The Chosen Key Word in this Chapter is “Affliction” it comes from the Hebrew Word “oniy” which means “affliction, misery, distress.”
Tired of waiting on God’s promise, Sarai takes matters into her own hands. Welcome to Bible Life Basics Chapter Reviews, I am Chris and this is Genesis 16.
Ten years after arriving in Canaan, Sarai still has no children. Following the custom of her time, she gives her Egyptian servant Hagar to Abram, hoping to build a family through her. Hagar conceives, and immediately begins to despise Sarai. Sarai treats Hagar harshly in response, and Hagar flees into the wilderness.
There, the angel of the Lord finds her by a spring of water. He tells her to return and submit to Sarai, and promises that her son will father a multitude of descendants too many to count. He instructs her to name her son Ishmael, meaning “God hears,” because “the LORD hath heard thy affliction.” The Hebrew word for affliction is “oniy,” describing misery and distress. Hagar responds by naming God “Thou God seest me,” amazed that God noticed her in the wilderness.
Hagar returns, and Ishmael is born when Abram is eighty-six years old.
It is worth noting how directly this angel speaks with Hagar, an Egyptian servant with no covenant status of her own. She becomes the first person in the Bible recorded giving God a name, calling Him “Thou God seest me,” or “El Roi” in Hebrew. Her story is a reminder that God’s attention in Genesis was never limited only to Abraham’s household. He meets whoever is willing to look up, wherever they are.
Sarai’s plan came from impatience, not trust, and it brought real pain into her household. But God still saw Hagar in her lowest moment, alone in the wilderness. Even when human plans create a mess, God’s attention never wanders from the people caught inside it.
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