Genesis 16: The Birth of Ishmael
Sarah, Abram's wife, had no children. So Sarah took her servant, an Egyptian woman named Hagar, and gave her to Abram so she could bear his children. "The Lord has kept me from having any children," Sarah said to Abram. "Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her." And Abram agreed. So Sarah took Hagar and gave her to Abram as a wife. (Ten years after Abram arrived in Canaan.) So Abram slept with Hagar, and she became pregnant. When Hagar knew she was pregnant, she began to treat her mistress Sarah with contempt (disgust, scorn). Then Sarah said to Abram, "It's all your fault! Now this servant of mine is pregnant, and she dispises me, though I myself gave her the privilege of sleeping with you. The Lord will make you pay for doing this to me!" Let's recap... Sarah gave Hagar to Abram as a substitute wife, a common practice of that time. A married woman who could not have children was shamed by her peers and was o