Preface: Sarai suggests to Abram that her personal servant, Hagar, be used as a surrogate to produce a child. Trouble ensues.

This should be the most extensive examination of Genesis 16 available, where you will be able to examine in depth every word of the original text.

Outline of Chapter 16:

Introduction

         vv.     1–4           Sarai Gives her Maid Hagar to her Husband Abram for the Conception of a Child

         vv.     5–6           When Hagar Becomes Pregnant, Both She and Sarai Change their Mental Attitudes

         vv.     7–12         The Angel of the Lord Speaks to Hagar as She Flees Abram’s Compound

         vv.    13–14         The Commemoration of the Angel of the Lord Speaking to Hagar

         vv.    15–16         Hagar Bears Abram a Son when He is 86

Addendum

Charts, Graphics and Short Doctrines:

         Introduction         The Prequel of Genesis 16

         Introduction         The Principals of Genesis 16

         Introduction         The Abrahamic Timeline for Genesis 16

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Genesis 16

         v.       2              Sarai, Hagar and Abram (a graphic)

         v.       2              Sarah presenting Hagar to Abraham (a graphic)

         v.       4              Bible Query on, Does Genesis 16:3 provide us a link from Abraham to Mohammed?

         v.       5              A discussion of Genesis 16:1–5

         v.       6              Map of the Way to Egypt

         v.       7              The Abbreviated Doctrine of the Angel of Jehovah

         v.       8              Hagar needs to face some simple facts

         v.       9              The Biblical Doctrine of Slavery

         v.       9              Lessons from the Doctrine of Slavery

         v.       9              A brief review of Genesis 16:1–9

         v.       9              The Geographical Will of God

         v.      12              Ishmael Will Be a Wild Ass of a Man (a graphic)

         v.      13              Passages Listed for Calling on the Name of Jehovah

         v.      13              “You are ʾEl Roi, a God of Seeing” (a graphic)

         v.      13              Various Ancient Takes on Genesis 16:13

         v.      13              Why is the Word of God not Perfectly and Supernaturally Preserved?

         v.      13              The Manuscripts of Ancient Texts

         v.      13              Earliest Manuscripts of the New Testament

         v.      13              Hagar believes in the Revealed God

         v.      14              Map of Beer-Lachairoi

         Summary            Chapter Summary

         Summary            An Abbreviated Exegesis of Genesis 16

         Addendum          What We Learn from Genesis 16

         Addendum          Josephus’ History of this Time Period

         Addendum          Edersheim Summarizes Genesis 16

         Addendum          A Complete Translation of Genesis 16

         Addendum          Word Cloud from a Reasonably Literal Paraphrase of Genesis 16

         Addendum          Word Cloud from Exegesis of Genesis 16

——————————

An Introduction to Genesis 16

I ntroduction: Chapter 16 shows a lapse in Abram's judgement. He decides, with the help of his wife, that in order to fulfill God's promise, he will have to have children by other women. This is a mistake and application of doctrine would have saved Abram from this error of judgement. God went to great pains to rescue Sarai from the Egyptian Pharaoh back in Genesis 12. He has also promised Abram specifically that a son would come from his loins and that his progeny would be uncountable (Genesis 15:4). For these reasons, Abram is doing nothing but bringing himself and his future race trouble by a few wrong decisions. Having made many wrong decisions in my youth and during the early portion of my spiritual life, I can testify that a simple mistake or error in judgement way back when can have devastating results Which last for decades. Whereas all bad decisions do not result in devastating results, many result in negative results that last for decades. God's grace can overcome all of this, but let's face it, it is easier to not touch a stove when we are told that it is hot than it is to touch the stove and have mom kiss the burned fingers.

So far, God has promised Abram several things: (1) God would make a great nation from him; (2) he would be a blessing to all mankind; (3) those who blessed him would be blessed and those who cursed him would be cursed; (4) Abram’s offspring would be given the land of Canaan; (5) Abram’s offspring would be like the dust of the earth or the stars in the sky. However, Abram finds himself getting old, and he realizes that he has to have a son in order for these promises to be fulfilled. So his wife convinces Abram to help God a little bit. That is what this chapter is about. Abram will act when no action is called for. He will try to help God, even though God does not need our help. This will be an act of human good, and God hates human good.

From what we read, it will become apparent that Abram did not keep these promises to himself, but that he shared them with his wife. “God came to me and told me that He would make a great nation of me.” At no time did God indicate that these promises were to be kept secret, so we would expect that Abram would tell Sarai all of the details. every time that God appeared to him.

The Abrahamic Timeline for Genesis 16

The New Berkeley Bible has the events of Genesis 16 occurring in 2081 b.c.

——————————

Sarai Gives her Maid Hagar to her Husband Abram for the Conception of a Child

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:                       Note: I compare the Hebrew text to English translations of the Latin, Syriac and Greek texts, using the Douay-Rheims translation; George Lamsa’s translation, and Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton’s translation as revised and edited by Paul W. Esposito, respectively. I often update these texts with non-substantive changes (e.g., you for thou, etc.). I often use the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible instead of Brenton’s translation, because it updates the English text.

The Septuagint was the earliest known translation of a book (circa 200 b.c.). Since this translation was made before the textual criticism had been developed into a science and because different books appear to be translated by different men, the Greek translation can sometimes be very uneven.

When there are serious disparities between my translation and Brenton’s (or the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible), I look at the Greek text of the Septuagint (the LXX) to see if a substantive difference actually exists (and I reflect these changes in the English rendering of the Greek text). I use the Greek LXX with Strong’s numbers and morphology available for e-sword. The only problem with this resource (which is a problem for similar resources) is, there is no way to further explore Greek verbs which are not found in the New Testament. Although I usually quote the Complete Apostles’ Bible here, I have begun to make changes in the translation when their translation conflicts with the Greek and note what those changes are.

The Masoretic text is the Hebrew text with all of the vowels (vowel points) inserted (the original Hebrew text lacked vowels). We take the Masoretic text to be the text closest to the original. However, differences between the Masoretic text and the Greek, Latin and Syriac are worth noting and, once in a great while, represent a more accurate text possessed by those other ancient translators.

In general, the Latin text is an outstanding translation from the Hebrew text into Latin and very trustworthy (I say this as a non-Catholic). Unfortunately, I do not read Latin—apart from some very obvious words—so I am dependent upon the English translation of the Latin (principally, the Douay-Rheims translation).

Underlined words indicate differences in the text.

Bracketed portions of the Dead Sea Scrolls are words, letters and phrases lost in the scroll due to various types of damage. Underlined words or phrases are those in the Dead Sea Scrolls but not in the Masoretic text.

I will only list the translation from the Dead Sea Scrolls if it exists and if it is different from the Masoretic text.

The Targum of Onkelos is actually the Pentateuchal Targumim, which are The Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan Ben Uzziel. On the Pentateuch With The Fragments of the Jerusalem Targum From the Chaldee by J. W. Etheridge, M.A. From http://www.becomingjewish.org/texts/targum/onkelos_genesis.html and first published in 1862.

Ancient texts:

Targum (trans. By Cook)        But Sara, the wife of Abram, had not borne to him. But he had a handmaid, a Mizreitha, and her name was Hagar, a daughter of Pharoh, whom he gave to him as a handmaid at the time that he received her, being struck by the word from before the Lord.

Latin Vulgate                          Now Sarai, the wife of Abram, had brought forth no children: but having a handmaid, an Egyptian, named Agar.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And Sarai a woman of Abram had not borne [children] to him. And to her a maid, an Egyptian; and her name [was] Hagar.

Peshitta (Syriac)                    NOW Sarai, Abrams wife, bore him no children; and she had an Egyptian handmaid, whose name was Hagar.

Septuagint (Greek)                Now Sarai, Abram's wife, bore him no children; and she had an Egyptian maid, whose name was Hagar.

Significant differences: 

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           Hagar and the Ishmaelites' origins

Sarai, Abram's wife, had not been able to have children. Since she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar,...

Easy English                          A quarrel in the family, 16:1-6

Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had no children. She had an *Egyptian maid called Hagar.

The Message                         Sarai, Abram's wife, hadn't yet produced a child. She had an Egyptian maid named Hagar.

New Berkeley Version           Sarai, Abram’s wife, bore him no children, but she had an Egyptian maid named Hagar.

New Century Version             Ishmael Is Born

Sarai, Abram's wife, had no children, but she had a slave girl from Egypt named Hagar.

New Life Version                    Now Abram's wife Sarai had not given birth to any children. She had a woman servant from Egypt whose name was Hagar.

New Living Translation           The Birth of Ishmael

Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had not been able to bear children for him. But she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar.

The Voice                               Despite God's promise, years went by. Still Abram's wife Sarai remained childless. But she did have an Egyptian servant girl whose name was Hagar. Sarai had an idea so she approached her husband.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          Sara, Abram's woman, hadn't given him any children. However, she had an Egyptian handmaid whose name was Hagar.

Christian Community Bible     The birth of Ishmael

Sarai, Abram’s wife had not borne him a child, but she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar, and she said to Abram, “Now, since Yahweh has kept me from having children, go to my servant; perhaps I shall have a child by her.” Abram agreed to what Sarai said. V. 2 is included for context.

God’s Word™                         Sarai, Abram's wife, was not able to have children. She owned an Egyptian slave named Hagar.

New American Bible (2002)   Abram's wife Sarai had borne him no children. She had, however, an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar. [vv. 1–6] Sarah's actions are all in keeping with the laws of the time, as known from ancient extra-biblical sources.

New American Bible (2011)   Birth of Ishmael. [16:1-16] In the previous chapter Abraham was given a timetable of possession of the land, but nothing was said about when the child was to be born. In this chapter, Sarah takes matters into her own hands, for she has been childless ten years since the promise (cf. 12:4 with 16:16). The story is about the two women, Sarah the infertile mistress and Hagar the fertile slave; Abraham has only a single sentence. In the course of the story, God intervenes directly on the side of Hagar, for she is otherwise without resources.

