Genesis 16:3

Genesis 16:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And Sarai Abram’s 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 his wife.
• New International Version (NIV)So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife.
• English Standard Version (ESV)So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan.

Context of Genesis 16:3

1Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had not been able to bear children for him. But she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar. 2So Sarai said to Abram, “The Lord has prevented me from having children. Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her.” And Abram agreed with Sarai’s proposal. So Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian servant and gave her to Abram as a wife. (This happened ten years after Abram had settled in the land of Canaan.) 4So Abram had sexual relations with Hagar, and she became pregnant. But when Hagar knew she was pregnant, she began to treat her mistress, Sarai, with contempt. 5Then Sarai said to Abram, “This is all your fault! I put my servant into your arms, but now that she’s pregnant she treats me with contempt. The Lord will show who’s wrong—you or me!”

Genesis 16:3 word by word

וַתִּקַּ֞ח שָׂרַ֣י אֵֽשֶׁת־אַבְרָ֗ם אֶת־הָגָ֤ר הַמִּצְרִית֙ שִׁפְחָתָ֔הּ מִקֵּץ֙ עֶ֣שֶׂר שָׁנִ֔ים לְשֶׁ֥בֶת אַבְרָ֖ם בְּאֶ֣רֶץ כְּנָ֑עַן וַתִּתֵּ֥ן אֹתָ֛הּ לְאַבְרָ֥ם אִישָׁ֖הּ ל֥וֹ לְאִשָּֽׁה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Saraiשָׂרַיώâray · SaraiH8297
• Abram’sאַבְרָם'abrâm · AbramH87
• wifeאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · woman: wifeH802
• tookלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
• Hagarהָגָרhâgâr · HagarH1904
• her maidשִׁפְחָהshiphchâh · maidservantH8198
• the Egyptianמִצְרִיmitsrîy · EgyptianH4713
• afterקֵץqêts · endH7093
• had dweltיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
• tenעֶשֶׂר‛eώer ‛ăώârâh · tenH6235
• yearsשָׁנָהshâneh shânâh · yearH8141
• in the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• of Canaanכְּנַ֫עַןkena‛an · CanaanH3667
• and gaveנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
• her to her husbandאִישׁ'îysh · man: husbandH376

Cross-references for Genesis 16:3

• Genesis 12:4So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.
• Genesis 16:5Then Sarai said to Abram, “This is all your fault! I put my servant into your arms, but now that she’s pregnant she treats me with contempt. The Lord will show who’s wrong—you or me!”
• Genesis 30:4So Rachel gave her servant, Bilhah, to Jacob as a wife, and he slept with her.
• Genesis 25:6But before he died, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them off to a land in the east, away from Isaac.
• Genesis 28:9So Esau visited his uncle Ishmael’s family and married one of Ishmael’s daughters, in addition to the wives he already had. His new wife’s name was Mahalath. She was the sister of Nebaioth and the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son.
• Genesis 32:22During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two servant wives, and his eleven sons and crossed the Jabbok River with them.
• Genesis 35:22While he was living there, Reuben had intercourse with Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and Jacob soon heard about it. These are the names of the twelve sons of Jacob:
• Judges 19:1Now in those days Israel had no king. There was a man from the tribe of Levi living in a remote area of the hill country of Ephraim. One day he brought home a woman from Bethlehem in Judah to be his concubine.
• 2 Samuel 5:13After moving from Hebron to Jerusalem, David married more concubines and wives, and they had more sons and daughters.
• 1 Kings 11:3He had 700 wives of royal birth and 300 concubines. And in fact, they did turn his heart away from the Lord.
• Galatians 4:25And now Jerusalem is just like Mount Sinai in Arabia, because she and her children live in slavery to the law.

Commentaries on Genesis 16:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3And Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar - and gave her to her husband - to be his wife - There are instances of Hindoo women, when barren, consenting to their husbands marrying a second wife for the sake of children; and second marriages on this account, without consent, are very common - WardRead the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-16Verses 1-16 - The Birth of Ishmael 1. הנר hāgār Hagar, “flight.” Hejrah, the flight of Muhammed. 7. מלאך mal'ak “messenger, angel.” A deputy commissioned to discharge a certain duty for the principal whom he represents. As the most usual task is that of bearing messages, commands, or tidings, he is commonly called a “messenger” ̓́ angelos ). The word is therefore a term of office, and does not further distinguish the office-bearer than as an intelligent…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-3Abram and Sarai dealt with the stress of Sarai not being able to have children and being too old to give birth. According to the custom in that culture, a woman unable to have children could give her servant as a secondary wife to her husband. The child from this union became the primary wife's child. They adopted the child as the heir. Sarai's suggestion was acceptable according to the culture's custom. But it was a human plan that showed a lack of faith…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. Sarai ... gave her to ... Abram to be his wife--"Wife" is here used to describe an inferior, though not degrading, relation, in countries where polygamy prevails. In the case of these female slaves, who are the personal property of his lady, being purchased before her marriage or given as a special present to her, no one can become the husband's secondary wife without her mistress consent or permission. This usage seems to have prevailed in patriarchal…Read the comment

Topics related to Genesis 16:3

• Abraham
• Bastard
• Concubinage
• Sarah

In the dictionaries

• Abram
• Canaan
• Egyptian
• Hagar
• Sarai
• Canaan; Canaanites
• Sarah; Sarai
• Abraham, Abram
• Canaan, Canaanite
• Egypt, Egyptian

Commentaries on Genesis 16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings