בְּרֵאשִׁית‎

BeReshit

Genesis

CHAPTER 16

With Commentaries

And she called the name of YHVH, that poke to her, “You are a God of sight/seeing,” because she said, “Even here you look after me?”

Listen to this chapter in Hebrew

And Sarai, Avram’s wife, did not bigot for him. And she had for herself an Egyptian maidservant, and her name was Hagar.

1 וְשָׂרַי אֵשֶׁת אַבְרָם לֹא יָלְדָה לוֹ וְלָהּ שִׁפְחָה מִצְרִית וּשְׁמָהּ הָגָר׃

א

Name Meaning of

Hagar

It is said that this name could mean Flight, Taken by Force, or Pressed into Service. This information comes from different sources, so the meaning of the name is uncertain. However, as I did what I could with the means at my disposal, I noticed that this name could be formed from the prefix ה/the and the word גר, which is said to be a verb and not a noun. When I enter the word without the prefix into a digital Hebrew Bible, most of the results point to people being strangers in a land. Also, people (mostly singular and not in groups) being brought into undesirable situations, such as the verse where Sarai is taken to Pharaoh. If I were to describe this name in its meaning, it would very well represent the life of this woman, Hagar. The verb גר could mean a foreigner, a stranger: one who resides in a foreign place through being removed from their place of origin.

The chapter begins with this verse: Sarai failed to give Avram children. However, we were aware of this, as is evident from the moment Scripture introduces Sarai. Sarai was said to be and still is sterile. She is unable to get pregnant. Sarai is now 75 years old, and we will learn this from the Scriptures as we continue with the chapter.
Hagar is Sarai's personal servant. She is an Egyptian woman, and I don't think that Scripture say how she ended up with Avram's company, but I read that she is an Egyptian princess. If this is correct, one would assume that she was taken when Avram was in Egypt, perhaps even as part of the payment for Sarai when she was brought to Pharaoh for his wife. Another possibility is that she acquired Hagar as her servant when she married Avram, as was the custom back then. As I said before, servants are treated as part of the family by Jewish customs, and since she was chosen for Sarai as a personal servant, she must have been of some importance or did her job very well.

Rashi (approximately 1040 - approximately 1105) commentary: שפחה מצרית A HANDMAID, AN EGYPTIAN — She was a daughter of Pharaoh; when he saw the miracles which had been performed for Sarah’s take he said, “It is better for my daughter to be a handmaid in this man’s house than be mistress in another man’s house” (Genesis Rabbah 45:1).

Chizkuni (13th Century) commentary: ושמה הגר, “whose name was Hagar;” when Pharaoh handed over his daughter to Sarai (when the latter was a captive in his Palace) he had said to her: “my daughter is your compensation for my having wronged you. ”Here is your reward.” (Based on Matnot kehunah in Br’eshit Rabbah) As a result she was renamed: Hagar.

Shabbethai ben Joseph Bass (1641–1718) (Hebrew: שבתי בן יוסף; also known by the family name Strom[1]), born at Kalisz, was the founder of Jewish bibliography[2] and author of the Siftei Chachamim supercommentary on Rashi's commentary on the Pentateuch. Commentery: She was Pharaoh's daughter... Rashi knows this because it is written לה שפחה/Her servant, although everything a woman acquires belongs to her husband, [so Jagar really belonged to Avraham]. It must be that Jagar was Pharaoh's daughter and he gave her to Sarah. That is why it is written ולה שפחה/And she has a servant, to hint at the miracles performed “לה/her” – for Sarah – that Pharaoh saw.

Steinsaltz (1937-2020) commentary: And Sarai, Abram’s wife, bore him no children, despite the fact that they had been married for many years. According to some traditions, Abram was twenty-five years old, or even younger, when he married Sarai. And she had an Egyptian maidservant, and her name was Hagar. Hagar was apparently Sarai’s personal maidservant.

And said Sarai to Avram, “Please, see/look, YHVH has restrained me from begetting/conceiving. Please, come into my maidservant. Perhaps I/we can build from her.” And Avram listened to the voice of Sarai.

2 וַתֹּאמֶר שָׂרַי אֶל־אַבְרָם הִנֵּה־נָא עֲצָרַנִי יְהוָה מִלֶּדֶת בֹּא־נָא אֶל־שִׁפְחָתִי אוּלַי אִבָּנֶה מִמֶּנָּה וַיִּשְׁמַע אַבְרָם לְקוֹל שָׂרָי׃

ב

Sarai proposed to Avram the idea that he take Hagar and have intimate relations with her, with the purpose of conceiving a child so that, perhaps, they can build a family through her. Why though? Is Sarai doing this out of desperation? Remember, these characters were real people, not just characters in a story. They had doubts and insecurities just like we do. We tend to overthink and analyze problems, and sometimes, out of desperation, we make the wrong choices, or sometimes, we get lucky and make good ones or bad ones that end up working out. The thing is that Sarai made this choice and was desperate enough that she followed through and told her husband, Avram. And because Scripture says that she said, “See, YHVH has restrained me from conceiving,” it would seem that she thinks it is her doing. Maybe she thinks this is a punishment for her, for something she did on her part somehow.

