will show that while culturally acceptable, it was not God's way for fulfilling His unique covenant. This verse subtly contrasts human ingenuity and impatience with the divine timing and method. It underlines a critical biblical principle: even when God makes clear promises, human impatience can lead to reliance on fleshly methods, which often results in complications and hardship rather than blessed fulfillment. The introduction of Hagar, an Egyptian, carries the implication of a solution external to the covenant people, ultimately causing internal strife.