Genesis 16:3-4

16:3 So after Abram had lived ¹  in Canaan for ten years, Sarai, Abram’s wife, gave Hagar, her Egyptian servant, ²  to her husband to be his wife. ³  16:4 He had sexual relations with ⁴  Hagar, and she became pregnant. ⁵  Once Hagar realized she was pregnant, she despised Sarai. ⁶ 

Genesis 16:8

16:8 He said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” She replied, “I’m running away from ⁷  my mistress, Sarai.”

Genesis 16:15-16

16:15 So Hagar gave birth to Abram’s son, whom Abram named Ishmael. ⁸  16:16 (Now ⁹  Abram was 86 years old ¹⁰  when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.) ¹¹ 

[16:3]  ¹ tn 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]  ² tn Heb “the Egyptian, her female servant.”

[16:3]  ³ sn 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.

[16:4]  ⁴ tn Heb “entered to.” See the note on the same expression in v. 2.

[16:4]  ⁵ tn Or “she conceived” (also in v. 5)

[16:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “and she saw that she was pregnant and her mistress was despised in her eyes.” The Hebrew verb קָלַל (qalal) means “to despise, to treat lightly, to treat with contempt.” In Hagar’s opinion Sarai had been demoted.

[16:8]  ⁷ tn Heb “from the presence of.”

[16:15]  ⁸ tn Heb “and Abram called the name of his son whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.”

[16:16]  ⁹ tn The disjunctive clause gives information that is parenthetical to the narrative.

[16:16]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the son of eighty-six years.”

[16:16]  ¹¹ tn The Hebrew text adds, “for Abram.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons; it is somewhat redundant given the three occurrences of Abram’s name in this and the previous verse.