Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)

“Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, bore him no children. She had a servant, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.”
(Genesis 16:1)

Sarai was barren. We’ve known that from the first time we were introduced to her (Genesis 11:30).  The Torah: A Women’s Commentary made this point for that verse: ‘In Genesis 16:2, Sarai will attribute her condition to God. However, the narrator nowhere suggests that God afflicted her with such a condition or that it is a stigma. Fertility of the barren women becomes a symbol of God’s special blessing, without implying necessarily that lack of fertility is a punishment.’ Barrenness was the state that she was in, but it is not implied at any point that she is cursed or should feel shame or anything. All those feelings are EXTERNAL things coming on her from society and NOT from God. God doesn’t deny her condition, but He always calls her toward what He has waiting for her.

It can be supposed that Abram and Sarai acquired her Egyptian servant when they had fled the famine to go into Egypt (Genesis 12:10). They could have purchased her, but it is much more likely based on the text that this servant was part of Pharaoh’s bride price that he paid for Sarai when he believed she was available for marriage (Genesis 12:15-16). Some scholars believe that Hagar was actually a daughter of Pharaoh, a princess of Egypt. No matter who she was as a person, as a servant she is clearly the complete and total property of Sarai alone.

Abram’s promises from God revolved around Abram’s descendants inheriting the land. He had had a firm promise about a biological heir. Sarai is not mentioned by name in the promises that have been given. Yet since Abram had not at any point in their time together (Abram was about 86 years old and Sarai was about 76 and traditions place Abram at 25 when they married) given her up and taken another wife, it can be implied that the plan was for Abram and Sarai to have this child together. But time was passing. It had been a year since Abram and God had a head to head meeting about who Abram’s heir was going to be (Genesis 15:4). The pressure to see the promise’s physical arrival was mounting. But as we will see, there is a right way and a wrong way to approach the promises of God.

The sage Rashi writes: ‘שפחה מצרית A HANDMAID, AN EGYPTIAN — She was a daughter of Pharaoh; when he saw the miracles which had been performed for Sarah’s take he said, “It is better for my daughter to be a handmaid in this man’s house than be mistress in another man’s house” (Genesis Rabbah 45:1).’

The sage Chizkuni writes: ‘ושרי אשת אברם לא ילדה, “meanwhile, Sarai, Avram’s wife had failed to give birth;” this verse is intended to inform us that the covenant just concluded between G-d and Avram preceded the time when Avram was blessed with biological offspring. We should not assume that here too the principle that the Torah need not report events in their chronological sequence could be applied. As a reminder of this, the Torah reports that up until now Sarai had not conceived or given birth. “ולה שפחה מצרית,” and she had an Egyptian maidservant; she was a usufruct maidservant which he was obligated to provide her sustenance and could not sell her. ושמה הגר, “whose name was Hagar;” when Pharaoh handed over his daughter to Sarai (when the latter was a captive in his Palace) he had said to her: “my daughter is your compensation for my having wronged you. ”Here is your reward.” (Based on Matnot kehunah in Br’eshit Rabbah) As a result she was renamed: Hagar.’

The sage Rabbeinu Bahya writes: ‘ולה שפחת מצרית , “and she had an Egyptian slave-woman.” The Torah emphasizes that this woman belonged to Sarai personally, not to Avram; hence the word לה “to her, or hers.” Our sages in Bereshit Rabbah 45,1 describe her as part of Sarai’s נכסי מלוג, property the wife brings with her at marriage over which the husband has only limited control,” i.e. he cannot sell it. ושמה הגר, “and her name was Hagar.” She had been given to Sarai when she was a prisoner in Pharaoh’s palace. As a reminder of that experience she was called “Hagar.” The word means “reward for your chasteness.” (based on the name being an acrostic i.e. הא אגריך “this is your reward”).’

The sage Radak writes: ‘ושרי אשת אברם לא ילדה לו, as mentioned already in Genesis 11,30 ותהי שרי עקרה , “Sarai was barren.” Now when Sarai realized that her husband was already 85 years old, and she still had not been able to bear a child for him, while she herself had already reached the age of 75, she thought that she had no longer any hope of conceiving herself. She therefore reasoned to herself, that seeing G’d had promised Avram that he would have children of his own who would inherit the land of Canaan, G’d must have referred to his siring children from another woman. She reasoned further that it would be in her own best interest that any children born to her husband should be born by a woman under her control so that she would experience the joy of motherhood at least vicariously.’