Genesis 16:2-3

Context
16:2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Since¹ the Lord has prevented me from having children, have sexual relations with² my servant. Perhaps I can have a family by her.”³ Abram did what⁴ Sarai told him.

16:3 So after Abram had lived⁵ in Canaan for ten years, Sarai, Abram’s wife, gave Hagar, her Egyptian servant,⁶ to her husband to be his wife.⁷

Genesis 16:5-6

Context
16:5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You have brought this wrong on me!⁸ I allowed my servant to have sexual relations with you,⁹ but when she realized¹⁰ that she was pregnant, she despised me.¹¹ May the Lord judge between you and me!”¹²

16:6 Abram said to Sarai, “Since your¹³ servant is under your authority,¹⁴ do to her whatever you think best.”¹⁵ Then Sarai treated Hagar¹⁶ harshly,¹⁷ so she ran away from Sarai.¹⁸

Genesis 16:8

Context
16:8 He said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” She replied, “I’m running away from¹⁹ my mistress, Sarai.”

[16:2] ¹tn Heb “look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) introduces the foundational clause for the imperative to follow.

[16:2] ²tn Heb “enter to.” The expression is a euphemism for sexual relations (also in v. 4).

[16:2] ³tn Heb “perhaps I will be built from her.” Sarai hopes to have a family established through this surrogate mother.

[16:2] ⁴tn Heb “listened to the voice of,” which is an idiom meaning “obeyed.”

[16:3] ⁵tn Heb “at the end of ten years, to live, Abram.” The prepositional phrase introduces the temporal clause, the infinitive construct serves as the verb, and the name “Abram” is the subject.

[16:3] ⁶tn Heb “the Egyptian, her female servant.”

[16:3] ⁷sn To be his wife. Hagar became a slave wife, not on equal standing with Sarai. However, if Hagar produced the heir, she would be the primary wife in the eyes of society. When this eventually happened, Hagar become insolent, prompting Sarai’s anger.

[16:5] ⁸tn Heb “my wrong is because of you.”

[16:5] ⁹tn Heb “I placed my female servant in your bosom.”

[16:5] ¹⁰tn Heb “saw.”

[16:5] ¹¹tn Heb “I was despised in her eyes.” The passive verb has been translated as active for stylistic reasons. Sarai was made to feel supplanted and worthless by Hagar the servant girl.

[16:5] ¹²tn Heb “me and you.”

[16:6] ¹³tn The clause is introduced with the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh), introducing a foundational clause for the coming imperative: “since…do.”

[16:6] ¹⁴tn Heb “in your hand.”

[16:6] ¹⁵tn Heb “what is good in your eyes.”

[16:6] ¹⁶tn Heb “her”; the referent (Hagar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:6] ¹⁷tn In the Piel stem the verb עָנָה (’anah) means “to afflict, to oppress, to treat harshly, to mistreat.”

[16:6] ¹⁸tn Heb “and she fled from her presence.” The referent of “her” (Sarai) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:8] ¹⁹tn Heb “from the presence of.”