“And Avram harken/listened to the voice of Sarai.”

This could mean that Avram did, considered it, or just heard her out on what she proposed.

Rashi (approximately 1040 - approximately 1105) commentary: אולי אבנה ממנה IT MAY BE THAT I SHALL BE BUILDED UP THROUGH HER — This statement of Sarah teaches that a person who has no children is not firmly established (literally, built up: his name and future are not perpetuated) but is unstable (lit, demolished) (Genesis Rabbah 45:2).

It is a known fact that some women get depressed for not being able to conceive children, often saying that they feel like an incomplete women. Once again, this is because of our own feelings and psychological well-being or lack thereof. Sarai may have gone through something like this; therefore, she made this decision.

Ramban (1194-1270) commentary: AND ABRAM HEARKENED TO THE VOICE OF SARAI. Scripture does not state, “And he did so.” Rather it says that he hearkened to the voice of Sarai, thus indicating that even though Abram was very desirous of having children, he did not do so without permission of Sarai. Even now it was not his intention to build up a family from Hagar, and that his children be from her. His intent was merely to do Sarai’s will so that she may build a family from Hagar for she will find satisfaction in her handmaid’s children, or that by the merit of this act she will become worthy to have children, as our Rabbis have said.

Radak (1160-1235) commentary: ותאמר ... עצרני ה' מלדת, she meant that seeing that G'd had prevented her from giving birth during all these years, she had now abandoned hope of ever bearing a child as she had aged in the interval.

Steinsaltz (1937-2020) commentary: Sarai said to Abram: Please, behold, the Lord has kept me from bearing children; I cannot give birth. Please, consort with my maidservant; perhaps I shall be built and have children through her. Sarai may have felt that she was nearing the end of her years of fertility, and she hoped that this act would cause her to give birth as well. Abram heeded the voice of Sarai. He did not initiate the matter or act for his own reasons, but cooperated with his wife, and complied for her sake alone.

And Sarai, Avram’s wife, took Hagar, the Egyptian, her maidservant, at the end of ten years after Avram dwelt in the land of Kenaan, and gave her to Avram, her husband, for a wife.

3 וַתִּקַּח שָׂרַי אֵשֶׁת־אַבְרָם אֶת־הָגָר הַמִּצְרִית שִׁפְחָתָהּ מִקֵּץ עֶשֶׂר שָׁנִים לְשֶׁבֶת אַבְרָם בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן וַתִּתֵּן אֹתָהּ לְאַבְרָם אִישָׁהּ לוֹ לְאִשָׁה׃

ג

I wonder why Scripture stresses that Sarai gave Avram her maidservant to Avram and also says after ten years. This could have been told to us so we would know how much time had passed or to let us know that Sarai had insisted for a long time until finally Avram or Sarai gave him no choice. In verse two, Sarai just told Avram to have sexual relations with Hagar to have a child, but now she gives Hagar to Avram as a wife. It's kind of like an understanding or an agreement was reached. Avram would only do this if Hagar also became his wife.
As to the time, the verse says, “Ten years after Avram dwelt in the land of Kenaan.” We know that Avram was 75 years old when he left Haran. This means that Avram is 85 years old now, and Sarai is 75 years old. So, Avram was born in 1948 after Creation, and he was 75 when he left Haran, and now, ten years later, he is 85. Then the year is,

2033 From Creation

In 2024, the year from Creation is,

The Year 5785 According to the Jewish People

From Creation to the Great Flood, the year was 1656; from Creation to Avram’s birth, 1948 years from Creation; from Creation to Avram leaving from Haran to Khenaan was 2023 years from Creation and from Creation to Avram taking Hagar as a wife, 2033 years.

How do I know that the year from Creation to 2024 is 5785? The Jewish people have followed their own lunar calendar since at least 359 BCE, and they got all the other dates from Scripture just like we are doing right now.

Rashi (approximately 1040 - approximately 1105) commentary: ותקח שרי AND (SARAI TOOK [HAGAR] — She took (won her over) by kindly speech saying, “Happy are you in that you will be privileged to consort with so holy a person as this” (Genesis Rabbah 45:3).
מקץ עשר שנים AFTER [ABRAM HAD DWELT] TEN YEARS — the period appointed for a woman who has lived with her husband for ten years without having borne children to him when he is bound to take another.

This might be so, but Avram and Sarai had been married for more than ten years, as they married in Sur of the Chaldeans before they got to Haran.

'לשבת אברם וגו [TEN YEARS] AFTER ABRAHAM HAD DWELT IN THE LAND OF CANAAN — As Abraham had been married to Sarah before he entered Canaan this statement virtually informs us that the period he dwelt outside the land was not to be included in the number of these ten years (Yevamot 64a), for the promise, “And I will make of thee a great nation” was made to him with the intention of being fulfilled only after he had come into the land of Israel.

