章节研读

Genesis 16 — Hagar, Ishmael, and the God Who Sees

Sarai gives her Egyptian servant Hagar to Abram; after Hagar conceives, conflict drives Hagar into the wilderness, where the angel of Jehovah promises a great offspring and Hagar names God 'the One who sees.'

经文

  1. 1.亞 伯 蘭 的 妻 子 撒 萊 不 給 他 生 兒 女 。 撒 萊 有 一 個 使 女 ， 名 叫 夏 甲 ， 是 埃 及 人 。Now Sarai, Abram's wife, bare him no children: and she had a handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.
  2. 2.撒 萊 對 亞 伯 蘭 說 ： 耶 和 華 使 我 不 能 生 育 。 求 你 和 我 的 使 女 同 房 ， 或 者 我 可 以 因 他 得 孩 子 ( 原 文 作 被 建 立 ) 。 亞 伯 蘭 聽 從 了 撒 萊 的 話 。And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, Jehovah hath restrained me from bearing; go in, I pray thee, unto my handmaid; it may be that I shall obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.
  3. 3.於 是 亞 伯 蘭 的 妻 子 撒 萊 將 使 女 埃 及 人 夏 甲 給 了 丈 夫 為 妾 ； 那 時 亞 伯 蘭 在 迦 南 已 經 住 了 十 年 。And Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her handmaid, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to Abram her husband to be his wife.
  4. 4.亞 伯 蘭 與 夏 甲 同 房 ， 夏 甲 就 懷 了 孕 ； 他 見 自 己 有 孕 ， 就 小 看 他 的 主 母 。And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.
  5. 5.撒 萊 對 亞 伯 蘭 說 ： 我 因 你 受 屈 。 我 將 我 的 使 女 放 在 你 懷 中 ， 他 見 自 己 有 了 孕 ， 就 小 看 我 。 願 耶 和 華 在 你 我 中 間 判 斷 。And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I gave my handmaid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: Jehovah judge between me and thee.
  6. 6.亞 伯 蘭 對 撒 萊 說 ： 使 女 在 你 手 下 ， 你 可 以 隨 意 待 他 。 撒 萊 苦 待 他 ， 他 就 從 撒 萊 面 前 逃 走 了 。But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her that which is good in thine eyes. And Sarai dealt hardly with her, and she fled from her face.
  7. 7.耶 和 華 的 使 者 在 曠 野 書 珥 路 上 的 水 泉 旁 遇 見 他 ，And the angel of Jehovah found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.
  8. 8.對 他 說 ： 撒 萊 的 使 女 夏 甲 ， 你 從 那 裡 來 ？ 要 往 那 裡 去 ？ 夏 甲 說 ： 我 從 我 的 主 母 撒 萊 面 前 逃 出 來 。And he said, Hagar, Sarai's handmaid, whence camest thou? and whither goest thou? And she said, I am fleeing from the face of my mistress Sarai.
  9. 9.耶 和 華 的 使 者 對 他 說 ： 你 回 到 你 主 母 那 裡 ， 服 在 他 手 下 ；And the angel of Jehovah said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.
  10. 10.又 說 ： 我 必 使 你 的 後 裔 極 其 繁 多 ， 甚 至 不 可 勝 數 ；And the angel of Jehovah said unto her, I will greatly multiply thy seed, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.
  11. 11.並 說 ： 你 如 今 懷 孕 要 生 一 個 兒 子 ， 可 以 給 他 起 名 叫 以 實 瑪 利 ， 因 為 耶 和 華 聽 見 了 你 的 苦 情 。 ( 以 實 瑪 利 就 是 神 聽 見 的 意 思 )And the angel of Jehovah said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son; and thou shalt call his name Ishmael, because Jehovah hath heard thy affliction.
  12. 12.他 為 人 必 像 野 驢 。 他 的 手 要 攻 打 人 ， 人 的 手 也 要 攻 打 他 ； 他 必 住 在 眾 弟 兄 的 東 邊 。And he shall be as a wild ass among men; his hand shall be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell over against all his brethren.
  13. 13.夏 甲 就 稱 那 對 他 說 話 的 耶 和 華 為 看 顧 人 的 神 。 因 而 說 ： 在 這 裡 我 也 看 見 那 看 顧 我 的 麼 ？And she called the name of Jehovah that spake unto her, Thou art a God that seeth: for she said, Have I even here looked after him that seeth me?
  14. 14.所 以 這 井 名 叫 庇 耳 拉 海 萊 。 這 井 正 在 加 低 斯 和 巴 列 中 間 。Wherefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.
  15. 15.後 來 夏 甲 給 亞 伯 蘭 生 了 一 個 兒 子 ； 亞 伯 蘭 給 他 起 名 叫 以 實 瑪 利 。And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bare, Ishmael.
  16. 16.夏 甲 給 亞 伯 蘭 生 以 實 瑪 利 的 時 候 ， 亞 伯 蘭 年 八 十 六 歲 。And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.

这段经文的意思

Genesis 16 stands as the first clear case in Scripture where the promised seed is treated as something to be manufactured. Sarai frames her plan as obedience to Jehovah, who 'hath restrained me from bearing' (Gen 16:2), and Abram 'hearkened to the voice of Sarai' (Gen 16:2). The chapter reads the scheme sympathetically enough to record it without editorial endorsement, but the following conflict between Sarai and Hagar (Gen 16:5–6) signals that taking the matter into their own hands has consequences. The narrative thus exposes a recurring tension: how do the recipients of an unconditional promise relate to the patience required to wait for it?