Abram's wife Sarai had borne him no children. Now she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar. Gn 11:30.

NIRV                                      Hagar and Ishmael

Abram's wife Sarai had never had any children by him. But she had a female servant from Egypt named Hagar.

Today’s NIV                          Hagar and Ishmael

Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar; so she said to Abram, "The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my servant; perhaps I can build a family through her." A portion of v. 2 is included for context.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Ancient Roots Translinear      Sarai, the woman of Abram, never begot for him. Her handmaid, an Egyptian, was named Hagar.

Conservapedia                       Now Sarai, the wife of Abram, bore him no children. She had an Egyptian personal maid named Hagar.

The Expanded Bible              Ishmael Is Born

Sarai, Abram's wife, had no children, but she had a slave girl from Egypt named Hagar.

Ferar-Fenton Bible                 Sarai advises Abram to marry Hagar.

Sarai, Abram'swife, had given him no children, but she had an Egyptian maid named Hagar.

HCSB                                     Abram's wife Sarai had not borne him children. She owned an Egyptian slave named Hagar.

NET Bible®                             The Birth of Ishmael

Now Sarai [The disjunctive clause signals the beginning of a new episode in the story.], Abram's wife, had not given birth to any children [On the cultural background of the story of Sarai's childlessness see J. Van Seters, "The Problem of Childlessness in Near Eastern Law and the Patriarchs of Israel," JBL 87 (1968): 401-8.], but she had an Egyptian servant [The Hebrew term שִפְחָה (shifkhah, translated “servant” here and in vv. 2, 3, 5, 6, and 8) refers to a menial female servant.] named Hagar [The passage records the birth of Ishmael to Abram through an Egyptian woman. The story illustrates the limits of Abram's faith as he tries to obtain a son through social custom. The barrenness of Sarai poses a challenge to Abram's faith, just as the famine did in chap. 12. As in chap. 12, an Egyptian figures prominently. (Perhaps Hagar was obtained as a slave during Abram's stay in Egypt.)]. When it comes to making an actual material change to the text, the NET Bible® is pretty good about indicating this. Since most of these corrections will be clear in the more literal translations below and within the Hebrew exegesis itself, I will not continue to list every NET Bible® footnote.

NIV, ©2011                             Hagar and Ishmael

Now Sarai [S Ge 11:29], Abram's wife, had borne him no children [S Ge 11:30; Lk 1:7, 36; Gal 4:24-25]. But she had an Egyptian slave [Ge 21:9; 24:61; 29:24, 29; 31:33; 46:18] named Hagar [ver 3-4, 8, 15; Ge 21:14; 25:12]; so she said to Abram, "The Lord has kept me from having children [Ge 29:31; 30:2]. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her." Most of v. 2 is included for context.

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           Now Sarai Avram's wife had not borne him a child. But she had an Egyptian slave-girl named Hagar; so Sarai said to Avram, "Here now, ADONAI has kept me from having children; so go in and sleep with my slave-girl. A portion of v. 2 is included for context.

exeGeses companion Bible   SARAY AND HAGAR

Now Saray the woman of Abram births not to him;

and she has a maid, a Misrayim, her name, Hagar:.

Hebrew Names Version         Now Sarai, Avram's wife, bore him no children. She had a handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.

Kaplan Translation                 Birth of Ishmael

Abram's wife Sarai had not borne him any children. She had an Egyptian slave-girl by the name of Hagar. The Kaplan Translation, particularly in Exodus through Deuteronomy, takes note of historic rabbinic opinions.

Orthodox Jewish Bible           Now Sarai Avram's isha bore him no children; and she had a shifchah, an Egyptian, whose shem was Hagar.

The Scriptures 1998              And Sarai, Aramʼs wife, had borne him no child. And she had a Mitsrite female servant whose name was Haar.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Concordant Literal Version    Now Sarai, the wife of Abram, does not bear for him. Yet an Egyptian maid has she and her name is Hagar.

Context Group Version          Now Sarai, Abram's woman { or wife }, bore him no [ children ]: and she had a female slave, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.

Darby Translation                  And Sarai Abram's wife did not bear him [children]. And she had an Egyptian maidservant; and her name was Hagar.

English Standard V. – UK       Sarai and Hagar

Now [ch. 15:2, 3] Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar [ch. 21:9; Gal. 4:24].

The Geneva Bible                  Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name [was] Hagar. It seems that she had respect for Gods promise, which could not be accomplished without issue.

Green’s Literal Translation    And Sarai, Abram's wife, did not bear to him; and to her belonged a female slave, an Egyptian, and her name was Hagar.

NASB                                     Sarai and Hagar

Now Sarai [Gen 11:30], Abram's wife had borne him no children, and she had an Egyptian maid [Gen 12:16] whose name was Hagar.

New King James Version       Hagar and Ishmael

Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar.

New RSV                               Now Sarai, Abram's wife, bore him no children. She had an Egyptian slave-girl whose name was Hagar, and Sarai said to Abram, `You see that the Lord has prevented me from bearing children; go in to my slave-girl; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.' A portion of v. 2 is included for context.

Syndein/Thieme                     {Abram Fails to Wait on the Promise From the Lord - Abram is going to 'Help' God}

Now Sarai {means contentious}, Abram's woman/wife {ishshah}, bore him no children {this is a test from God to see if Abram can wait on the promise of God or will he try and solve the problem himself}. And she had an handmaid/'personal maid', an Egyptian, whose name . . . {was} Hagar.

World English Bible                Now Sarai, Abram's wife, bore him no children. She had a handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.

Young’s Updated LT             And Sarai, Abram’s wife, has not borne to him, and she has an handmaid, an Egyptian, and her name is Hagar.

The gist of this verse:          Sarai has not born any children to Abram, but she had an Egyptian maid named Hagar.

Translation: And Sarai, the wife of Abram, had not given birth [to children] for him.

Up to this point, God has made several promises to Abram, that he would be the father of many peoples. However, his wife had given him no children.

Translation: She had a maid, an Egyptian,...

It appears that Sarai knew the promises that God had made to Abram; and yet, she did not have any children. So, Sarah begins to determine what she needs to do; and she remembers that she had a personal maid, an Egyptian girl (possibly brought back from Egypt when she and Abram went there previously).

God’s plan cannot be moved forward with the power of the flesh, and that is what Sarai is going to try to do. There is divine power (called divine good), which comes solely from God; and there is human effort (called human good), which comes solely from man.

Translation: ...and her name [was] Hagar.

The name of the Egyptian maid is Hagar, which means flight, fugitive.

One way to translate this verse is: Now Sarai, the wife of Abram, bore him no children. However, she did have a maid, an Egyptian and her name [was] Hagar. There are three waw conjunctions here which I have translated now...however...and. The KJV translated them now...and...[nothing] as did the NASB. The Amplified Bible and the NRSV only translate the first waw conjunction. It is the same conjunction in the Hebrew which continues the train of thought. Although different vowel points will be used, this is more dependant upon the following consonant rather than the meaning of the conjunction. In English, it would become boring to continually use and when that may not be the intention of the waw conjunction to begin with. Some of the conjunctions which could be used would be and, but, now, furthermore, however, and [nothing].

God has not told Abram specifically that the child would be born through Sarai; Abram could have pieced that bit of information together on his own because of what happened in Egypt. However, while in Egypt, they happened to pick up Little Egypt (as Thieme was wont to say), Hagar. She was probably a gift to Sarai from the pharaoh of Egypt who tried to take her to wife. She was likely young, attractive and intelligent. Sarai is about to suggest something which falls outside of God's plan which will cause her a great deal of pain.

How would Abram know that Sarai ought to be the one to bear this child of promise? First of all, they are married and have a lifetime commitment to one another. Secondly, when they were in Egypt, it was a very big deal if Sarah was taken by another man. This would suggest that Abram must have this child by her. Thirdly, God never suggested that Abram get a surrogate wife; and Abram did not take any time to inquire of God about taking a surrogate wife.

Hagar is a type of the law and bondage whereas Sarah typifies the promise of God through grace. Hagar will bear Abram a child through human viewpoint and human works. This is dealt with In Galatians 4, then end of the chapter. This will be covered with a skosh more detail in the doctrine of Ishmael.

Sarai thinks about these promises which Abram has shared with her, and she apparently believes them, but she seems to think that God needs help. She and Abram have been married for some time at this point (I would guess 20–30 years; possibly more) and they understand how to have children, and they have certainly been having sex over the years (recall that, even at an advanced age, Sarai looked beautiful). However, Sarai had no children yet. But, Sarai has an idea:

Genesis 16:1 And Sarai, the wife of Abram, had not given birth [to children] for him. She had a maid, an Egyptian, and her name [was] Hagar. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Genesis 16:1 And Sarai, the wife of Abram, had not given birth to any children for him. However, she did have a maid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. (Kukis paraphrase)

——————————

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Targum (trans. By Cook)        And Sara said to Abram, Behold, now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing, go to my handmaid and set her free; perhaps I may be builded by her. And Abram hearkened to the word of Sara.

Latin Vulgate                          She said to her husband: Behold, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: go in unto my handmaid, it may be I may have children of her at least. And when he agreed to her request.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so says Sarai unto Abram, “Behold please has restrained me Y^ehowah from giving birth. Go in, please, unto my maid; [and] perhaps I will be built up from her.” And so listens Abram to a voice of Sarai.

Peshitta (Syriac)                    And Sarai said to Abram, Behold now, the LORD has restrained me from bearing children; therefore go in unto my maid; it may be that I may be consoled by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.

Septuagint (Greek)                And Sarai said to Abram, Behold, the Lord has restrained me from bearing, go therefore in to my maid, that I may get children for myself through her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.

