An Atheistic Bible Study Of Genesis Chapter Sixteen - Hagar And Ishmael

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While Abram is listening to God promising him that he will have a son and heir, his seemingly barren wife Sarai has her own solution to the problem. She asks Abram if he would be willing to impregnate her chief handmaid slave, Hagar, and have her deliver a surrogate child to him. Abram agrees to the idea but when Hagar gets pregnant, she start to show resentment to Sarai. His wife asks Abram how he should deal with Hagar but Abram gives his wife free reign to deal with the crisis as she wishes. Sarai punishes Hagar severely and the slave runs away, till pregnant. Hagar is met by an angel, who order her to go home to continue to be subjected to Sarai’s rule. The angel adds that Hagar will spawn a vast multitude over several generations. However, her first son who the angel names for her (not even leaving the choice to her) will be called Ishmael, and due to her affliction (willingness to disobey Sarai), Ishmael will be wild man, hated by everyone he meet. The angel suddenly seems to described as being God half way through their discourse. Either God was impersonating the angel, joined in or took over the dialogue or there is a severe mistake here, possibly in translation or someone added text to other text in later editions. The location where Hagar met the angel-God is given a well by God, and named Beerlahai-Roi. Hagar returns home and gives Abram his son, and Abram chooses the very name the angel picked for him, Ishmael, though Hagar may have told him about the angel / God meeting. Abram is 86 when he has Hagar. Give the surrogacy Hagar is willing to support for Sarai, her ill treatment is rather shocking. Abram seem indifferent to the idea of his wife ending his unborn on into the desert wilderness. The angel who might be God picking the name for the innocent unborn child and already predetermining his fate as unpopular seem incredibly sadistic. Arthur Chappell