Ibn Ezra (approximately 1089 - 1092 to approximately 1164 - 1167) commentary: AFTER ABRAM HAD DWELT TEN YEARS IN THE LAND OF CANAAN. Our sages, of blessed memory, transmitted a law that a man shall not remain married more that ten years to a woman who has not borne him a child. They used this verse as sort of a support for this law. It is a good support.

This might be so, but Avram did not leave Sarai. They were still married after Avram took Hagar as a wife. Also, as I stated before, Avram was married to Sarai for more than ten years.

And he came into Hagar to conceive and behold for she conceived. When she saw that she conceived, her lady became insignificant/of little account in her eyes.

4 וַיָּבֹא אֶל־הָגָר וַתַּהַר וַתֵּרֶא כִּי הָרָתָה וַתֵּקַל גְּבִרְתָּהּ בְּעֵינֶיהָ׃

ד

Avram did have sexual relations with Hagar, but only after they agreed that Hagar would be his wife, and she did get pregnant. When she did so, or rather when she noticed, she started thinking less of Sarai. Also, Hagar began to treat Sarai as less of a woman. You can tell that having children was very important in people's lives back then, and it should be so now. Having children by a married couple is the first law of HaShem. This law or commandment was given to Adam and Khavah/Eve and again to Noakh and his sons after the Great Flood. Saying that you will never get married and have children or a couple agreeing not to have children is a sin, as doing so goes against the law or commandment of God. We need to “be fruitful and multiply and increase in numbers.” (Bereshit/Genesis 1:28)

Ibn Ezra (approximately 1089 - 1092 to approximately 1164 - 1167) commentary: WAS DESPISED. The tzere in va-tekal (was despised) is in place of the dagesh which should be placed in the kof to make up for one of the missing root letters. Va-tekal is a nifal.

Radak (1160-1235) commentary: ויבא ... ותקל גבירתה, she thought that now that it was clear that Avram's seed would be from her she would become the top ranking wife of Avram. As a result, she refused to carry out instructions given to her by Sarai.

This is why Muslims believe they have the right to the land of Israel, but we have to consider that later, HaShem named Isaac and Jacob as the rightful owners of the continuation of Avram’s gift of the land of Khenaan. Another thing we have to consider is that Muslims do believe in the Torah, but not all of it. They only believe in the books or passages that help their cause. They also are not invested in the old scriptures and study mainly the Quran. One more thing I can say to prove that the promise and contract between HaShem and Avram is through Isaac and Jacob is that the Egyptians never enslaved the descendants of the son of Hagar or any other nation enslaved them. The Israelites were. HaShem told this through a prophecy of the rightful owners of the promise—a precondition if you will. Having said this, I have never studied the Quran in my life, so all I say is from what I have read and Scripture's own testimony.

Steinsaltz (1937-2020) commentary: He, Abram, consorted with Hagar, and in a short time she conceived; she saw that she conceived, and her mistress was diminished in her eyes. Hagar saw her pregnancy as a sign of a new status. According to some Sages, she considered her conception an indication of moral superiority over her mistress. However, the change in her attitude toward Sarai can also be explained in a different manner. According to the laws and customs of several nations in ancient times, if a woman married to a man who has more than one wife bears him a child, especially a son, she becomes the primary wife. According to this, Hagar’s pregnancy strengthened her position, and even if she did not openly disparage her mistress, her self-esteem would increase.

And Sarai said to Avram, “My wrong be upon you! I gave my maidservant in to your bosom/embrace, and see, for she conceived, and now in her eyes I am belittled. May YHVH judge between me and you!”

5 וַתֹּאמֶר שָׂרַי אֶל־אַבְרָם חֲמָסִי עָלֶיךָ אָנֹכִי נָתַתִּי שִׁפְחָתִי בְּחֵיקֶךָ וַתֵּרֶא כִּי הָרָתָה וָאֵקַל בְּעֵינֶיהָ יִשְׁפֹּט יְהוָה בֵּינִי וּבֵינֶיׄךָ׃