Significant differences: 

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           Sarai said to Abram, "The Lord has kept me from giving birth, so go to my servant. Maybe she will provide me with children." Abram did just as Sarai said.

Contemporary English V.       ...and Sarai said to Abram, "The LORD has not given me any children. Sleep with my slave, and if she has a child, it will be mine." Abram agreed,...

Easy English                          So Sarai said this to Abram: `Because the *Lord has not given children to me, have sex with my maid. Perhaps she will give birth to my sons for me.' Then Abram obeyed his wife.

Easy-to-Read Version            Sarai said to Abram, “The Lord has not allowed me to have children. So go with my servant Hagar. I will accept the child that is born from her like it is my own.”

Good News Bible (TEV)         ...and so she said to Abram, "The LORD has kept me from having children. Why don't you sleep with my slave? Perhaps she can have a child for me." Abram agreed with what Sarai said.

The Message                         Sarai said to Abram, "GOD has not seen fit to let me have a child. Sleep with my maid. Maybe I can get a family from her." Abram agreed to do what Sarai said.

New Berkeley Version           So Sarai said to Abram, “See here! The Lord has prevented me from bearing. Do go in to my maid; perhaps I may build up (a family) throught her.”

New Century Version             Sarai said to Abram, "Look, the Lord has not allowed me to have children, so have sexual relations with my slave girl. If she has a child, maybe I can have my own family through her."

Abram did what Sarai said.

New Life Version                    So Sarai said to Abram, "Now see, the Lord has kept me from having children. Go in to the woman who serves me. It may be that I will get children through her." Abram listened to what Sarai said.

New Living Translation           So Sarai said to Abram, "The Lord has prevented me from having children. Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her." And Abram agreed with Sarai's proposal.

The Voice                               Sarai (to Abram): You can see that the Eternal One has still not allowed me to have any children. Why don't you sleep with my servant girl? Maybe I could use her as a surrogate and have a child through her!

Abram listened to Sarai and agreed to follow her plan.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          And Sara said to Abram: 'Look; Jehovah has kept me from getting pregnant, so [sleep with] my maid so I can have my children through her.'

Well, Abram accepted Sara's advice.

New Advent (Knox) Bible       And still Abram's wife Sarai bore him no children. But she had an Egyptian maid-servant, called Agar; and now she said to her husband, The Lord, as thou seest, denies me motherhood; betake thyself to this maid of mine, in the hope that I may at least have children through her means. So Abram consented to the wish of his wife, and she brought this Egyptian maid-servant of hers, Agar, and gave her to her husband as his mate, ten years after they had taken up their abode in the land of Chanaan. Vv. 1 and 3 are included for context.

New American Bible (2002)   Sarai said to Abram: "The LORD has kept me from bearing children. Have intercourse, then, with my maid; perhaps I shall have sons through her." Abram heeded Sarai's request.

New American Bible (2011)   Sarai said to Abram: "The LORD has kept me from bearing children. Have intercourse with my maid; perhaps I will have sons through her." Abram obeyed Sarai. The custom of an infertile wife providing her husband with a concubine to produce children is widely attested in ancient Near Eastern law; e.g., an Old Assyrian marriage contract states that the wife must provide her husband with a concubine if she does not bear children within two years. Gn 21:8-9; Gal 4:22.

NIRV                                      So she said to Abram, "The Lord has kept me from having children. Go and make love to my servant. Maybe I can have a family through her."

Abram agreed to what Sarai had said.

Revised English Bible            ...and Sarai said to Abram, ‘The Lord has not let me have a child. Take my slave-girl; perhaps through her I shall have a son.’

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Ancient Roots Translinear      Sarai said to Abram, "Please behold: Yahweh retains me from begetting. Please, come into my handmaid: perhaps I will build by her." Abram heard the voice of Sarai.

Bible in Basic English             And Sarai said to Abram, See, the Lord has not let me have children; go in to my servant, for I may get a family through her. And Abram did as Sarai said.

Conservapedia                       Sarai told Abram, "Look: the LORD has stopped me from childbearing. Please take my maid to your bed. Maybe I can have children through her." And Abram listened to Sarai. This is the first recorded instance of surrogate motherhood. This story also illustrates why that practice is a very serious mistake and, hence, a sin.

The Expanded Bible              Sarai said to Abram, "Look, the Lord has ·not allowed me to have [^Lprevented/restrained me from having] children, so ·have sexual relations with [^Lgo to] my slave girl. If she has a child, maybe I can ·have my own family [reproduce; have a child; ^Lbuild] through her [^Ctaking a second wife or concubine was common for a childless couple at the time]."

Abram did what Sarai said.

Ferar-Fenton Bible                 So Sarai said to Abram, " See, now, the Ever-living has kept me childless, therefore go to my maid, perhaps she will have a son for me." And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

NET Bible®                             So Sarai said to Abram, "Since [Heb “look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) introduces the foundational clause for the imperative to follow.] the Lord has prevented me from having children, have sexual relations with [Heb "enter to." The expression is a euphemism for sexual relations (also in v. 4).] [The Hebrew expression translated have sexual relations with does not convey the intimacy of other expressions, such as "so and so knew his wife." Sarai simply sees this as the social custom of having a child through a surrogate. For further discussion see C. F. Fensham, "The Son of a Handmaid in Northwest Semitic," VT 19 (1969): 312-21. ] my servant. Perhaps I can have a family by her [Heb "perhaps I will be built from her." Sarai hopes to have a family established through this surrogate mother.]." Abram did what [Heb "listened to the voice of," which is an idiom meaning "obeyed."] Sarai told him.

New Heart English Bible        Sarai said to Abram, "See now, the LORD has restrained me from bearing. Please go in to my handmaid. It may be that I will obtain children by her." Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

NIV, ©2011                             ...so she said to Abram, "The Lord has kept me from having children [Ge 29:31; 30:2]. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her [Ge 19:32; 30:3-4, 9-10]."

Abram agreed to what Sarai said.

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

exeGeses companion Bible   ...and Saray says to Abram, Behold, I beseech,

Yah Veh restrains me from birthing:

I beseech you, go in to my maid;

perhaps I be built by her.

And Abram hearkens to the voice of Saray:...

Judaica Press Complete T.    And Sarai said to Abram, "Behold now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing; please come to my handmaid; perhaps I will be built up from her." And Abram hearkened to Sarai's voice.

Kaplan Translation                 Sarai said to Abram, 'God has kept me from having children. Come [Denoting intimacy, as in biyah (Ibn Janach).] to my slave, and hopefully I will have sons [Or, 'I will be built up.'] through her.' Abram heeded Sarai.

Orthodox Jewish Bible           And Sarai said unto Avram, Hinei now, Hashem hath restrained me from bearing; go now in unto my shifchah; it may be that I may build family by her. And Avram paid heed to the voice of Sarai.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

American KJV                        And Sarai said to Abram, See here, the Lord has restrained me from bearing [children]. I am asking you to have intercourse with my maid; it may be that I can obtain children by her. And Abram listened to and heeded what Sarai said.

Context Group Version          And Sarai said to Abram, Now seeing that YHWH has restrained me from bearing; go in, I beg of you, to my slave; it may be that I shall obtain [ children ] by her. And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

English Standard Version      And Sarai said to Abram, "Behold now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her." And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

The Geneva Bible                  And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. She fails by limiting Gods power to the common order of nature, as though God could not give her children in her old age.

Green’s Literal Translation    And Sarai said to Abram, See, now, Jehovah has kept me from bearing; go in now to my slave-girl; perhaps I may be built up from her. And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

Modern KJV                           And Sarai said to Abram, Behold now, Jehovah has kept me from bearing. I pray you, go in to my slave woman. It may be that I may be built by her. And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

New King James Version       So Sarai said to Abram, "See now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her." And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai.

Syndein/Thieme                     {Human Viewpoint Solution to Fulfil God's Promise to Abram}

And Sarai said {'amar} unto Abram, "Behold now, Jehovah/God has restrained me from bearing {blaming the Lord just like Eve did before her}. I request that you, go in unto my maid {idiom for sexual relations}. It may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram listened to the voice {advice} of Sarai. {Note: There is a lot of human nobility and human sacrifice. She wants her husband to be happy. All of that 'human nobility' is swept aside by one point. When God says He will do something, He will and He does NOT need our help!}.

Updated Bible Version 2.11   And Sarai said to Abram, Now seeing that Yahweh has restrained me from bearing; go in, I pray you, to my slave; it may be that I will obtain [children] by her. And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

World English Bible                Sarai said to Abram," See now, Yahweh has restrained me from bearing. Please go in to my handmaid. It may be that I will obtain children by her." Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

Young’s Updated LT             And Sarai says unto Abram, “Lo, I pray you, Jehovah has restrained me from bearing, go in, I pray you, unto my handmaid; perhaps I am built up from her.” And Abram listens to the voice of Sarai.

The gist of this verse:          Sarai suggests that Abram have a child by her personal servant, and that Sarai would take as her own.

Translation: Sarai said to Abram, “Listen now—Y^ehowah has restrained me from giving birth.

Sarai seems to be completely aware of the promises of God, and she has some suggestions. She and Abram had been married for some length of time, and she has never had a child. It was not unusual, in those days, to look to a surrogate to have children by.

Notice Sarai’s reasoning. It is God who is keeping her from having a child. Well, if God does that, then Abram must find a way to bring God’s Word to pass without Sarai giving birth.

Translation: [Therefore] go in, please, to my maid;...

Sarai suggests her maid Hagar. This is a great temptation and it is clear that Sarai is going to have problems with the result of this union (although this is her suggestion).

This is not a suggestion far outside the norm. There was a custom of that day that, if a man died before siring a child by his wife, she could petition that his brother step in and impregnate her, with the child being the deceased brother’s child. Therefore, it is not a great leap for Sarai to suggest that Abram have a child through a surrogate mother—her slave-girl, Hagar.

