What does Genesis 16:3 mean?
The previous verses described Sarai's plan to "help" God accomplish His promises to Abram. Instead of waiting to see if God would give Abram an heir through Sarai, she would give a servant girl she owned to Abram as a second wife. If the girl became pregnant, per the customs of the day, the baby would belong to Sarai. It's possible that Sarai thought God's intent was to provide a son through someone other than her. It's also possible Sarai simply didn't want to wait any longer for God's fulfillment. Either way, this is a plan born out of desperation. The end results will be unfortunate, but not unexpected (Genesis 16:7–12).It has been a full decade since the initial promise, and Sarai is still barren. By Abram and Sarai's way of thinking, it is time for them to help God's plan along. They want for themselves what God wants for them; they just don't want to wait for Him to give it to them in the traditional way. So, they don't.