ה

Sarai knows she did wrong, which is why she said, “My wrong be upon you,” to Avram, and she is taking it out on him. Maybe because Hagar’s actions are obvious and Avram is letting it happen, we do not know. We often take it out on others when we know we did wrong, but at the time, we are too weak to admit it to ourselves or do not want to admit responsibility. Just imagine all that Sarai is going through. Sarai is now 75 years of age, and she has not conceived yet. HaShem promised Avram a child who would inherit the land of Khenaan on top of all the other promises, and she could not give Avram a son. She probably has given up by now. She comes up with this idea, and it backfires on her. Now, she feels like Hagar is negatively treating her, but we also know that Hagar is treating her wrongly; Scripture says so in the last verse. But we must admit, Scripture does not say that Hagar was treating her wrongly; she only thought of Sarai negatively, but it would seem that Sarai felt it. Hagar started acting this way towards Sarai because she could give Avram a son, but Sarai could not. However, we only know what Scripture says; we do not know why Hagar is doing this. Whether it is for family status or just because she feels she is more of a woman than Sarai, we do not know. Maybe it is just that Hagar was that type of woman, but I highly doubt it because Sarai would not have chosen her otherwise.
The question we must ask ourselves is, "Why?" Why did Sarai do this, and why did Avram agree to it? Did not HaShem promise them a child? If we remember correctly, HaShem promised Avram a child and never mentioned Sarai. The prophecy was about Avram’s descendants in exile to Egypt, not who the mother of these descendants was. In their thinking, it could be that Sarai is not the mother of these descendants. Then we have to ask ourselves, why didn’t HaShem specify who the mother of Avram’s descendant would be? I will not pretend I know the answer to that question because I do not know for sure. I can only say that if this happened, HaShem needed this other line of Avram. I said it before, and what I said was that I hoped you would remember when this part of Scripture came along. In that part of Scripture, HaShem told Avram that his descendants would come from within him, noticing that HaShem does not say anything about Sarai. I also noted that HaShem may have worded it in that manner so that Avram and Sarai would take it to mean differently. Well, this is what I meant. I think they took it to mean that maybe Sarai was not to be the mother of Avram’s descendants. Also, it just so happens that today, the Arab people are the descendants of this son of Hagar, and they believe that they are the rightful lineage of Avram. I talked about this in the previous verse commentary. But that is a matter altogether different. All I am trying to say is that these descendants from Avram and Hagar are needed in this world, and it was HaShem’s intent for things to happen as they did, but, as of now, I do not know the answer to that. Or rather, I know, but the explanation would be so long, and it would take us into upcoming chapters way too ahead of where we are now that I do not want to invest the time only to explain it inadequately.

Rashi (approximately 1040 - approximately 1105) commentary: חמסי עליך MY WRONG BE UPON THEE — The wrong done to me (חמסי)— the punishment for it I call down on you (עליך). “When you prayed to the Holy One, blessed be He, (15:2) ‘what wilt Thou give me, seeing that I go childless’, you prayed only on behalf of yourself whereas you should have prayed on behalf of both of us — then would I have been borne in mind (by God) together with you” (i.e. when you had the gift of a child it would have been “my” child also — not that of a strange woman). Besides this, you deprive me (חומס) of your protecting words since you hear how I am despised and yet you keep silent (Genesis Rabbah 45:5).

Sforno (approximately 1470/1475-1549) commentary: חמסי עליך, "you should have rebuked her for her conduct vis-à-vis me, seeing that she has become your wife [and you are now her boss instead of me. Ed.] She treats me as inconsequential after she has become pregnant from you."

Chizkuni (13th Century) commentary: חמסי, “look at what reward I get that my own maidservant refuses to obey my commands, and acts rebelliously.
עליך, “this is all on your account;” if you had protested her disrespecting me it would not have happened. I do not feel like punishing her as she has becoming your concubine.
ישפוט ה' ביני וביניך, “may the Lord judge which one of us is right.” I am concerned with your dignity, whereas you have not respected my dignity.
וביניך, Rashi claims there is an extra “dot” on this word. What he means is that everywhere else the word ביניך is spelled with only one letter י, whereas here it is also spelled with a י before the last letter. It therefore ought to be read as ובניך. The Talmud reports that words which have dots placed there by Ezra who after the return of the exiled Jews had to decide from differing Torah scrolls which had the correct spelling, used these dots to remind readers that some doubt had existed concerning this spelling. (Avot וביניך, Rashi de Rabbi Nathan, chapter 34.) If he had found such dots in some scrolls he did not want to take the responsibility for removing them, (according to a Tossaphot in Rosh Hashanah 15.) At any rate, we have a rule that if someone calls upon G-d to determine if concerning an accusation leveled against a fellow human being he or she had been correct, the first thing the heavenly tribunal does is to examine if the accuser has led a blameless life himself or herself. If faults are found in the accuser’s life, he is judged, i.e. punished first, before the accusation is examined in greater detail. In the event, Avraham had to bury Sarah, i.e. on the one hand she died earlier than he, though younger than he, and on the other hand he lost her. According to Rashi, the substance of Sarai’s complaint was that if Avram had prayed not only to have children himself but had included her in his prayer, the whole subject of offering Hagar to him as a concubine would never have arisen. Her accusation is considered as “an evil eye” (Compare Mizrachi, super commentary on Rashi) concerning the fetus in Hagar’s womb.)

And Avram said to Sarai, “Look/See, your maidservant is in your hands; do to her as is right (ethically) in your eyes and humble her.” And Sarai afflicted/oppressed/humbled/made her bowed down to her and she fled from Sarai’s face/presence.