A hundred or so years later, Rachel will convince her husband, Jacob (Abram’s grandson), to use her personal slave-girl as a surrogate. My point being is, this was within the societal norms of that day.

Sarai, Hagar and Abram (a graphic) from Biblical illustrations by Jim Padgett from Wikipedia, accessed December 1, 2013.

Translation:...[and] perhaps I will be established on account of her.”

The verb here is the Niphal (passive) of bânâh (בָּנָה) [pronounced baw-NAWH], which means (in the Niphal) to be built up, to be rebuilt, to be restored; to be set up, be established, be fixed; to be firmly established; to be established, be stable, be secure, be enduring; to be fixed, be securely determined; to be directed aright, be fixed aright, be steadfast; to prepare, be ready; to be prepared, be arranged, be settled. Strong’s #1129 BDB #124. She looks to become a part of this promise by means of Hagar her maid. However, God is not a part of any of this. God has come to Abram on several occasions, and not one time did God say to Abram, “You know Hagar, your wife’s maid...?”

So that there is no misunderstanding, there is nothing in Sarai’s suggestion that is particularly immoral. That is, God is not rejecting Sarai’s idea here because she is committing some great sin. The problem is, she is suggesting works of the flesh to bring God’s plan to pass. God’s plan can never depend upon the works of the flesh—not even to accomplish the tiniest item in that plan.

Translation: And Abram listened to Sarai’s voice.

Here is the mistake; Abram listens to Sarai’s voice. This means that he does not just listen to her, but he obeys her.

To listen is the Qal imperfect of shâmaʿ (שָמַע) [pronounced shaw-MAHĢ], which means to listen, listen intently, to listen and obey, to listen and act upon, to listen and give heed to, to hearken to, to be attentive to, listen and take heed to, listen and take note of, listen and be cognizant of. Strong's #8085 BDB #1033. This is a very common word in the Hebrew and it means more than to simply hear something. The imperfect tense indicates that Sarai kept talking to Abram about this. The word said is also in the imperfect tense. So, this did not happen one time over the dinner table. Sarai either talked about this at length or brought up the subject several times, and Abram listened to what she said and thought about it.

Sarah presenting Hagar to Abraham (a graphic); oil painting by Adriaen van der Werff in 1699; taken from Wikipedia, accessed December 1, 2013.

What Sarai suggests here is not out of the ordinary. It was a cultural norm for a barren woman to allow her husband to sire a child by a servant, and for the child to be raised as her own. We will find that again with Jacob (Abram’s grandchild).

So, Sarah has been thinking about these promises of God, and she has no children, which is key to God fulfilling His promises to Abram. Therefore, she comes up with an idea. Abram needs to have sex with their slave girl so that they can fulfill the plan of God through Hagar. Their slave girl is younger, appears to be at the right age, and this is socially acceptable.

Between 1925 and 1930, the University of Pennsylvania spearheaded an archeological dig in Iraq where 20,000 clay tablets were unearthed. They dated back to the 14^th and 15^th centuries before Christ. Some of these tablets dealt with inheritance, and it was permissible for a man to “adopt” a son if his wife was barren (see Genesis 15:2–4) or it was the obligation of the wife to provide her slave girl to the husband. Therefore, what Sarai suggested was not only socially acceptable, but expected.

There were found the complete archives of a particular prince and the records and library of a successful business woman, among others. In the tablets were some which dealt with inheritance. If a man should be childless, it was allowed that he could adopt a son from outside the family, not unlike Abram's adoption of Eliezer (Genesis 15:2–4). Another solution to the problem of a lack of progeny was for a childless wife could allow her husband a slave as a mistress to bear children. According to the ZPEB, it was obligatory for a barren wife to provide her husband with a slave woman in order to bear children. Furthermore, under that law, the children would be under the supervision of the wife and not of the slave which bore them.

Hammurabi's Code, ¶ 146, gives us another parallel; it asserts, in particular cases, that the slave woman who has borne children, may not assert herself over against the unproductive wife. She may not usurp the wife's position or achieve equality with the wife in this situation.

What is going to happen is pure rationalization; Abram is being offered the chance to sleep with another woman and he is given the opportunity to have the children he desires. Rather than think this through with the doctrine that he has, he decides that this is so easy and so simple and his wife herself has suggested it, so it must be God's will. Not everything which seems to fall into place and seems so easy to do is God's will. Abram, as has been explained, knows enough to realize that he is outside of God's will. God will fulfill His promises and He does not need any shortcut method in order to do so. Abram is going to have hell on earth under his own roof. One woman under one roof is difficult enough; two women, under these circumstances, is nearly impossible.

Sarai, prior to the act of conception, sounds as though she is thoroughly modern and grown up about this. However, she is going to have a great many negative feelings which will result from this. She will feel betrayed by Abram and betrayed by Hagar; she will be jealous of Abram's fling and jealous of Hagar's ability to bear a child; she will be angry with herself for suggesting such a thing. Certainly, Abram will ask occasionally, "What's wrong, honey?" usually right before Sarai reads him the riot act. If you are confused as to how Sarai could suggest this and then blame Abram and Hagar and feel bitter about them going through with her idea; if this confuses you, then you obviously have only male friends.

So, God has made specific promises to Abram, and at no time did Sarai’s name come up in these promises. Sarai realizes this, and comes up with a plan. Her plan is for Abram to have sex with Hagar, their Egyptian slave girl, who is likely much younger than either of them, and probably reasonably attractive. Abram probably finds this plan/temptation to be to his liking. His wife is telling him to have sex with another woman in order to fulfill the promises of God.

You will note that Sarai does all of the talking and Abram does all of the listening (imperfect tense for each verb). There does not appear to be a conversation going on. If there was any discussion, Abram apparently had very little to offer. Because, as the verse tells us, Sarai kept talking and Abram kept listening. Finally, at some point, Abram said, “Sure, honey; for you, I’ll do it.”

Genesis 16:2 Sarai said to Abram, “Listen now—Y^ehowah has restrained me from giving birth. [Therefore] go in, please, to my maid; [and] perhaps I will be established on account of her.” And Abram listened to Sarai’s voice. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Genesis 16:2 Sarai said to Abram, “Listen now: Jehovah has restrained me from giving birth. Therefore, go in unto my maid, please; and perhaps I will have children by means of her.” And Abram listened to Sarai’s voice. (Kukis paraphrase)

——————————

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Targum (trans. By Cook)        And Sara the wife of Abram took Hagar the Mizreitha handmaid, when Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Kenaan, and set her free, and gave her to Abram her husband to wife.

Latin Vulgate                          She took Agar the Egyptian her handmaid, ten years after they first dwelt in the land of Chanaan, and gave her to her husband to wife.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so takes Sarai (a woman of Abram) Hagar the Egyptian, her maid (from an end of ten years to dwell Abram in a land of Canaan). And so she gives her to Abram her man to him to wife.

Peshitta (Syriac)                    And Sarai, Abrams wife, took Hagar her Egyptian maid, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. This happened after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan.

Septuagint (Greek)                So Sarai, Abram's wife, having taken Hagar the Egyptian her handmaid, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, gave her to Abram her husband as a wife to him.

Significant differences: 

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Contemporary English V.       ...and Sarai gave him Hagar to be his wife. This happened after Abram had lived in the land of Canaan for ten years.

Easy English                          Abram lived in Canaan for 10 years. After that, Abram's wife Sarai took Hagar, her *Egyptian maid. And Sarai gave her to Sarai's husband Abram. So then Hagar could act like a wife towards him.

Easy-to-Read Version            This was after Abram lived ten years in the land of Canaan. And Sarai gave Hagar to her husband Abram. (Hagar was her servant from Egypt.)

Good News Bible (TEV)         So she gave Hagar to him to be his concubine. (This happened after Abram had lived in Canaan for ten years.)

New Century Version             It was after he had lived ten years in Canaan that Sarai gave Hagar to her husband Abram. (Hagar was her slave girl from Egypt.)

New Life Version                    So Abram's wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian, who served her, and gave her to her husband Abram as his wife. That was after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan.

New Living Translation           So Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian servant and gave her to Abram as a wife. (This happened ten years after Abram had settled in the land of Canaan.)

The Voice                               After they had lived 10 years in Canaan, Abram's wife Sarai took her servant girl Hagar, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram as a wife.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          So Sara (Abram's woman) took Hagar her Egyptian handmaid (after Abram had lived in the land of CanaAn for ten years) and gave her to her man Abram, to be his woman.

Beck’s American Translation After Abram had lived in Canaan 10 years, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar, her Egyptian maid, and gave her to her husband Abram to be a wife.

Christian Community Bible     Abram had been in the land of Canaan ten years when Sarai, his wife, took Hagar, her Egyptian maid, and gave her to Abram her husband as wife.

New Advent (Knox) Bible       So Abram consented to the wish of his wife, and she brought this Egyptian maid-servant of hers, Agar, and gave her to her husband as his mate, ten years after they had taken up their abode in the land of Chanaan. A portion of v. 2 is included for context.

New American Bible (2002)   Thus, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, his wife Sarai took her maid, Hagar the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his concubine.

NIRV                                      After he had been living in Canaan for ten years, his wife Sarai gave him her servant Hagar to be his wife.

New Jerusalem Bible             Thus, after Abram had lived in the land of Canaan for ten years, Sarai took Hagar her Egyptian slave-girl and gave her to Abram as his wife.

Revised English Bible            ...so Sarai brought her slave-girl, Hagar the Egyptian, to her husband and gave her to Abram as a wife. When this happened Abram had been in Canaan for ten years.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Ancient Roots Translinear      At the end of Abram dwelling for ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram's woman, took Hagar her Egyptian handmaid, and gave her to her man, Abram, as his woman.

Conservapedia                       And so, after Abram had lived for ten years in the land of Canaan, his wife Sarai took her maid, Hagar the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband to be his common-law wife. The Hebrew for "woman" and "wife" are the same word. Here and elsewhere, we use the word wife to mean "lawful wife." A cohabiting woman who is not a lawful wife is a common-law wife, also known by its French word, "concubine."