The second half of the chapter shifts the camera to Hagar, the Egyptian handmaid. An angelic messenger finds her 'by a fountain of water in the wilderness' (Gen 16:7), asks her origin and destination, and gives her a two-part commission: 'Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands' (Gen 16:9), and 'I will greatly multiply thy seed' (Gen 16:10). The child to be born is named Ishmael because 'Jehovah hath heard thy affliction' (Gen 16:11). Hagar's affliction is named, heard, and answered before the child's destiny is described. The chapter is therefore the first place in Genesis where someone outside the covenant line — and specifically a foreign-born servant — receives an independent divine oracle and a personal name for God.

Hagar responds with the only theology she can: she 'called the name of Jehovah that spake unto her, Thou art a God that seeth' (Gen 16:13). The well named Beer-lahai-roi, 'the well of the Living One who sees me' (Gen 16:14), memorializes the encounter. This is the hinge of the chapter: the family line that produced Ishmael by human initiative is simultaneously the family line in which God reveals himself as the One who sees affliction. The text does not endorse the method; it records that within the mess God was still present.

背景

Genesis 16 is self-contained within the verses provided. The chapter opens with a ten-year marker — 'after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan' (Gen 16:3) — indicating the couple's prolonged wait for the promised heir. It closes with a precise biographical note: 'Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram' (Gen 16:16). Between these brackets the narrative alternates between domestic conflict inside the household and a divine encounter in the wilderness.

Structurally, the chapter falls into two movements. Verses 1–6 present the human initiative: Sarai's proposal, Abram's compliance, Hagar's conception, and the resulting mistreatment that drives Hagar to flee. Verses 7–14 present the divine response: the angel's finding Hagar, the promise of innumerable descendants, the prophecy of Ishmael's character, and Hagar's confession of God's name. Verses 15–16 return to the household record, completing the chronology. The curated note supplied with this chapter offers no additional interpretive material beyond its label.

原文关键词

  • H8198 Hebrew šip̄ḥāh, glossed 'female servant' (Gen 16:1). The root designates a female slave who is a member of the household; here it is the formal status Sarai offers Abram when she says 'go in, I pray thee, unto my handmaid' (Gen 16:2). The same term appears in Hagar's self-identification 'I am fleeing from the face of my mistress Sarai' (Gen 16:8), and the angel addresses her as 'Hagar, Sarai's handmaid' (Gen 16:8), making the term the constant marker of her legal position throughout the chapter.
  • H6113 Hebrew ʿāṣar, glossed 'prevented' in the phrase 'Jehovah hath restrained me from bearing' (Gen 16:2). The root means to hold back or shut up; here Sarai treats her closed womb as a divine restraint imposed by Jehovah, which becomes the theological justification for handing Hagar to Abram.
  • H3068 Hebrew YHWH, the covenant name rendered 'LORD' (Gen 16:2). In this chapter the name is first spoken by Sarai as the one 'restraining' her, then attached to 'the angel of Jehovah' who finds Hagar (Gen 16:7), and finally proclaimed by Hagar herself as 'Thou art a God that seeth' (Gen 16:13). The chapter thus shows YHWH acting within a household dispute and revealing himself to an Egyptian servant through his angelic messenger.

相关经文

  • Genesis 17:19 Genesis 17:19 is the corrective counterpart to Genesis 16. Where Sarai proposed building an heir through her handmaid, this verse records God overturning the human arrangement: 'Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son; and thou shalt call his name Isaac.' Reading 17:19 alongside 16 shows that the angel's promise to Hagar in chapter 16 does not displace the original covenant line but runs alongside it.
  • Psalms 139:1 Psalms 139:1 — 'O Jehovah, thou hast searched me, and known me' — matches Hagar's confession that the God who spoke to her was 'a God that seeth' (Gen 16:13). Both texts join divine sight with intimate knowledge of the individual's situation, moving from the specific episode in the wilderness to the universal claim that no person is hidden from God's gaze.
  • Genesis 31:42 Genesis 31:42 — 'God hath seen mine affliction and the labor of my hands' — echoes Hagar's experience. Both passages pair God's seeing with human affliction, and both place the confession in the mouth of a person with no covenant status: Hagar is an Egyptian servant, Jacob is a fugitive. The shared language links the naming of God at Beer-lahai-roi (Gen 16:13–14) to a later act of remembrance within the patriarchal narrative.

常见问题

Why does Sarai blame Abram in Genesis 16:5?

After Hagar conceived and 'her mistress was despised in her eyes' (Gen 16:4), Sarai appeals to Abram with 'My wrong be upon thee' (Gen 16:5). Her complaint identifies Abram as the one who took her handmaid, but the underlying cause is the shift in Hagar's regard once she could bear a child. Sarai treats her loss of status as a legal grievance and asks 'Jehovah judge between me and thee,' transferring the dispute from a mistress–servant matter to a covenantal one.

Is Ishmael's promised offspring the same covenant as Isaac's?

Genesis 16 does not collapse the two. The angel tells Hagar 'I will greatly multiply thy seed, that it shall not be numbered for multitude' (Gen 16:10), a promise of national magnitude. However, the covenant of circumcision and the specific line of promise are introduced later and tied to Isaac, not Ishmael, as Genesis 17:19 states. Chapter 16 establishes Ishmael as a great people in his own right while leaving open which line carries the named covenant.

What does the name Beer-lahai-roi memorialize?

The well is named because 'she called the name of Jehovah that spake unto her, Thou art a God that seeth' (Gen 16:13). Genesis 16:14 states 'Wherefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.' The name fixes a place in the wilderness geography where a foreign servant received an oracle and a personal name for God, preserving the encounter as a landmark rather than a private memory.

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