6 וַיֹּאמֶר אַבְרָם אֶל־שָׂרַי הִנֵּה שִׁפְחָתֵךְ בְּיָדֵךְ עֲשִׂי־לָהּ הַטּוֹב בְּעֵינָיִךְ וַתְּעַנֶּהָ שָׂרַי וַתִּבְרַח מִפָּנֶיהָ׃

ו

I am not sure where to go here or how to explain this verse. I mean, Avram is trying to wash his hands clean of the situation, and I can see where he is coming from. Both are his wives, but even though Hagar is now Avram’s wife, Hagar is still Sarai’s maidservant. Her duties did not go away. And Avram pointed out this fact. He told Sarai, “Do to her as is right in your eyes.” The word used here for right (ethically) is טוֹב/Tov/good/pleasant/excellent/appropriate/right (ethically). So Avram did not tell Sarai to mistreat her but to correct her behavior accordingly and rightfully. By the verse, it would seem that Sarai overreacted and made Hagar’s life so miserable that she fled because of her.
It would seem that everyone is making the wrong choices here. This is a family feud, and everyone is very emotional. To start, both Avram and Sarai made the wrong choice by getting Hagar involved in HaShem’s plan, but we talked about that. I believe this was HaShem’s plan all along because He needs this other line of Avram’s for his plans for the future—to bring about the Kingdom to Come that He promised us. However, whether HaShem himself planned this, we can not deny every person’s feelings in this matter. Avram wants his descendants and does not know how to deal with this situation because his feelings for both his wives are getting in the way. Sarai's accumulated feelings about infertility and her age are getting to her emotionally. Hagar is overstepping her position because she could give Avram a child, and Sarai could not. Both Sarai and Hagar think they are on the right and lashing at each other with Avram in the middle.
What can we take from all of this? Everything in the Torah and all Scripture is not there for no reason, and everything written is an example for us: the good and the bad. This could be an example to teach us that no matter how someone wrongs us, if we approach it with humility, and if all these three people had acted better, maybe things would have gone differently. Avram and Sarai should have waited for HaShem and not acted independently from Him; Hagar should not have overstepped her position and treated Sarai with respect, with love even as she is obviously suffering from her mental aflictions; Sarai should have talked things over with Hagar instead of overreacting and treating her well and not badly. Finally, Avram should have set both Sarai and Hagar down and tried to talk things through, but like I said before, these people were real people in history, and we, as Adam or mankind, do not always make the right choices. There is no justification for treating someone wrongly or for others to ignore such treatment. It is hard to see sin coming when strong emotions blind us. This is why HaShem said to Kayin,

Bereshit/Genesis 4:7

“Sin is crouching/laying/stretching at the entrance/door, and its desire is towards you, and you must rule over it [must overcome it].”

Rashi (approximately 1040 - approximately 1105) commentary: ותענה שרי AND SARAI AFFLICTED HER — She compelled her to work hard (Genesis Rabbah 45:6).

Ramban (1194-1270) commentary: AND SARAI DEALT HARSHLY WITH HER, AND SHE FLED FROM BEFORE HER FACE. Our mother did transgress by this affliction, and Abraham also by his permitting her to do so. And so, G-d heard her [Hagar’s] affliction and gave her a son who would be a wild-ass of a man, to afflict the seed of Abraham and Sarah with all kinds of affliction.

Radak (1160-1235) commentary: ויאמר ... שפחתך בידך, Avram meant that in spite of Hagar sleeping with him, i.e. being accorded wifely privileges from his side, she remained Sarai's slave and as such Sarai could determine how to treat her. He made it clear that his own dignity was not to be a consideration in Sarai's treatment of Hagar.
ותענה שרי, Sarai overburdened her with work, and made her perform the work in an intolerably harsh manner. It is even possible that the word ותענה includes physical as well as verbal abuse of Hagar by Sarai. The Torah testifies that Sarai did not act morally and piously toward her. From a moral point of view, although Avram had given her a free hand when he said "do to her as appears fit in your eyes," she should have treated Hagar in a manner befitting her status as a wife or legal companion of Avram. From the point of view of practicing piously, חסידות, she should have treated a subordinate with all possible consideration. The scholar Ibn Gabirol said "how beautiful is the attribute of practicing forgiveness in circumstances when this is possible!" Sarai's actions as reported were not pleasing in the eyes of the Lord. This is reflected in the words of the angel to Hagar (verse 11) כי שמע ה' אל עניך, "for the Lord has listened to the oppression you have endured." This is why the angel gave her a blessing as compensation for the harsh treatment she had suffered. Avram did not prevent Sarai from acting as she did, even though it was displeasing in his eyes, because he was concerned primarily with preserving his relations with Sarai. The reason why this whole story is preserved for all future generations in our chapter is to teach moral-ethical lessons, and to warn us not to indulge in injustice.

Steinsaltz (1937-2020) commentary: Abram said to Sarai: Behold, your maid is in your hand. Although she is pregnant with my child, I will not defend her; you can take her back as a maidservant. Apparently, Abram had not developed close ties with Hagar, or even if he had, he was willing to give her up for Sarai. Do to her that which is favorable in your eyes. So Sarai treated her harshly. The verse does not specify whether this harassment was mental or physical, if it involved reprimands, curses, the imposition of hard labor, or some other form of persecution. And she, Hagar, fled from her.

