Bible Story – Barrenness Forces a Woman to Give Her Slave Girl to Her Husband

Sarai Gives Hagar to Abram


This Bible Story is about a barren named Sarai। She gave her slave girl as a concubine to her husband Abram so that she could raise children through the slave girl.


One day, Sarai said to Abraham, “The LORD has kept me from having children. Why don't you sleep with my slave girl? Perhaps she can have a child for me.”

The tradition of people of that time permitted a barren woman to give her slave girl to her husband if the woman was unable to give birth to children.

Hagar Became Pregnant

Abram had intercourse with Hagar (Sarai slave girl) and she became pregnant.

When Hagar realized that she was pregnant, she became proud and started to treat her mistress Sarai with contempt.

Sarai was not happy so she 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!”

Abram responded by telling his wife that Hagar was her slave and under her control and she had the right to do whatever she wanted with Hagar.

So Sarai treated Hagar cruelly that she ran away.

God’s Angel Meets Hagar

Sarai’s slave ran away to a spring in the desert on the road to one city called Shur. While she was there, an angel of God met her and said to her, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?”

She answered, “I am running away from my mistress.”

The angel told her to go back to her mistress and be submissive to her.

He told her that God would give her many descendants that no one would be able to count them. He went on to tell her that she would give birth to a son and she should name the child Ishmael because God had heard her cry of distress. The angel then informed her that her son would live his life like a wild donkey.

The angel concluded by saying to Hagar, “He (Hagar’s son) will be against everyone, and everyone will be against him. He will live apart from all his relatives.”

After the angel left, Hagar used another name to refer to God who had spoken to her through His angel. She referred to God as “A God who sees me” for she had earlier said, “Have I really seen God and lived to tell about it?”

So that well where the angel met Hagar was named “Beer-Lahai-roi” (which means “Well of the Living One who sees me”)

Hagar Gives Birth to a Child

Hagar bore Abraham a child and he named him Ishmael. Abram was 86 years old when Ishmael was born.

Genesis 16:1-15

These questions concerning this Bible Story would help you confirm that you understood the स्टोरी.

• What was the name of Sarai’s slave?



• Why did Sarai give her slave to her husband to be his concubine?



• Why did Sarai’s slave run away from her?



• Whom did an angel of God meet at a spring in the desert?



• Who did the angel say would live his life like a wild donkey?



• What was the name given to the well where God spoke to Hagar through His angel?



• How old was Abram when Ishmael was born?