OW Sarai Abrams wife bare him no children : and ſhe had an handmaid an Egyptian, whoſe name as * Hagar.
2 And Sarai faid unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath reſtrained me from bearing : I pray thee gO in unto my maid ; it may be that I may + obtain + Heb. bs children by her a: and Abram hearkned to the voice of builded Sarai b, by her.
2 She reckons the Children of her Bond-woman, ( as Hagar was Gal. 4. 22: ) would be accounted her Children. See Gen. 30. 3. Exod. 21.4. 2S9.21.8. Eſth.2. 7. bSuppoſing that God would accompliſh his Promiſe cf a Seed to come out of his Loins: by this way ; and knowing that Sarai was not yet mentioned in the promile, as the Perſon by whom he ſhould have that Secd ; and notcontuiring with God, which he ſhould have done. 3 And Sarai Abrams 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
* Gal. 4. 24+
his wife c.
c (7.e. )) His Concubine, or ſecondary Wife. Polygamy, though it was forbidden by God's firſt Inſtiturion, Ger. 2. 24 compared with Mazth. 19. 5. and brought into the World by wicked Lamech, yet it was ſomerimes praQtiſed by the Patriarchs, either by God's permiſſion, who could rightly diſpence with his own Laws when and where he picaſed: or by their miſtake abour the lawfulneſs of it. As for ths prelent caſe, 1t is moſt evident this Ation was not the effe& of an inordinate Luſt, but of an earneſt defire of having Children, and eſpecially of obtaining the blefled and promiſed Seed. p
4 4 And he wentin unto Hagar, -and ſhe conteived : and when ſhe ſaw that ſhe had conceived, her miſtreſs was deſpiſed in her eyes 4.
4 For barrennels in ir ſelf was a reproach, and eſpecially to Sarf, who ſeemed to be a Perſon rejefted by God, as one whom he would not honour with being the Mother of that Seed ; and Hagar being ſuddenly made Sarar's Partner in the priviledge of Abram's Bed, and ſuperior to her 1a reſpett of thar great bleſſing of Child-bearing, ir is rio wonder if ſhe grew infolent upon it, eſpecially being advance@ ſo highly from ſo low a condition. |
5 And Sarai {aid unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee e: {have given my maid into thy boſom ;'and when ſhe ſaw that ihe had conceived, I was deſpiſed in her eyes ; the LORD judge between me and thee f.
e (i.e. ) The injury done to me by Hagar, who thus wickedly requites my kindneſs to her, be upon thee ; 7: e. is to be imputed to thee ; thou art the cauſe of it, becauſe thou doſt not maintain my Repuration, and repreſs her Arrogancy. f (5. e.) give forth a righte= ous Sentence between us, and deal with each of us according to our guilt or innocency u: this matter. Compare 1 Sam: 24: 13, 16.
6 But Abram ſaid unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid 5s
in thine hand g ; doto her Þ asit pleaſeth thee b. And + p<.
when Sarai f dealt hardly with her 3, (he fled from her ha: which
face k. # good in g (4.e. ) Subje& to thy Power and Authority, as the phraſe is #* 9% _
taken, Gen: 24: 10: and 39: 4, 6, 8: Num: 31: 49. For though ſhe be T Heb. af
my Concubine,yer ſhe is thy inferiour ; and therefors if ſhe exalt her fitted her,
fe!f above her meaſure, I give thee Power to exerciſe thy Authority
over her. But whecher this was not one of Abram's Infirmities te
give up his ſecond Wife into the hands of the firſt, may well be
queſtioned. h Uſe whatſoever power God hath given thee over her :
For we muſt not think that Aram gave her Power of Life and Deatle
over her, eſpecially now when ſhe was with Child. Therefore here,
as often elſewhere, the general words muſt be limited from the
nature of the thing, and from ether Texts of Scripture, which forbid
Cruelty even to our Servants. # Either by impoſing Labours upon
her above her Strength, or by grievous Stripes which ſhe could not
bear. k Contrary to God's command, Eedlef T0: 4: and to the Laws
of Juſtice, becauſe both her Perſon and rhe Fruit of her Body were
not her own, but Abrams right in Poſſeſſion.
7 9 And the Angel of the LORD 7 found her by a
fountain of water in the wilderneſs, by the fountain in the way to Shur »-:
7 The Son of God, who off appeared in Man's Shape before he took man's Nature, who is called an Angel or Meſenger, becauſe he was the angel of rhe coumant, Ma!: 3: 1: and was ſent upon divers meſſages to Mea in theYf1d Teſtament, andat laſt was to be ſent in the Fleſh as _ great SO or Meſſenger of Peace and mn wg — we 9m A Place near £gypr, Gen; 25; 18; 421 Sam; 1 - 7s el er Native Countrey, Exod; 15: 224 bs brIDE
| 8 And
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| I Chap. XVI. | . 2 And ke faid, Hagar, Sarai's maid », whence cameſt hon 2 And whither wilt thou goo ?: And ſhe faid, 1
face of my miftrefs Sarats he admoniſheth her, that tho ſhe was Avram's Wif. 'vetſhe was $ar9:'s Maid, to whom ſhe owed Subjeftion and | Service, from which ſhe could not lawfully withdcaw her ſelf. o Confider with thy ſelf what thowart doing ; _whar a ſad exchanges chon art making. Thou forſakeſt not only an excellent Maſter and Husband, bur alſo me and my worſhip, which thou wilt not find in inv ocher Family, and ſo caſteſt thy ſelf our of the true Church, and | 2rt cunaing headlong into a place ofall Idolatry and Imptety, to thy | utter undoing ; and this meerly through Pride and Impatience.
9 And the Angel of the LORD laid unto her, Return co thy miſtreſs, and ſubmir thyſelf under her hands. |
10 And the Angel of the LORD ſaid unto her, Lwill
multiply thy ſced exceedingly, that it ſhall not be. numbred for multitude. : | i: And the Angel of the LORD faid unto her, Behold, thou «rt with child, and ſhalt bear a fon, and (balt call Lis name + Iſhmacl z becauſs the LORD hath
4 iy Fi £ } 5
ws - 'g2 from tne
7: By wiich Title
+ That is, arr Grd jbal heard thy affliction *. 48 hear * Hath heard thy Cry in thy Affliction. :
12 And he will be a wiid man p 3 his hand will be vet againſt every man, and every mans hand againft him: F - " * and he ſhall dwell in the preſence of all his bre-
thren r. | ; | p Heb. A wild aſs-man, 3.e. 43 Man like a wild Aſs, fierce and un-