Cursing or wishing someone for them to pay for their sins done to you or others is a judgment and is not in our power to give. This task belongs to HaShem; He is the only judge, and punishment should come from Him. Is this to say that you should let people treat you how they want, even if it is unfair? As I said, HaShem is the judge of all living things, and I will only tell you what we have learned so far. As we are barely starting to study the Torah, we have only had a few examples of morality and proper behavior that HaShem expects from us throughout Avram’s life, and yet more to come in future chapters. One example is when Avram goes to rescue his nephew, Lot. Avram acted with a prayer and a precondition that he would not take any spoils if he succeeded in this task. That situation was an unjust cause and needed immediate action, and HaShem granted him this because Avram was doing what was right and not for gain or hate.
An example of this would be if you see someone being, let's say, attacked physically by someone with more physical power, you should help him or her. First, verbally and, if not successfully, then physically, by trying to stop the fight with minimal force and only using maximum force if there is no other way. Your goal would be for things to not escalate to that point. This is especially true if the parties are known to you as friends or family. It is harder to say if the parties are unknown to you as you do not know the situation, and you do not know what you are walking into.
Another example is the one in this chapter. This one is more complicated as all the parties are family, and I have already detailed everything about what is right and wrong about this situation. In this situation, the bottom line is emotions of hate, pride, jealousy, feeling powerless, and overreacting to your feelings without controlling them and letting the flesh overtake you and think with it instead of with the image of HaShem and doing what is just. This is one thing that is hard to do when strong emotions of the flesh get overwhelming. Not because you have power over others means you can do whatever you want with them. It is righteous for you to humble yourself when you are being unjustly treated rather than to respond with hate. If you walk away from the situation, analyze it, and think with the image of HaShem, which you are, the right response to the situation will come, and if that does not work, then this is not your sin and is theirs. HaShem will judge them accordingly. Maybe not right away, and perhaps you will not see it happen, but it will happen. Also, you should not find joy in their punishment, but rather, you should feel sorry that they did not change their ways. Act like HaShem, and think like Him;

Eziekel 18:23

“Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord YHVH, and not rather that he should turn from his (evil) way and live?”

HaShem tolerates wicked people in the hope that they will turn from their evil ways and live and not die. This is the mentality that we should also have. Is it easy when that evil is directed towards us? No, most definitely not. But this is why being righteous is not easy. This is the test of life that we have to go through in this world that has good and evil in it. This is why evil must exist to the time the prince, David, son of David, father of Solomon, the messiah, comes to do his job for HaShem: so you can prove yourself to HaShem. To show HaShem that even when you were presented with evil, you won over it and stayed in his law written in the Torah. The law of the Torah is key. If you are a good person without understanding the Torah, it is very hard to keep being good, but with the knowledge of the Torah, things become easier because then you know it is not for nothing that you go through this unpleasantness. We should be glad that we were tested and prevailed rather than not be tested and have it easy without proving ourselves to HaShem. Staying faithful to the law of the Torah is saying to HaShem that you love Him and that He is your only God. You are saying to Him that you want a relationship with Him and only Him. That He is your only Creator, your only father, your everything. The saying that if you are faithful to God, everything will be good is false. Just look at Avram’s and Sarai’s lives so far. This are only two of the must rightious people that ever existed and they did not have it easy, they were not perfect and made mistakes. HaShem is saying that, yes, we are not perfect but we can do it, we can follow the Law of the Torah, His Law.

Deuteronomy 30:12-20

“For this commandment (The Torah/The Five Books of Moses) that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Neither is it beyond the sea that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart so that you can do it. “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of YHVH your God that I command you today, by loving YHVH your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and YHVH your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore, choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving YHVH your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to Him, for He is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that YHVH swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

And a מַלְאַךְ/malAkh/messenger/angel of YHVH found her beside a spring of (the) water in/inside the wilderness/desert, by the spring in the path/road/way to Shur.

7 וַיִּמְצָאָהּ מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה עַל־עֵין הַמַּיִם בַּמִּדְבָּר עַל־הָעַיִן בְּדֶרֶךְ שׁוּר׃

ז

The verse says, “A messenger/angel of HaShem found her.” It most certainly does not say “the angel.” This does not pertain to a specific messenger/angel. He is just one of many messengers/angels of HaShem. The definite article “the” is not there at all.
The word “found” tells me that HaShem sent this messenger/angel to find Hagar. This was one of his jobs. This messenger/angel found her by a water spring; the definite article is present with the word water. The more accurate translation of that specific part of the verse is “a spring of the waters.” I am unsure if this points to a specific message to us or if that is just how the Hebrew is supposed to be written to convey the verse.
Another thing I noticed is that it seemed she intended to go to Shur. Why was this? If she were an Egyptian, it would seem logical to head to Egypt, as it is much closer and less dangerous than a trip to Shur. One possibility is that she can not go back home or want to go to that specific location because that is where HaShem took Avram from. This could mean that she has feelings for Avram, and that place holds a specific feeling associated with Avram, but that is reading too much into it. It is a stretch. Also, it would seem that she was attempting to cross the desert, which is a very dangerous thing to do.

