Hagar
Sarah's Egyptian servant, who bore Abraham's first son Ishmael and was met by God in the wilderness.
What we know — and how we know it
Where in scripture
GenesisGalatiansNow Sarai, Abram’s wife, bore him no children. She had a servant, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.
Genesis 16:1
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.
Genesis 16:3
He went in to Hagar, and she conceived. When she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.
Genesis 16:4
He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s servant, where did you come from? Where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from the face of my mistress Sarai.”
Genesis 16:8
Hagar bore a son for Abram. Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.
Genesis 16:15 — Bears Ishmael
Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.
Genesis 16:16
Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking.
Genesis 21:9
Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread and a bottle of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder; and gave her the child, and sent her away. She departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.
Genesis 21:14
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, a public-domain translation.
Family
In their own words — 3 recorded sayings
“And he said, Hagar, Sarai's servant, where have you come from and where are you going? And she said, I am running away from Sarai, my master's wife.” — Genesis 16:8
“And to the Lord who was talking with her she gave this name, You are a God who is seen; for she said, Have I not even here in the waste land had a vision of God and am still living?” — Genesis 16:13
“And she went some distance away, about an arrow flight, and seating herself on the earth, she gave way to bitter weeping, saying, Let me not see the death of my child.” — Genesis 21:16
Speaker attribution: Clear Bible MACULA (CC BY 4.0). Wording: Bible in Basic English (public domain).
Events
In art
