Hagar
Hagar (Hebrew: הָגָר,[1] Greek: Ἁγάρ[2]) was the Egyptian maidservant of Sarah, the wife of Abraham. Because Sarah remained barren into old age, she gave Hagar to Abraham as a concubine in order to bear a child on her behalf. Hagar gave birth to Ishmael, Abraham’s firstborn son.
| Hagar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Period | The Time of Abraham (estimated Bronze Age) |
| Family | Child: Ishmael |
| Birthplace | Egypt |
| Occupation(Features) | Maidservant of Sarah, wife of Abraham Mother of Ishmael, forebear of the Arab peoples |
| Activity area | Canaan, Wilderness of Paran |
Historical Background
Hagar is closely associated with Abraham, who lived during the Bronze Age in a tribal society. Abraham originally resided in Ur of the Chaldeans in Mesopotamia and, at the age of 75, he was called by God to migrate to Canaan. Because of a famine, he temporarily traveled to Egypt temporarily before returning to Canaan. By this time, Abraham had become a prominent tribal leader, able to command 318 trained men into battle.[3] Hagar is introduced in the biblical narrative around ten years after Abraham settled in Canaan and is presumed to have been acquired during the family’s stay in Egypt.[4]
Life and Events
Hagar Becomes Abraham’s Concubine
By the time Abraham was about 85 years old, he remained childless and was concerned that he had no heir to inherit his estate. Although God had promised that an heir would come from his own body,[5] his wife Sarah, already well beyond childbearing age and no longer menstruating, was distressed by her barrenness. In her concern, Sarah urged Abraham to take her maidservant Hagar as a concubine so that she might bear a child on her behalf.[6] Abraham accepted the proposal after he had lived ten years in Canaan.[7] Hagar conceived and gave birth to Ishmael, Abraham’s firstborn son.
Conflict Between Hagar and Sarah
After Hagar conceived, she began to despise her mistress Sarah. Distressed, Sarah complained to Abraham, saying, “I put my servant in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me.” In reply, Abraham acknowledged that although Hagar was carrying his child, she remained under Sarah’s authority.[8] Unwilling to tolerate Hagar’s contempt, Sarah treated her harshly. Unable to endure the mistreatment, Hagar fled into the wilderness. There, an angel of the LORD appeared to her, instructing her to return and submit to Sarah. Hagar obeyed and later gave birth to a son. At that time, Abraham was 86 years old, and he named the child.
So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.
Expulsion
God declared that Sarah, Abraham’s wife, would bear a son. As promised, Sarah gave birth to Isaac when Abraham was 100 years old.[9] At that time, Ishmael, the son of Hagar, was 14 years old. Until Isaac’s birth, Ishmael had been Abraham’s only son and enjoyed the status of firstborn. However, God affirmed that His covenant would be established with Isaac, designating him as Abraham’s heir.[10]
During the feast celebrating Isaac’s weaning, Ishmael was seen mocking his younger brother. Sarah, recalling how Hagar had once looked on her with contempt after conceiving Ishmael, was angered that Hagar’s son now insulted her own. She insisted that the son of the slave woman should not share in the inheritance with her son Isaac[11] and demanded that Abraham expel Hagar and Ishmael.
Abraham was deeply troubled because Ishmael was his son. However, God told him not to be distressed about the boy or about Hagar and to follow Sarah’s request. The next morning, Abraham gave Hagar bread and water and sent her away with Ishmael. They wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba until the water was gone. In despair, Hagar wept, but an angel of God appeared and reassured her that God had heard the boy’s cries and that Ishmael would become the father of a great nation. God then opened her eyes to a well of water, enabling them to survive.[12] Later, while living in the Wilderness of Paran, Hagar arranged for Ishmael to marry an Egyptian woman.
Formation of a New Nation
Ishmael died at the age of 137. His descendants settled in the region stretching from Havilah to Shur, near Egypt and extending toward Assyria.[13] This area corresponds to the northwestern part of the Arabian Peninsula, south of present-day Israel and Egypt. Ishmael had twelve sons, including Nebaioth and Kedar, who became the ancestors of tribes regarded as the foundation of the Arab people.
This is the account of Abraham's son Ishmael, whom Sarah's maidservant, Hagar the Egyptian, bore to Abraham. These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, listed in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. These were the sons of Ishmael, and these are the names of the twelve tribal rulers according to their settlements and camps.
The Symbolic Meaning of Hagar
In the New Testament, Apostle Paul, author of the book of Galatians, presents a symbolic comparison between Hagar and Sarah, representing two covenants.
For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. His son by the slave woman was born in the ordinary way; but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a promise. These things may be taken figuratively, for the women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother.
In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul presents an allegory in which Hagar, the slave woman, is identified with the old covenant—the Law of the Old Testament given at Mount Sinai—and with the earthly Jerusalem, while Sarah, the free woman, is identified with the new covenant established by Christ and with the heavenly Jerusalem. In the history of Abraham’s family, Ishmael—born to the slave woman Hagar—did not inherit Abraham’s estate, whereas Isaac inherited it because his mother was Sarah, the free woman. This account illustrates which covenant believers must follow and whom they must believe in to inherit the kingdom of heaven. Although Ishmael was Abraham’s firstborn, he was not made heir because he was born of the slave woman. In Christian interpretation, this signifies that humanity, bound under sin and death, cannot receive the inheritance of heaven—that is, salvation—through the old covenant, which was imperfect.[14] While Hagar symbolizes the old covenant and the earthly Jerusalem, Sarah symbolizes the new covenant and the heavenly Jerusalem. The Bible testifies that the heavenly Jerusalem is the Mother of the saved—“Heavenly Mother.”[15] Just as Isaac inherited through Sarah, the free woman, so believers who keep the perfected new covenant and receive God the Mother, who is the reality of the new covenant, will inherit the kingdom of heaven and receive eternal life.
See also
References
- ↑ Strong's Hebrew: 1904. הָגָר, Bible Hub
- ↑ Strong's Greek: 28. Ἄγαρ, Bible Hub
- ↑ "Genesis 14:14".
- ↑ Hagar, Bible Study Tools
- ↑ "Genesis 15:2-4".
- ↑ "Genesis 16:1-2".
- ↑ "Genesis 16:3".
- ↑ "Genesis 16:5-6".
- ↑ "Genesis 21:1-5".
- ↑ "Genesis 17:19–21".
- ↑ "Genesis 21:9-10".
- ↑ "Genesis 21:17-19".
- ↑ "Genesis 25:17-18".
- ↑ "Hebrews 8:7–13".
- ↑ "Galatians 4:26".