Genesis
Chapter
16
{Abram
Fails to Wait on the Promise From the Lord
- Abram is going to 'Help' God}
1^~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.
{Human
Viewpoint Solution to Fulfil God's Promise to Abram}
2^~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!}
3^~And
Sarai, Abram's wife,
took
Hagar her maid, the Egyptian,
-
after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan -
and
gave her to her husband Abram to be his woman/wife {'ishshah}.
4^~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.}
5^~And
Sarai said unto Abram,
"It
is all your fault! {chamac idiom: literally 'wronged' or injustice'}
I
have given my maid
into
your embrace {cheyq idiom: literally 'bosom'} .
And
when she kept on seeing { ra'ah }
that
she was pregnant,
{I
am} despised in her eyes.
Jehovah/God
judge!"
{Note: The picture is pretty clear that the two women are not happy with each other. Sarai has blamed God earlier and now she is blaming Abram for following up on her suggestion. Mental attitude sins abound.}
6^~Abram
said unto Sarai,
"Behold,
your maid is 'under your authority'
{yad idiom: literally 'in your hand'}.
Manufacture
{'asah - out of your mental attitude sins}/
do
to her as it pleases you.
And
when Sarai abused/afflicted/bullied her {Hagar},
she
{Hagar} fled from her {Sarai} presence/face.
{Theophanic
Angel - Appearance of Jesus Christ as the 'Angel of Jehovah'}
7^~And
the angel/messenger {mal'ak} of Jehovah/God
found
her {Hagar}
{in grace God finds us! We do not find Him! That is GRACE}
by
a fountain/spring {`ayin} of water in the desert . . .
by
the fountain/spring {`ayin}
on
the way to Shur {on the way to Egypt}.
{Note: In verse 13 we see that this 'messenger' is the Lord Himself on His own mission. The manifest member of the Godhead always is the second member - Jesus Christ. This is the doctrine of Christophanies (Greek for Christ + appearances).}
{Note: RBT says the angel of Jehovah is not always said to be God. So, sometimes, 'Jehovah' in that case is God the Father and the angel is still Jesus Christ, but in those cases, He is on a mission for God the Father.}
8^~
And He said {'amar},
"Hagar,
Sarai's maid, from where have you come?
{she did not know Him, but He knew her!
And, He knew where she was! So, just as with when Adam was
hiding in the garden and God went to find Him . . . this means -
'why are you, where you are?'}
And
where will you keep on going?
And
she said {'amar},
"I
flee from the presence/face of my mistress Sarai."
{Note: Principal is that changing circumstances does not solve any problem - don't run away from your problems. Face your problems.}
9^~And
the angel/messenger {mal'ak} of Jehovah/God
said
{'amar} {unto her},
"
'Turn back'/'Return'
{shuwb - same word used for 'repent' and that is the analogy here}
to
your mistress,
and
submit yourself {`anah imperative - an order}
'under
her authority'
{yad idiom: literally 'in her hand'}."
10^~And
the angel/messenger {mal'ak} of Jehovah/God
said
{'amar} {unto her},
"I
will multiply your seed/progeny tremendously
{a great section of the Arabs today come from Hagar},
that
it shall not be numbered {caphar}
for
multitude {tremendously large nations}."
11^~And
the angel/messenger {mal'ak} of Jehovah/God
said
{'amar} unto her,
"Behold,
you are with child, and shall bear a son,
and
shall call his name Ishmael {means 'the Lord has heard'}.
Because
Jehovah/God has heard your affliction."
12^~"He
{Ishmael} will be a 'wild ass {pere'} of a man'
{Ishmael and his descendents are a wild desert peoples}.
'His
hand will be against every man,
and
every man's hand against him'
{yad yad - literally: 'hand hand'. The doubling of a word in the
Hebrew is very strong - this indicates each 'hand' will be against
the 'hand' of those around him - always battling}.
And
he shall keep on dwelling {shakan}
in
the presence/face {paniym} of all his brethren/kindred {'ach}."
{Note: One of the great signs of the coming of the Tribulation is the gathering together of the Arabs to attack the Jews in Jerusalem. Until then the Arabs will be at each other's throats.}
{Hagar's
Salvation is Recorded}
13^~And
she kept on calling {qara'}
the
name {shem} of Jehovah/God
that
communicated categorically {dabar} {unto her},
"You
El/God see me."
For
she said {'amar} {her testimony follows},
"I
have seen the One Who saw me
{God saw me in my time of need,
and I have 'seen'/accepted Him as Lord}."
{Note: Salvation: Whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved!}
14^~Therefore
the well was called Beerlahairoi
{B@'er la-Chay Ro'iy - means 'the well of Him Who lives
and sees me'}.
Behold,
it is between Kadesh and Bered.
{Note: We don't have recorded here what happens. But we know from other verses she came back and there was no further persecution. She returned to the 'mess' and God did take care of the problem. She had her son and they lived with Abram and Sarai for many years.}
15^~And
Hagar bore Abram a son.
And
Abram called his son's name
-
which Hagar bare - Ishmael.
16^~And
Abram was fourscore and six years old {86 years old},
when
Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.
{Note: In Genesis 17:1 - the next verse - Abram is now 99 years old. For thirteen years, RBT says peace reigned in the household. God took care of the problem as He promised Hagar and Abram 'waited on the Lord' as he should have from the beginning. God kept his promise AFTER Abram passed the test to 'wait on the promise of the Lord'.}
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