Genesis 16:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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.”

NIV: And he said, 'Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?' 'I'm running away from my mistress Sarai,' she answered.

NASB: He said, 'Hagar, Sarai’s slave woman, from where have you come, and where are you going?' And she said, 'I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.'

CSB: He said, "Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going? "She replied, "I'm running away from my mistress Sarai."

NLT: The angel said to her, 'Hagar, Sarai’s servant, where have you come from, and where are you going?' 'I’m running away from my mistress, Sarai,' she replied.

KJV: And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.

NKJV: And He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from, and where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.”

Hagar, an Egyptian servant girl pregnant with Abram's first child (Genesis 16:4), is on the run from the mistreatment of Sarai, Abram's first wife (Genesis 16:6). Sarai and Abram have attempted to speed up God's promises by seeking a child through Hagar. Unfortunately, Hagar's new status as Abram's wife and her immediate pregnancy create friction. Specifically, Hagar has become contemptuous towards Sarai, resulting in no small measure of revenge. Sarai begins to "deal harshly" with Hagar.

In running away, Hagar is most likely heading back to her homeland in Egypt (Genesis 12:15–16; 16:1). Along the way, the "angel of the Lord" finds her at a spring beside the road. He immediately identifies that he knows her, addressing her as Hagar, the servant of Sarai. He asks where she has come from and where she is going, things he likely already knows, as well.

Hagar answers honestly. She is fleeing from Sarai. The "angel of Yahweh," which seems to be the Lord Himself (Genesis 16:10, 13), will have some surprising instructions and prophecies for Hagar in the following verses.

Genesis 16:1–16 demonstrates that God hears and sees and cares, but that He won't be rushed or manipulated into keeping His promises. Sarai and Abram attempt to receive God's promised child through their own scheme. In this case, by marrying Abram to an Egyptian servant girl. The resulting pregnancy, though, leads to harsh conflict and a surprising revelation from the Lord to Hagar. Her son Ishmael will not be the child of the promise, though he will become a great nation, and his people will live in conflict with everyone. Abram and Sarai will continue to wait for the arrival of their own son.

Sarai, tired of waiting for a child, convinces Abram to go to plan B. She gives her Egyptian slave girl to Abram as a wife, with the understanding that any children will belong to Sarai. Once Hagar is pregnant, however, conflict sets in. Sarai deals harshly with Hagar, and she flees alone into the wilderness. The Lord finds her there and commands her to return and submit to Sarai. However, the Lord also reveals that Hagar's son will have an uncountable number of offspring and that they will live in conflict with everyone. Hagar praises God as the one who sees, returns to Abram and Sarai, and Ishmael is soon born.

After formally establishing His covenant promises with Abram in the previous chapter, the Lord still has not given Abram and Sarai a child. Sarai convinces Abram to take her slave girl as a wife in hopes of getting a child that way. Abram agrees. Pregnancy and conflict soon follow. Sarai treats Hagar so harshly that the girl runs off alone into the wilderness. The Lord finds her and commands her to return and submit. He also reveals, however, that Hagar's child Ishmael will become the father of a great people who will live in conflict with everyone.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.