Topical Bible: Sarah: Also Called Sarai: Her Jealousy of Hagar

◄ Sarah: Also Called Sarai: Her Jealousy of Hagar ►

Topical Encyclopedia

Sarah, originally named Sarai, is a prominent figure in the Hebrew Bible, known as the wife of Abraham and the mother of Isaac. Her account is primarily found in the Book of Genesis, where she is depicted as a woman of great beauty and faith, yet also as one who struggled with human frailties, including jealousy.

Background and Name Change

Sarai, meaning "my princess," was married to Abram, later known as Abraham. God called Abram to leave his homeland and promised to make him a great nation (Genesis 12:1-2). Despite this promise, Sarai remained barren for many years. In Genesis 17:15, God changed her name to Sarah, meaning "princess," signifying her role in the divine promise that she would be a mother of nations.

The Promise and Delay

God promised Abraham that he would have descendants as numerous as the stars (Genesis 15:5). However, as years passed without the fulfillment of this promise, Sarah grew impatient. In Genesis 16:1-2, Sarah, still called Sarai, proposed that Abraham take her Egyptian maidservant, Hagar, as a concubine to bear a child on her behalf: "Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children, but she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, 'Please behold, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Go, please, to my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family by her.' And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai."

Jealousy and Conflict

Hagar conceived and began to despise Sarah, leading to tension between the two women. Genesis 16:4-5 describes the situation: "And when Hagar saw that she had conceived, she began to despise her mistress. Then Sarai said to Abram, 'May the wrong done to me be upon you. I put my maidservant into your arms, and ever since she saw that she has conceived, she has despised me. May the LORD judge between you and me.'"

Sarah's jealousy and sense of injustice led her to mistreat Hagar, causing Hagar to flee into the wilderness (Genesis 16:6). The angel of the LORD found Hagar and instructed her to return and submit to Sarah, promising that her descendants would also be numerous (Genesis 16:9-10).

Resolution and Fulfillment

Despite the earlier conflict, God remained faithful to His promise to Sarah. In Genesis 21:1-2, Sarah conceived and bore a son, Isaac, in her old age: "Now the LORD attended to Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what He had promised. So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him."

The birth of Isaac brought joy to Sarah, but it also reignited her jealousy towards Hagar and her son, Ishmael. In Genesis 21:9-10, Sarah saw Ishmael mocking Isaac and demanded that Abraham send Hagar and Ishmael away: "But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking her son, and she said to Abraham, 'Drive out this slave woman and her son, for the son of this slave woman will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.'"

Legacy

Sarah's life is a testament to the complexities of faith and human emotion. Her jealousy of Hagar highlights the struggles that can arise from impatience and lack of trust in God's timing. Despite her shortcomings, Sarah is honored in the New Testament as a woman of faith (Hebrews 11:11), and her account serves as a reminder of God's faithfulness to His promises.

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Genesis 16:4-6
And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.
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