The Expanded Bible              It was after he had lived ten years in Canaan that Sarai gave Hagar to her husband Abram as a ·wife [or concubine]. (Hagar was her slave girl from Egypt.)

Ferar-Fenton Bible                 Therefore Sarai, the wife of Abram, took Hagar the Egyptian maid, at the end of the tenth year of Abram's residence in the land of Canaan, and gave her to Abram her husband, as a wife.

HCSB                                     So Abram's wife Sarai took Hagar, her Egyptian slave, and gave her to her husband Abram as a wife for him. This happened after Abram had lived in the land of Canaan 10 years.

NET Bible®                             So after Abram had lived [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.] in Canaan for ten years, Sarai, Abram's wife, gave Hagar, her Egyptian servant [Heb "the Egyptian, her female servant."], to her husband to be his wife [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.].

NIV, ©2011                             So after Abram had been living in Canaan [S Ge 12:5] ten years [S Ge 12:4], Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife.

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           But she had an Egyptian slave-girl named Hagar; so Sarai said to Avram, "Here now, ADONAI has kept me from having children; so go in and sleep with my slave-girl. Maybe I'll be able to have children through her."Avram listened to what Sarai said. It was after Avram had lived ten years in the land of Kena'an that Sarai Avram's wife took Hagar the Egyptian, her slave-girl, and gave her to Avram her husband to be his wife. A portion of v. 1 and all of v. 2 are included for context.

exeGeses companion Bible   ...and Saray the woman of Abram

takes her maid, Hagar the Misrayim,

at the end of ten years

of Abram settling in the land of Kenaan

and gives her to her man Abram to be his woman.

Hebrew Names Version         Sarai, Avram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her handmaid, after Avram had lived ten years in the land of Kena`an, and gave her to Avram her husband to be his wife.

Kaplan Translation                 After Abram had lived in Canaan for ten years [That is, when Abraham was 85 years old; see Genesis 12:4. This, then, was in the year 2033.], his wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian her slave, and gave her to her husband Abram as a wife.

Orthodox Jewish Bible           And Sarai Avram's isha took Hagar her shifchah the Egyptian, after Avram had dwelt ten years in Eretz Kena'an, and gave her to her husband Avram to be his isha.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible                So Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar her Egyptian maid, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his [secondary] wife.

Concordant Literal Version    And taking is Sarai, the wife of Abram, Hagar, the Egyptian, her maid, at the end of ten years of Abram's dwelling in the land of Canaan, and giving her is she to Abram, her husband, for his wife.

Context Group Version          And Sarai, Abram's woman { or wife }, took Hagar the Egyptian, her slave, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to Abram her man { or husband } to be his woman { or wife }.

English Standard Version      So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife.

Green’s Literal Translation    And Sarai, Abram's wife, took her slave-girl, Hagar, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan.

NASB                                     After Abram had lived [Lit dwelt] ten years [Gen 12:4] in the land of Canaan, Abram's wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian, her maid, and gave her to her husband Abram as his wife.

New RSV                               So, after Abram had lived for ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her slave-girl, and gave her to her husband Abram as a wife.

Young’s Updated LT             And Sarai, Abram’s wife, takes Hagar the Egyptian, her handmaid, at the end of the tenth year of Abram’s dwelling in the land of Canaan, and gives her to Abram her husband, to him for a wife.

The gist of this verse:          Sarai gave her Egyptian servant to Abram to raise up seed. At this point, they had lived 10 years in the land of Canaan.

Translation: Sarai, the wife of Abram, took Hagar, the Egyptian girl, her maid...

Sarai suggested to Abram to use Hagar as a surrogate, and to have a child through her, which child would be raised as Sarai’s.

Here is the first problem with this idea: Hagar is Sarai’s maid; therefore the duty of raising this child would fall into her lap. Furthermore, this would be Hagar’s desire as well. So, no matter how you look at it, Hagar would raise the child and it would be Abram and her child. So, Sarai is, in this way, completely cut out of the promises of God.

Translation:...(after ten years, Abram had lived in the land of Canaan).

Periodically, a time frame is thrown into this book, and here we are told that all of this took place 10 years after Abram entered the land of Canaan.

Abram certainly knows the promises made to him; and Sarai probably knows about these promises. If Abram is going to tell her the “God came to me;” then she is going to ask, “What did God have to say?” Abram cannot just clam up and say, “Secret.” Therefore, it is logical that Sarai knows all about the promises which God has made to Abram. Furthermore, she would be living a life of great blessing, because she and Abram obeyed God and came to the Land of Promise.

We do not know the time frame between chapters 15 and 16. However, between the end of chapter 12 and the beginning of 16, ten years have passed. Abram went to Egypt, things did not work out, so he returned to the promised land. He and Lot decided to part company and Abram got into a war with four kings in order to rescue Lot. After this great victory over the kings and particularly over the king of Sodom and his suggestion, God comes to Abram again and renews His promise concerning the son and concerning the land. These events had to take a few years; at least three. Another three or so may have passed where nothing was recorded, so we could guess that since God promised Abram a son and his land, approximately three or more years have passed. This has given Abram enough time to ponder god's promises and wonder how true they might be.

Translation: She gave her to Abram, her husband, to wife [lit., to him to wife].

So Sarai gives her maid, Hagar, to Abram. In this, she becomes his mistress.

This suggestion of Sarai's does not violate any established moral code, insofar as we know. God set up a precedent of right man and right woman, and Abram and Sarai have fulfilled that, but we do not know whether God has specifically established monogamy. What is occurring here is progressive divine revelation. That is, God has not revealed His entire plan to anyone even for that dispensation. In fact, until the OT canon was completed, there was a great deal of visions and Urim and Thummim and visitations by the angel of the Lord, etc. These things are unknown to us in our day, outside of mental institutions. Because man cannot believe that the world could be any different over a passage of time, man does not like to believe that either (1) there were visions and direct revelations from God in the past; and others do not want to believe that (2) these visions and revelations have stopped. However, we have already discussed that Abram should know that his seed will be raised up in Sarai.

God did tell Abram to come all the way to the Land of Promise. At no time did God ever tell Abram, “I want you to start considering the concept of a surrogate wife.”

Genesis 16:3 Sarai, the wife of Abram, took Hagar, the Egyptian girl, her maid (after ten years, Abram had lived in the land of Canaan). She gave her to Abram, her husband, to wife [lit., to him to wife]. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Genesis 16:3 Sarai, the wife of Abram, took Hagar, the Egyptian slave girl, and she gave her to Abram, her husband, to wife (Abram has lived in the land of Canaan for ten years). (Kukis paraphrase)

If I was writing this, I probably would have place v. 3b at the very end: Sarai, the wife of Abram, took Hagar, the Egyptian slave girl, and she gave her to Abram, her husband, to wife (Abram has lived in the land of Canaan for ten years).

Most translations smooth out the Hebrew, because there are things in the Hebrew which are peculiar to that language, but not to ours (such as, the word face is always in the plural). So, a more literal translation of v. 3 is: And so, Sarai, a woman [wife] of Abram, takes [seizes] Hagar the Egyptian her slave girl from the end of ten years Abram to dwell in a land of Canaan. And so she [Sarai] gives her to Abram her man [husband] to him for a woman [to wife].

What is not quite as apparent in most translations is, this verse emphasizes the relationships of these 3 people. Sarai is Abram’s woman; Abram is Sarai’s man; Hagar is an Egyptian slave girl to Sarai. This is who and what they all are—these relationships are all made clear in v. 3. But then Sarai seizes Hagar and gives her to Abram—to him—for a wife (in the Hebrew, there is one word used for both woman and wife). For Sarai to seize Hagar and to give her to Abram changes everything. They all have specific relationships, clearly laid out in the Hebrew, and Sarai changes everything.

Abram and his wife left Haran when Abram was 75 years old (Genesis 12:4). It is 10 years later, and he is now 85 years old. In a year, he will have a son born to him by Hagar, and he will be 86 years old (Genesis 16:16).

In order to help you with the time frame, I have put together a timeline for Abram here:

http://kukis.org/Charts/abrahamictimeline.htm (a partial line was given in the introduction to this chapter).

http://kukis.org/Charts/abrahamictimeline.pdf

In this timeline, I give two very different views of the actual date (for instance, MacDonald has Abram being born in 2164 b.c. and Reese has him born in 1967 b.c.). Also, in this timeline, we have the various ages of Abram coinciding with different events of his life. Whereas, the dates may be suspect, the ages of Abram are accurate because they are given in the Bible.

What is happening here is strictly human viewpoint. Abram and Sarai have no children; God has promised them not just children, but a great legacy, and Sarai has developed a plan on her own to fulfill God’s promises. One of the problems with this plan is, it involves introducing another moving part into the complex relationship of marriage. God created Adam, and then, through clone-manipulation, created the woman. God did not create 2 or 3 women for Adam. One woman was more than enough for Adam to handle. From that point on, monogamous relationships were the order of the day. We have already studied the first polygamous relationship in the Bible—Lamech and his two wives. Lamech was a folksinger, and he sang about killing two men, and how God would avenge his death more than Cain’s (Genesis 4:19, 23–24). Lamech’s line went nowhere, even though Lamech could father more children because he had 2 wives. Immediately, in the very next verse, the Bible presents, as a contrast, Adam and Eve who then have Seth, the line which will lead us to Noah (Genesis 4:25). If Abram thinks about the Scriptures (I believe that he is in possession of them at this time), then he knows about the polygamous relationship of Lamech versus the monogamous relationship of Adam and Eve, which produced Seth. Abram should have said, “Sarai, I think that this is a bad idea.” That was, unfortunately, not Abram’s reaction. He looked at Little Egypt (Hagar) in a different light, and obeyed the voice of his wife.

