Genesis 16:3

1 Now Abram’s wife Sarai had borne him no children, but she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar.

2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Look now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Please go to my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

So after he had lived in Canaan for ten years, his wife Sarai took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to Abram to be his wife.

4 And he slept with Hagar, and she conceived. But when Hagar realized that she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.

5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be upon you! I delivered my servant into your arms, and ever since she saw that she was pregnant, she has treated me with contempt. May the LORD judge between you and me.”

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB
So after he had lived in Canaan for ten years, his wife Sarai took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to Abram to be his wife.
KJV
And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.
WEB
Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to Abram her husband to be his wife.
ASV
And Sarai, Abram`s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her handmaid, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to Abram her husband to be his wife.
DARBY
And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar, the Egyptian, her maidservant, at the end of ten years that Abram had dwelt in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram, as his wife.
BLB
And Sarai, wife of Abram, took Hagar the Egyptianess, her maidservant, after ten years [of] Abram dwelling in the land of Canaan, and she gave her to Abram, her husband, for a wife.
ÅB
Så tok Sarai, Abrams hustru, og lot Abram, sin mann, få egypterkvinnen Hagar, som var hennes slavekvinne, til hustru; da var det ti år siden Abram hadde bosatt seg i Kana'ans land.
OTB
Etter at Abram hadde bodd ti år i Kanaan, tok Sarai, Abrams kone, sin egyptiske slave Hagar og ga henne til sin mann Abram for å være hans kone.
B1930
Så tok Sarai, Abrams hustru, og lot Abram, sin mann, få egypterkvinnen Hagar, som var hennes trælkvinne, til hustru; da var det ti år siden Abram hadde bosatt sig i Kana'ans land.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

  • Genesis 16:5

    Then Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be upon you! I delivered my servant into your arms, and ever since she saw that she was pregnant, she has treated me with contempt. May the LORD judge between you and me.”

    Read in context
  • Genesis 12:4–5

    So Abram departed, as the LORD had directed him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.

    Read in context
  • 2 Samuel 5:13

    After he had arrived from Hebron, David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, and more sons and daughters were born to him.

    Read in context
  • Genesis 25:6

    But while he was still alive, Abraham gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east.

    Read in context
  • Genesis 30:9

    When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she gave her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife.

    Read in context
  • Genesis 28:9

    Esau went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Abraham’s son Ishmael, in addition to the wives he already had.

    Read in context
  • Genesis 35:22

    While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard about it. Jacob had twelve sons:

    Read in context
  • Galatians 4:25

    Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present-day Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children.

    Read in context