Ibn Ezra (approximately 1089 - 1092 to approximately 1164 - 1167) commentary: FOUND HER. Va-yimtza’ah (found her) is irregular. *Our verse should have read, va-yimtza’eha. It should have been vocalized like va-yisna’eha (and he hateth her) (Deut. 22:16).

And Said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maidservant, where do you come from, and where are you going?” And (she) said, “From the face/away from Sarai, my lady/mistress, I am fleeing/running away.”

8 וַיֹּאמַר הָגָר שִׁפְחַת שָׂרַי אֵי־מִזֶּה בָאת וְאָנָה תֵלֵכִי וַתֹּאמֶר מִפְּנֵי שָׂרַי גְּבִרְתִּי אָנֹכִי בֹּרַחַת׃

ח

This messenger/angel of HaShem asks Hagar a question. It would seem that the question is, where is the place you are coming from, and where is the place where you are going? That is how I took its’ meaning at first and for the longest time, but as I read it as it is written in Scripture, I am not sure this is the question this messenger/angel is asking. Now, I believe that the question was much deeper than a place of a physical place of departure and heading. The messenger/angel seems to ask, what is your place of origin? What were your beliefs back then? What are they now, and where is all of this taking you to? Not as a destination but in life. The messenger asks Hagar to examine her life before and after she meets Avram. To compare what she knew before and what she knows now spiritually. However, she misunderstood the question, just like I did. The question was full of meaning, and I believe that it was worded in such a way as a test for Hagar. To see how she would respond and to see how she would take the question’s meaning. There is also the possibility that this question was to test Avram as well. What do I mean? The messenger was trying to gather what change Avram has made on Hagar spiritually, morally, and as a person regarding life and the relationship with HaShem. I also wonder if this question is for us as well. Maybe at this point in Scripture, we should reflect on what we have learned and consider how it could have changed our perspective of ourselves, what we thought we knew about history, the world, spirituality, Hashem, and our relationship with Him.

Hagar’s answer was that she was running away, but she was specific. She said she was running away from Sarai in particular. She said nothing about the people she was with or Avram, which means she was running away from Sarai’s treatment of her. At the same time, she does not reflect on her behavior towards Sarai. This is a child’s mentality and actions, which is how we sometimes behave. As soon as we get hurt emotionally, we become children; we become selfish. It's as if we were wronged and did nothing to deserve such treatment, especially if we are in the wrong and do not want to admit it. When we are in this vulnerable frame of mind, we do not stop to think. We just react and defend our feelings and wants, which is selfish. At this point, we think with our bodies and not our minds. Remember, the body is flesh, and flesh has its wants and needs. A person of God thinks with our minds and thinks of ourselves, others, and what HaShem wants. Reacting to our body’s wants and emotions is how sin gets us. Remember, like HaShem told Kayin, sin is just behind the door, meaning it is always there, ready to take advantage of you, waiting for when you are vulnerable. This is not a living entity but the flesh, feeding you wants. These wants are not always good things and must be crushed if they are not Godly-like wants, especially if they are going to hurt others, mentally or physically. Remember HaShem’s punishment given to the serpent? The part where it says,

Beereshit/Genesis 3:15

“And I will put enmity/hatred between you and between the woman and between your offspring/seed/descendants and between her offspring/seed/descendants; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

This is referring to sin itself, not so much to the serpent. It means that sin will be throughout all the generations of mankind, and yes, it will get us, but we will prevail over it. Why? Because a wound to the heel is not as deadly as a strike to the head. In the end, mankind will crush sin’s head and overcome it. The flesh's desires will not win over us; we will learn how to control it. We will, each one of us, but only if we work on it. The flesh wants are stronger on some than on others, but we must try our best not to give in to these wants. Wants for wealth, when we see people in need, wants for another person we should not have, and the want of the body to harm others for selfish reasons. The list goes on and on.
When we sin for selfish reasons, we hurt HaShem because his spirit is inside every one of us. HaShem’s spirit is one hundred percent good and lives inside us. HaShem’s spirit suffers when we sin, and the more we sin, the more it suffers. This is known because HaShem said right after the Great Flood,

Bereshit/Genesis 6:3

“My Spirit shall not abide/contend/judge inside Adam forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.”

Whose spirit lives inside us? HaShem’s spirit. What does this spirit of HaShem do inside of us during our lives? It lives, it fights, and it judges our actions/flesh. Also, when you sin, and the more you sin, this spirit suffers more. This is why our years went from hundreds before the Great Flood to 120 years after the flood. HaShem is mercy, and his mercy did this so His spirit would not suffer for so long. So think before you act and remember Scripture so you do not make HaShem’s spirit suffer because if you do, you make HaShem the Most High suffer.
This concerns the messenger’s question and the actions taken by Avram, Sarai, and Hagar. They all seem to have made bad choices, and one is feeding off the other. Their emotions are getting the better of them.