Nowhere in the existing Bible (the first 10 or so chapters of Genesis), does God give an equal standing to a polygamous union. Just as Adam listened and obeyed the voice of Eve before the fall, so would Abram listen to and obey the voice of his wife.

This in no way suggests that a man not listen to the voice of his wife. However, as the spiritual leader of the family (which is one of the man’s roles), Abram needs to evaluate what Sarai has suggested and then reject this scheme of hers. There is no indication that God sponsors polygamy; there is no indication that God needs some additional assistance in order to make His promises come to pass; and God has not suggested at any time that Abram take up with a slave girl in order for His promises to be fulfilled.

What Abram is about to do is legitimate in his culture; it is socially acceptable by human viewpoint standards, and this represents human works. For these reasons, we know that this is a bad idea. By the words the Holy Spirit uses to define the proper relationships of Abram, Sarai and Hagar in v. 3, we know that this is a mistake.

——————————

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Targum (trans. By Cook)        And he went unto Hagar, and she conceived; and she saw that she had conceived, and the honour of her mistress was despised in her eyes.

Latin Vulgate                          And he went in to her. But she perceiving that she was with child, despised her mistress.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so he goes in unto Hagar and so she conceives; and so she sees that she had conceived, and so she sees as trifling her mistress in her [two] eyes.

Peshitta (Syriac)                    And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.

Septuagint (Greek)                And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived, and saw that she was with child, and her mistress was dishonored before her.

Significant differences: 

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           He slept with Hagar, and she became pregnant. But when she realized that she was pregnant, she no longer respected her mistress.

Contemporary English V.       Later, when Hagar knew she was going to have a baby, she became proud and was hateful to Sarai.

Easy English                          Abram had sex with Hagar. And she became *pregnant. When Hagar knew that, she was unkind to her boss Sarai. She was unkind because she considered Sarai worse than Hagar herself.

Easy-to-Read Version            Hagar became pregnant from Abram. When Hagar saw this, she became very proud and began to feel that she was better than Sarai her master.

Good News Bible (TEV)         Abram had intercourse with Hagar, and she became pregnant. When she found out that she was pregnant, she became proud and despised Sarai.

New Century Version             Abram had sexual relations with Hagar, and she became pregnant. When Hagar learned she was pregnant, she began to treat her mistress Sarai badly.

New Life Version                    He went in to Hagar, and she was going to have a child. And when she saw that she was going to have a child, she began to hate Sarai.

New Living Translation           So Abram had sexual relations with Hagar, and she became pregnant. But when Hagar knew she was pregnant, she began to treat her mistress, Sarai, with contempt.

The Voice                               So Abram slept with Hagar. It was not long before she conceived. But as soon as she knew she was pregnant with Abram's child, Hagar's attitude changed and she became haughty toward Sarai.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          Then [Abram] went in to [sleep with] Hagar, and she became pregnant. And when she realized that she was going to have a child, she started being disrespectful to her mistress.

Christian Community Bible     He went in to Hagar and she became pregnant.

When she was aware of this, she began to despise her mistress.

God’s Word™                         He slept with Hagar, and she became pregnant. When Hagar realized that she was pregnant, she began to be disrespectful to Sarai, her owner.

New Advent (Knox) Bible       Abram, then, had knowledge of her, and she, finding herself with child, began to look on her mistress with scorn.

New American Bible (2002)   He had intercourse with her, and she became pregnant. When she became aware of her pregnancy, she looked on her mistress with disdain.

New American Bible (2011)   He had intercourse with her, and she became pregnant. As soon as Hagar knew she was pregnant, her mistress lost stature in her eyes. Because barrenness was at that time normally blamed on the woman and regarded as a disgrace, it is not surprising that Hagar looks down on Sarah. Ancient Near Eastern legal practice addresses such cases of insolent slaves and allows disciplining of them. Prv 30:23 uses as an example of intolerable behavior "a maidservant when she ousts her mistress." See 1 Sm 1:6; Prv 30:23.

NIRV                                      He made love to Hagar. And she became pregnant.

When Hagar knew she was pregnant, she began to look down on the woman who owned her.

New Jerusalem Bible             He went to Hagar and she conceived. And once she knew she had conceived, her mistress counted for nothing in her eyes.

New Simplified Bible              Abram had intercourse with Hagar, and she conceived. When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.

Today’s NIV                          He slept with Hagar, and she conceived. When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Ancient Roots Translinear      He came into Hagar and she conceived. When she saw she conceived, she cursed her mistress in her eyes.

Bible in Basic English             And he went in to Hagar and she became with child, and when she saw that she was with child, she no longer had any respect for her master's wife.

Conservapedia                       He had relations with Hagar, and she fell pregnant. And when she realized that she was pregnant, she held her mistress in contempt. The consequences of the mistake become manifest very early on: the surrogate comes between the husband and the lawful wife, and also considers that the baby belongs to her.

The Expanded Bible              Abram ·had sexual relations with [^Lwent in to] Hagar, and she ·became pregnant [conceived]. When Hagar learned she ·was pregnant [conceived], she began to ·treat [look on] her mistress Sarai ·badly [with contempt].

Ferar-Fenton Bible                 So he went to Hagar, and she conceived ; when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despicable in her eyes.

HCSB                                     He slept with Hagar, and she became pregnant. When she realized that she was pregnant, she looked down on her mistress.

NET Bible®                             He had sexual relations with [Heb "entered to." See the note on the same expression in v. 2.] Hagar, and she became pregnant [Or "she conceived" (also in v. 5)]. Once Hagar realized she was pregnant, she despised Sarai [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.].

NIV, ©2011                             He slept with Hagar [S ver 1], and she conceived.

When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress [Ge 30:1; 1Sa 1:6].

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           Avram had sexual relations with Hagar, and she conceived. But when she became aware that she was pregnant, she looked on her mistress with contempt.

exeGeses companion Bible   And he goes in to Hagar and she conceives:

and when she sees that she conceives,

she abases her lady in her eyes.

JPS (Tanakh—1985)               He cohabited with Hagar and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was lowered in her esteem.

Judaica Press Complete T.    And he came to Hagar, and she conceived, and she saw that she was pregnant, and her mistress became unimportant in her eyes.

Kaplan Translation                 [Abram] came to her, and she conceived. When she realized that she was pregnant, she looked at her mistress with contempt.

Orthodox Jewish Bible           And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her gevirah was despised in her eyes.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible                And he had intercourse with Hagar, and she became pregnant; and when she saw that she was with child, she looked with contempt upon her mistress and despised her.

Concordant Literal Version    And coming is he to Hagar, and pregnant is she becoming. And seeing is she that she is pregnant, and lightly esteemed is her mistress in her eyes.

Context Group Version          And he went in to Hagar, and she became pregnant: and when she saw that she had become pregnant, her mistress was ignored in her eyes.

English Standard Version      And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked [1 Sam. 1:6, 7] with contempt [Hebrew her mistress was dishonourable in her eyes; similarly in verse 5] on her mistress.

Green’s Literal Translation    And he went in to Hagar and she conceived; and she saw that she had conceived, and her mistress was despised in her eyes.

NASB                                     He went in to Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her sight.

Syndein/Thieme                     And he {Abram} went in unto Hagar {sexual relations}, and she kept on being pregnant {harah}. And when she {Sarai} saw that she {Hagar} had become pregnant, her mistress kept on despising {Hagar} in her eyes {idiom: meaning 'in her thoughts' - mental attitude sin of jealousy and hatred}. {Note: The point here is antagonism between the two women.}.

World English Bible                He went in to Hagar, and she conceived. When she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.

Young’s Updated LT             And he goes in unto Hagar, and she conceives, and she sees that she has conceived, and her mistress is lightly esteemed in her eyes.

The gist of this verse:          After Abram had sex with Hagar, she conceived. As a result, she began to look down on her mistress.

Translation: He went into Hagar...

This is the common euphemism meaning that they had sex. In translating, I prefer translating a euphemism with a euphemism. The details, if any, can certainly be added later.

Euphemisms, when it comes to sex, are as old as the Bible. The verb to go in is the Qal imperfect of bôwʾ (בּוֹא) [pronounced boh], which means to come in, to come, to go in, to go, to enter. Strong’s #935 BDB #97. This verb is found more than 2500 times in the Bible and it is used here, euphemistically, to refer to sex.

Translation: ...and she conceived.

At this point in time, there is nothing amiss with Abram’s potency. The problem with conception is with Sarai.

Went in means to have sex and is in the Qal imperfect, meaning that it occurred several times. Conceived is in the Qal perfect tense; it only had to happen once.

Translation: When she saw that she had conceived,...

When a woman conceives and when she knows that she has conceived are two different points in time. There does come a point where the woman realizes that she is pregnant, and this changes Hagar’s attitude dramatically.

Translation: ...her mistress is insignificant in her eyes.

Suddenly, Hagar gets an attitude. The verb is the Hebrew word qâlal (קָלַל) [pronounced kaw-LAL] and it means ➊ to be diminished (note the passive meaning); ➋ to be despised, to be contemned (again, a passive meaning); ➌ to be light, to be trifling, to be of little account; ➍ to be swift, to be fleet; ➎ to be lightly esteemed. Qâlal is in the Qal imperfect tense; Hagar continually depreciated Sarai. Hagar was her slave, her inferior, and now there was something that Hagar could do that Sarai could not do; Hagar could provide a child for her man. Hagar could have been the most innocent one of the trio. She is a slave an as a slave must do what she is told to do by her masters. Both Sarai and Abram laid down the law that she was to have sex with Abram so she was obeying. However, now she filled herself with mental attitude sins of arrogance and she belittled her mistress, Sarai.

Here is a good object lesson when it comes to translation. Literally, this reads ...and so is insignificant her mistress in her [two] eyes. So, her mistress is the subject and the verb is used in a passive sense; so her mistress is lightly esteemed (or insignificant). Then we add in, in her eyes, which means, in her opinion, in her estimation. We can combine that final phrase with the verb, and give this more of an active meaning: ...she considered her mistress, Sarai, as insignificant. The verb considered is added to the concept of being insignificant, unimportant but with an active meaning; so it is Hagar, in this translation, which becomes the subject of the verb. So, we take the final words and roll them into the verb and give the verb an active sense. In this, we have better conveyed the meaning of this verse; but we have certainly not translated it literally. Quite obviously, when a translator does something like this, he is taking a chance that he might discard an important fact or word in reconstructing this sentence.

After first receiving excellent Bible teaching from R. B. Thieme, Jr., I began to treat paraphrased translations as trifling or insignificant. However, when I began to translate the Bible, then this took me to a whole new place. Sometimes a better understanding can be had with a less exact translation. This is what caused me, in fact, to give 3 translations. As a believer, I don’t think that you are harmed by having a “reading” Bible and a literally translated Bible (e.g., The Open Bible and the New King James Bible. This way, if you read something in the NKJV which does not convey what is going on, then you look into your Living Bible and see how they understood that verse to be. What is quite helpful is, there are several good websites where you have access to a dozen or more translations.

Here are some examples of texts which give us a better feel for what is going on between Hagar and Sarai:

Common English Bible           He slept with Hagar, and she became pregnant. But when she realized that she was pregnant, she no longer respected her mistress.

Easy-to-Read Version            Hagar became pregnant from Abram. When Hagar saw this, she became very proud and began to feel that she was better than Sarai her master.

New Living Translation           So Abram had sexual relations with Hagar, and she became pregnant. But when Hagar knew she was pregnant, she began to treat her mistress, Sarai, with contempt.

The Voice                               So Abram slept with Hagar. It was not long before she conceived. But as soon as she knew she was pregnant with Abram's child, Hagar's attitude changed and she became haughty toward Sarai.

God’s Word™                         He slept with Hagar, and she became pregnant. When Hagar realized that she was pregnant, she began to be disrespectful to Sarai, her owner.

New Advent (Knox) Bible       Abram, then, had knowledge of her, and she, finding herself with child, began to look on her mistress with scorn.

New American Bible (2002)   He had intercourse with her, and she became pregnant. When she became aware of her pregnancy, she looked on her mistress with disdain.

New American Bible (2011)   He had intercourse with her, and she became pregnant. As soon as Hagar knew she was pregnant, her mistress lost stature in her eyes.

V. 4 reads: Abram went into Hagar and she conceived. When she realized that she had conceived, she considered her mistress, Sarai, as insignificant. Hagar has done what Sarai could not do; she has become pregnant by Abram, and this changes the balance of power in her own eyes.

There are a number of she’s in this verse, so we need to sort them out. We have two clues: the name Hagar is the only feminine person named in this verse until we come to mistress. This word mistress does not refer to Hagar, as the mistress of Abram, but it refers to Sarai, as the mistress over Hagar (Genesis 16:8–9). Therefore, all of the she’s in this verse logically refer to Hagar. Therefore, to help sort this out, we might read Genesis 16:4 in this way: And Abram went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when Hagar saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress, Sarai.

The tenses are interesting in this verse. The verb went in to is a Qal imperfect, which indicates that Abram probably had sex with Hagar on several occasions. The first time we find the verb conceived, it is also in the Qal imperfect, so the idea is, Hagar entered into a state of having conceived, and remained in that state for a long time (my guess would be about 9 months). The next verb saw is a Qal imperfect followed by the Qal perfect of conceive. So, Hagar kept looking at (thinking about) her situation of having conceived (perfect tense; past action); which meant that, each and every day, the fact of her carrying Abram’s child was given consideration in her own mind. She thought about this and tried to figure out what to do in order to usurp Sarai’s position in the family. Let’s take this information and try to translate this verse to reflect these various tenses.

Gen 16:4 And Abram went in to Hagar [on several occasions], and she conceived [became pregnant and continued to show signs of pregnancy]. And when Hagar kept observing that she herself had become pregnant, she kept looking with contempt upon her mistress, Sarai.

The final verb is the Qal imperfect of qâlal (קָלַל) [pronounced kaw-LAL] and it means ➊ to be diminished (note the passive meaning); ➋ to be despised, to be contemned (again, a passive meaning); ➌ to be swift, to be fleet (this verb is rarely so used). Strong's #7043 BDB #886. All of a sudden, this slave girl looked down upon her mistress; this slave girl saw herself as superior to Sarai. Sarai had become quite diminished in her eyes. Remember in v. 3, how their relationships are carefully defined; and then, at the end, Sarai seizes Hagar and gives her to Abram? That messes up their well-defined relationships. So now, in this verse, Hagar, the slave-girl, who ought to be obedient to her mistress, Sarai, now looks down upon her mistress. She no longer has the proper deference for her mistress.

Genesis 16:4 He went into Hagar and she conceived. When she saw that she had conceived, her mistress is insignificant in her eyes. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Genesis 16:4 Abram went into Hagar and she conceived. When she realized that she had conceived, she considered her mistress, Sarai, as insignificant. (Kukis paraphrase)

The intent was for Hagar to have a child, but for Sarai to raise it as her own. However, Hagar is her maidservant; so, who logically would raise the child? Hagar will be doing all of the actual day-to-day stuff, increasing her bond with her own son. When Abram comes to visit, it would be with his son and with Hagar, as she is there. This is just not working out at all as Sarai saw it. Hagar, because this is her son, is willing to put up with a great deal—sleepless nights, feeding, changing diapers (or whatever they did in the ancient world). Sarai, because this is not her son, is not really interested in doing any of those things.

Because Hagar receives some attention by Abram, Hagar begins to see herself in a different light. She is bearing the son of her master, which lessens her commitment as a slave, and causes her to think more about the big picture. She has the master’s son in her womb; his wife does not. Therefore, Hagar begins to treat Sarai with disrespect.

Women are very keyed into these things. It is possible that Abram, being a man, noticed very little; but I can guarantee that, this new opinion that Hagar had of Sarai was very well-known to Sarai. Hagar was younger than Sarai and now she was carrying Abram’s child. She first stated a few simple facts to Sarai, such as, “I do believe that I have morning sickness.” But, at some point in time, 7 or 8 months into pregnancy, I can just see Hagar saying to Sarai, “Could you be a dear, and fetch that for me?” Hagar is no longer the slave girl in her own eyes. She is not under Sarai’s authority anymore. She is Abram’s woman carrying his child, something that Sarai is unable to do. Sarai is struggling with this new relationship as well.

Related to this is Hammurabi's Code, ¶ 146, which tells us that a slave woman who has borne children, may not assert herself over against the unproductive wife. She may not usurp the wife's position or achieve equality with the wife in this situation. Again, we can see how closely this situation parallels with the traditions of that era. Hammurabi’s code clearly recognizes the problem which could erupt and makes an attempt to fix everything with a law.

In Hagar’s entire periphery, the most important man and the richest and the most powerful man is Abram. And right now, she is carrying his child. In some ways, she may feel as if she has won the lottery here. She is now tied to this greatest of men. She has his seed, his child.

You will note that, in laying out this entire scheme, Sarai seems like a very modern and progressive woman. This is what a modern woman ought to do under these circumstances, in that culture. However, after Abram has sex with Hagar, after Hagar bears Abram the child that Sarai could not, and after Hagar begins to see herself in a different light, Sarai’s feelings about this situation changed.

Bear in mind, all of this is Sarai’s idea, but now that Hagar has a son sired by her husband, Abram, she is less than happy with the results. Therefore, Sarai is going to complain about the situation. And this you might find shocking: Abram cannot simply say, “But, honey, this was all your idea.” That approach just isn’t going to fly.

Gen 16:3–4 So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife. And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress.

All parties involved share in the fault here, even though there were no clear guidelines that we are aware of, apart from the norms of society at that time. Hagar was being told by Abram and Sarai, her two masters, what she had to do. There does not seem to be any resistence from Hagar in all of this; and it is very likely that she saw this as a possible power play. Abram was a nice guy; she was a slave girl with no prospects, so becoming his wife through pregnancy looked like a step in the right direction to her.

Furthermore, it was not unusual, in that day, for a younger second wife to supplant the first wife, which situation was addressed in Hammurabi’s code (mentioned above). So, it is very likely that, in all of this, Hagar looked at this as her way out of being a slave girl. Maybe she would get her own slave girl?

From Sarai’s standpoint, this was all wrong. This woman had sex with her husband; this woman now had a child that Sarai was unable to provide, and Hagar was now indicating to Sarai, by her very looks, that she would supplant Sarai as Abram’s wife.

——————————

When Hagar Becomes Pregnant, Both She and Sarai Change their Mental Attitudes

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Targum (trans. By Cook)        And Sara said to Abram, All my affliction is from thee. Being secure that thou wouldst do me justice, I left the land and house of my father, and came up with thee to a foreign land; and forasmuch as I was not able to become a mother, I set free my handmaid, and gave her to lie in thy bosom; and she seeth that she had conceived, and mine honour is despised before her. But now is my affliction manifest before the Lord, who will spread peace between me and thee, and the land shall be replenished from us, nor shall we need the help of the progeny of Hagar the daughter of Pharoh bar Nimrod, who threw thee into the furnace of fire.

Jerusalem targum                  And Sara said, My judgment and my affliction are delivered into thine hand. I left the house of my birth, and the house of my father, and came with thee in the faith of the Heavens. I have gone in with thee before kings; before Pharoh King of Mizraim, and before Avimelek king of the Philistaee; and I have said of thee, he is my brother, so that they might not kill thee. And when I saw that I was not made fruitful, I took Hagar the Mizreitha, my handmaid, and gave her to thee to wife, and said, She shall bring forth, and I will bring up whom she may bear, that I may be builded, be it only from her. But now seeing that she hath conceived, my honour is contemned and despised in her sight. Now may the Lord appear, and judge between me and thee, and fulfil mercies upon me and thee, and spread His peace between me and thee, and replenish the world from me and from thee, that we may not heed the son of Hagar the Mizreitha handmaid, who is of the children of the people who cast thee into the burning furnace of the Kasdin.

