Genesi 16:14 Commento

Hagar is the person mostly concerned in the story of this chapter, an obscure Egyptian woman, whose name and story we never should have heard of if Providence had not brought her into the family of Abram. Probably she was one of those maid-servants whom the king of Egypt, among other gifts, bestowed upon Abram (Gen 14:16). Concerning her, we have four things in this chapter: - I. Her marriage to Abram her master (Gen 16:1-3). II. Her misbehaviour towards Sarai her mistress (Gen 16:4-6). III. Her discourse with an angel that met her in her flight (Gen 16:7-14). IV. Her delivery of a son (Gen 16:15, Gen 16:16).

INTRODUCTION TO GENESIS 16 This chapter gives an account of Abram's marrying his maid, at the instance of his wife Sarai, Gen 16:1, who, upon conceiving, despised her mistress; of which complaint is made to Abram, who leaving his maid to his wife, to deal with her as she pleased, dealt harshly by her, and therefore fled from her, Gen 16:4; when she was met by an angel, who advised her to return and submit herself to her mistress, and told her her seed would be greatly multiplied, gave a name to the child she went with, and described his temper and disposition, Gen 16:7; and then we have the name of God that spoke to her, and of the place where the discourse passed between them, Gen 16:13; and the chapter is concluded with the birth of Ishmael, and the age of Abram at his birth, Gen 16:15.

Wherefore the well was called Beerlahairoi,.... That is, the fountain where the angel found her, Gen 16:7; this, from the appearance of God to her at it, was afterwards called by her and others by this name, which signifies "the well of him that liveth and seeth me"; that is, of the living and all seeing God, and who had taken a special care of her, and favoured her with a peculiar discovery of his love to her: or this may have respect to herself, and be rendered, "the well of her that liveth and seeth"; that had had a sight of God, and yet was alive; lived though she had seen him, and after she had seen him, and was still indulged with a sight of him. Aben Ezra says, the name of this well, at the time he lived, was called Zemum, he doubtless means Zemzem, a well near Mecca, which the Arabs say (z) is the well by which Hagar sat down with Ishmael, and where she was comforted by the angel, Gen 21:19, behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered; Kadesh is the same with Kadesh Barnea in the wilderness, Num 13:3. The Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan call it Rekam, the same with Petra, the chief city of Arabia Petraea, inhabited in later times by the Nabathaeans, the posterity of Ishmael: and Bered is nowhere else mentioned, it is called by Onkelos Chagra or Hagra, by which he interprets Shur, Gen 16:7; and by the Targum of Jonathan it is called Chaluza, a noted town in Idumea, the same with Chelus, mentioned with Kades in the Apocrypha;"And to all that were in Samaria and the cities thereof, and beyond Jordan unto Jerusalem, and Betane, and Chelus, and Kades, and the river of Egypt, and Taphnes, and Ramesse, and all the land of Gesem,'' (Judith 1:9)and so Jerom (a) speaks of a place called Elusa, near the wilderness of Kadesh, which in his times was inhabited by Saracens, the descendants of Ishmael; and this bids fair to the Bered here spoken of, and seems to be its Greek name, and both are of the same signification; for Bered signifies hail, as does Chalaza in Greek, which the Targumists here make Chaluza; between Kadesh and Barath, as Jerom (b) calls it, Hagar's well was shown in his days. (z) See Pitts's Account of the Mahometans, c. 7. p. 103. (a) In Vita Hilarionis, fol. 84. 1. (b) De loc. Heb. fol. 89. E.

In the verses read before, it was an “angel of God” who was speaking with Hagar. Here she names him “Lord” and “God.” It is not too much of a stretch to say that the angel was not in the service of his own words but of God’s, as are also the prophets. For, in a certain sense, when angels exercise their ministry and when they foretell the future, they do the work of prophets. The name angel indicates an activity, not a substance; the same is true of the name prophet. [Since] the angel was speaking the words of God, Hagar called him God because of the One who lived in him. Similarly, when Isaiah prophesies, he sometimes speaks in his own person, as a man who has within himself the prophetic spirit, and he sometimes, as it were, makes God the character who speaks, without adding “says the Lord.” For example, he writes, “I made the earth and created man upon it,” but (it is he himself speaking) as one sent by the Lord he proclaims, “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord has spoken.” We say this to show that the words of Isaiah are not all spoken as though he were merely an intermediary but that participation in God confers also the authority of God; and because of God’s dwelling in them, those who share in him are called gods. This is so true that an angel speaking to Moses was also called God. It is written in fact: And the angel of the Lord called him and said to him, “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” If one looks at the minister, these are words of angels, but if one looks at the sense, they are words of God.

It is well too that the vision of the instructing Word was seen “between Kadesh and Bered.” Kadesh in fact is interpreted to mean “holy,” and Bered, “lightning.” It is between these two things that divine education takes place: the holy, on the one hand, to which it belongs (to see the divine things) and the lightning, on the other, which is a luminous state. For “your lightnings lighted up the world.”

Sarai, having no child, gives Hagar her maid to Abram for wife, Gen 16:1-3. She conceives and despises her mistress, Gen 16:4. Sarai is offended and upbraids Abram, Gen 16:5. Abram vindicates himself; and Hagar, being hardly used by her mistress, runs away, Gen 16:6. She is met by an angel, and counselled to return to her mistress, Gen 16:7-9. God promises greatly to multiply her seed, Gen 16:10. Gives the name of Ishmael to the child that should be born of her, Gen 16:11. Shows his disposition and character, Gen 16:12. Hagar calls the name of the Lord who spoke to her, Thou God seest me, Gen 16:13. She calls the name of the well at which the angel met her, Beer-laharoi, Gen 16:14. Ishmael is born in the 86th year of Abram's age, Gen 16:15, Gen 16:16.

Wherefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi - It appears, from Gen 16:7, that Hagar had sat down by a fountain or well of water in the wilderness of Shur, at which the Angel of the Lord found her; and, to commemorate the wonderful discovery which God had made of himself, she called the name of the well באר לחי ראי beer-lachai-roi, "A well to the Living One who seeth me." Two things seem implied here: 1. A dedication of the well to Him who had appeared to her; and, 2. Faith in the promise: for he who is the Living One, existing in all generations, must have it ever in his power to accomplish promises which are to be fulfilled through the whole lapse of time.

BESTOWMENT OF HAGAR. (Gen. 16:1-16) Now, Sarai . . . had a handmaid--a female slave--one of those obtained in Egypt.