Latin Vulgate                          And Sarai said to Abram: Thou dost unjustly with me: I gave my handmaid into thy bosom, and she perceiving herself to be with child, despiseth me. The Lord judge between me and thee.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so says Sarai unto Abram, “My wrong [be] upon you. I [even] I have given my maid into your hand. And so she sees that she has conceived and so I am diminished in her [two] eyes. Will judge Y^ehowah between me and between you.”

Peshitta (Syriac)                    And Sarai said to Abram, My wrong be upon you; I gave my maid into your bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes; may the LORD judge between me and you.

Septuagint (Greek)                Then Sarai said to Abram, I am injured by you; I gave my handmaid into your bosom, and when I saw that she was with child, I was dishonored before her. The Lord judge between me and you.

Significant differences: 

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           Sarai said to Abram, "This harassment is your fault. I allowed you to embrace my servant, but when she realized she was pregnant, I lost her respect. Let the Lord decide who is right, you or me."

Contemporary English V.       Then Sarai said to Abram, "It's all your fault! I gave you my slave woman, but she has been hateful to me ever since she found out she was pregnant. You have done me wrong, and you will have to answer to the LORD for this."

Easy English                          Then Sarai said to Abram, `It is your fault that I am unhappy. I gave my maid to you so that you could have sex with her. Now, when she is *pregnant, she is unkind to me. She is being unkind because she considers me worse than herself. Let the *Lord *judge between you and me!'

Easy-to-Read Version            But Sarai said to Abram, “My servant now hates me. And I blame you for this. I gave her to you. She became pregnant. And then she began to feel that she is better than I am. I want the Lord to judge which of us is right.”

Good News Bible (TEV)         Then Sarai said to Abram, "It's your fault that Hagar despises me. I myself gave her to you, and ever since she found out that she was pregnant, she has despised me. May the LORD judge which of us is right, you or me!"

The Message                         Sarai told Abram, "It's all your fault that I'm suffering this abuse. I put my maid in bed with you and the minute she knows she's pregnant, she treats me like I'm nothing. May GOD decide which of us is right."

New Berkeley Version           Then Sarai said to Abram, “May the injury I suffer come home to you. I entrusted my maid to your bosom and as soon as she found herself with child she looked down on me. Let the Lord do justice between me and you.”

New Century Version             Then Sarai said to Abram, "This is your fault. I gave my slave girl to you, and when she became pregnant, she began to treat me badly. Let the Lord decide who is right-you or me."

New Life Version                    Then Sarai said to Abram, "May the wrong done to me be upon you. I gave the woman who served me into your arms. But when she saw that she was going to have a child, she began to hate me. May the Lord judge who is guilty or not between you and me."

New Living Translation           Then Sarai said to Abram, "This is all your fault! I put my servant into your arms, but now that she's pregnant she treats me with contempt. The Lord will show who's wrong-you or me!"

The Voice                               Sarai would not tolerate her servant looking down on her, so she approached Abram again.

Sarai (to Abram): This is all your fault. I allowed my servant girl to be intimate with you, and as soon as she saw she was pregnant with your child, she started behaving arrogantly and disrespectfully toward me! I have done nothing to deserve this. Let the Eternal One judge who is in the wrong here-you or me!.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          So Sara said to Abram: 'I've really been hurt by you, for I gave you my handmaid [to sleep with], and when I saw that she was pregnant, she treated me disrespectfully. May Jehovah judge between me and you!'

Beck’s American Translation “I’ve been wrongs,” Sarai told Abram, “and it’s your fault. I put my maid in your arms. Now that she sees she’s going to have a child, she despised me. May the LORD decide whether I am wrong or you.”

Christian Community Bible     Sarai said to Abram, “May this injury done to me be yours. I put my servant in your arms and now that she knows she is pregnant, I count for nothing in her eyes. Let Yahweh judge between me and you.”

God’s Word™                         So Sarai complained to Abram, "I'm being treated unfairly! And it's your fault! I know that I gave my slave to you, but now that she's pregnant, she's being disrespectful to me. May the LORD decide who is right-you or me."

New Advent (Knox) Bible       And Sarai complained to Abram, I am being wronged, through thy fault; here is this maid-servant of mine, whom I bade thee take in thy arms, treating me scornfully, now that she has conceived. May the Lord do justice between us.

New American Bible (2011)   So Sarai said to Abram: "This outrage against me is your fault. I myself gave my maid to your embrace; but ever since she knew she was pregnant, I have lost stature in her eyes. May the LORD decide between you and me!" Gn 21:10-19.

NIRV                                      Then Sarai said to Abram, "It's your fault that I'm suffering like this. I put my servant in your arms. Now that she knows she's pregnant, she looks down on me. May the Lord judge between you and me. May he decide which of us is right."

New Jerusalem Bible             Then Sarai said to Abram, 'This outrage done to me is your fault! It was I who put my slave-girl into your arms but, now she knows that she has conceived, I count for nothing in her eyes. Yahweh judge between me and you!'

New Simplified Bible              Then Sarai said to Abram: »You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my servant in your arms; she knows she is pregnant and she despises me. May Jehovah judge between you and me.«

Revised English Bible            Sarai complained to Abram, ‘I am being wronged; you must do something about it. It was I who gave my slave-girl into your arms, but since she has known that she is pregnant, she has despised me. May the Lord see justice done between you and me.’

Today’s NIV                          Then Sarai said to Abram, "You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my servant in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the LORD judge between you and me."

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Ancient Roots Translinear      Sarai said to Abram, "My violence is toward you! I gave my handmaid to your bosom. When she saw she conceived, she cursed me in her eyes: Yahweh judges between me and you."

Bible in Basic English             And Sarai said to Abram, May my wrong be on you: I gave you my servant for your wife and when she saw that she was with child, she no longer had any respect for me: may the Lord be judge between you and me.

Conservapedia                       So Sarai told Abram, "This is your fault! I gave my maid to share your bed. Now that she knows that she's pregnant, she holds me in contempt. May the LORD judge between me and you!" Sarai blames Abram, conveniently making light of a simple matter such as that it was her idea.

The Expanded Bible              Then Sarai said to Abram, "·This is your fault [^LMay the wrong/violence done to me be on you]. I gave my slave girl ·to you [into your embrace; ^Linto your lap], and when she ·became pregnant [^Lconceived], she began to ·treat [look on] me ·badly [with contempt]. Let the Lord ·decide who is right-[judge between] you or me."

Ferar-Fenton Bible                 Then Sarai said to Abram, " My wrong came from you. I gave my maid to you as wife, and she sees that she has conceived, and I am despicable in her eyes. Let the Ever-living decide between me and you."

NET Bible®                             Then Sarai said to Abram, "You have brought this wrong on me [Heb "my wrong is because of you."]! I allowed my servant to have sexual relations with you [Heb "I placed my female servant in your bosom."], but when she realized [Heb "saw."] that she was pregnant, she despised me [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.]. May the Lord judge between you and me [Heb "me and you."] [May the Lord judge between you and me. Sarai blamed Abram for Hagar's attitude, not the pregnancy. Here she expects to be vindicated by the Lord who will prove Abram responsible. A colloquial rendering might be, "God will get you for this." It may mean that she thought Abram had encouraged the servant girl in her elevated status.]!"

NIV, ©2011                             Then Sarai said to Abram, "You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me." S Ge 3:9

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           Sarai said to Avram, "This outrage being done to me is your fault! True, I gave my slave-girl to you to sleep with; but when she saw that she was pregnant, she began holding me in contempt. May ADONAI decide who is right - I or you!"

exeGeses companion Bible   And Saray says to Abram, My violence is on you:

I - I give my maid into your bosom;

and she sees that she conceives,

and is abased in her eyes:

Yah Veh judge between me and you.

Judaica Press Complete T.    And Sarai said to Abram, "May my injustice be upon you! I gave my handmaid into your bosom, and she saw that she had become pregnant, and I became unimportant in her eyes. May the Lord judge between me and you!"

Kaplan Translation                 Sarai said to Abram, 'It's all your fault! I myself placed my slave in your arms [Literally, 'in your bosom,' or 'in your lap.']! Now that she sees herself pregnant, she looks at me with disrespect. Let God judge between me and you!'

Orthodox Jewish Bible           And Sarai said unto Avram, My wrong be upon thee; I have given my shifchah unto thy kheyk; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes; Hashem judge between me and thee.

The Scriptures 1998              And Sarai said to Ab?ram, “My wrong be upon you! I gave my female servant into your bosom. And when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes. Let יהוה judge between you and me.”

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible                Then Sarai said to Abram, May [the responsibility for] my wrong and deprivation of rights be upon you! I gave my maid into your bosom, and when she saw that she was with child, I was contemptible and despised in her eyes. May the Lord be the judge between you and me.

Concordant Literal Version    And saying is Sarai to Abram, "My wrong comes on you. I, I gave my maid into your bosom. And seeing is she that she is pregnant, and lightly esteemed am I in her eyes. Judging is Yahweh Elohim between me and her.

Context Group Version          And Sarai said to Abram, My wrong be on you: I gave my slave into your bosom; and when she saw that she had become pregnant, I was ignored in her eyes: YHWH judge between me and you.

Darby Translation                  And Sarai said to Abram, My wrong be on thee! I have given my maidservant into thy bosom; and now she sees that she has conceived, I am lightly esteemed in her eyes. Jehovah judge between me and thee!

English Standard Version      And Sarai said to Abram, "May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the LORD judge [ch. 31:53; 1 Sam. 24:12] between you and me!"