You might notice the familiarity with which Hagar answers the messenger's question. One would think that she knows him or has seen him before. This is because messengers/angels were at Avram’s camp, and it would seem that Hagar had seen him before. In verse 13, more will be explained. Another thing that we will see is that Avram, later on, is visited by three messengers or angels, and he perceives them as men, and Lot sees two of these messengers/angels, and he perceives them as more than men. Also, Jacob sees messengers when he returns to Khenaan and even puts them to tasks for him.

Rashi (approximately 1040 - approximately 1105) commentary: אי מזה באת WHENCE CAMEST THOU? — He knew it, but he asked this in order to give her a starting-point so that he might converse with her. The expression אי מזה is to be explained thus: Where is (אי) that place of which thou canst say, “From this (מזה) have I come”.

Ibn Ezra (approximately 1089 - 1092 to approximately 1164 - 1167) commentary: WHENCE. Ay (whence) means where. Ay (where) in Where is (ay) Abel thy brother (Gen. 4:9) is similar. Mi-zeh (from this) is short for mi-zeh makom (from this place). The meaning of ai mi-zeh vat is: where is the place thou camest from?

Sforno (approximately 1470/1475-1549) commentary: ?אי מזה באת ואנה תלכי, the angel wanted Hagar to realise what kind of an unprofitable exchange she was about to make if she left the house of a man such as Avram and traded that holy environment in the land of Canaan, preferring the spiritually contaminated regions outside the Holy Land and the evil people residing there.
אנכי בורחת, "I am not going to a place I have chosen myself; I am simply escaping intolerable conditions."

Chizkuni (13th Century) commentary: הגר שפחת שרי, “Hagar, Sarai’s servant maid!” The angel reminds her that her status as Sarai’s servant maid had not changed. She acknowledged this when she replied that she was fleeing from her mistress Sarai.

Rabbeinu Bahya (1255–1340) commentary: הגר שפחת שרי, “Hagar Sarai’s maidservant.” We already know that Hagar was Sarai’s maid servant from verse 1; why did the Torah have to repeat this?
It is possible that the angel had two reasons why he thought it pertinent to mention Hagar’s personal status. 1) He wanted her to know that if she now experienced a divine vision this was not in her capacity as an Egyptian woman but was only due to her being part of Sarai’s household. It was due to Sarai’s merit.
The second consideration of the angel was to stress that her original status as a slave was one that would never be changed. She would remain Sarai’s slave for as long as she lived. The angel confirmed this later when he said to Hagar שובי אל גברתך והתעני תחת ידיה, “return to your mistress and submit to her.”

and (the) messenger of YHVH said to her, “Turn back to your lady/mistress and subdue yourself under her hand.”

9 וַיֹּאמֶר לָהּ מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה שׁוּבִי אֶל־גְּבִרְתֵּךְ וְהִתְעַנִּי תַּחַת יָדֶיהָ׃

ט

For the next three verses, the following commentators disagree on the number of messengers/angels who delivered the message to Hagar. One commentator says three messengers delivered three different parts of the message, and another says there was one. This commentator says that there was only one messenger and that the descendants of Avram “do not even rate a single message from an angel.” What does this mean, that there was no message from an angel? This is because the messenger is only that, a messenger, and the message did not come from this messenger but from HaShem. The message is not the messenger’s but HaShem’s. Messengers have no power of their own or have their own agenda every message comes from HaShem through this messengers. Whatever the messengers/angels say is not from them but HaShem. This is why they are sometimes called Elohim/God, but they are not, but the message they carry is from God, HaShem.

The messenger tells Hagar to return, serve under Sarai, and submit to her treatment. Of course, we have free will, and she could have chosen not to do as the messenger said, but the next verse is probably what made her do it.

I put the word (the) in brackets because it is not in Scripture, but without it, it sounds off. Just be aware that the word “the” is not present; it only says, “And messenger of YHVH said to her.”

Rashi (approximately 1040 - approximately 1105) commentary: 'ויאמר לה מלאך ה' וגו AND THE ANGEL OF THE LORD SAID UNTO HER etc. (see also Genesis 16:10 & Genesis 16:11). For each statement (in these three verses) a different angel was sent to her, and this explains why in reference to each statement the phrase is used, “and an angel said to her” (Genesis Rabbah 45:7).

Radak (1160-1235) commentary: ויאמר, the word ויאמר occurs here no fewer than three times. When we encounter such a phenomenon it is usually meant to underscore what will be the subject of the message about to be delivered. [the author refers to remarks he made on this subject in his book שער דקדוק הפועלים. Ed.] It is also possible to explain the threefold use of the word ויאמר as being justified because of the three messages the angel delivered to Hagar. There are other commentators who explain this phenomenon of three the word ויאמר in this short sequence as proof that Hagar was visited by three different angels, each with a single message. (Bereshit Rabbah 45,7) The author of that Midrash uses this incident to bemoan the fact that whereas the servant maid of the matriarch rated three messages by three angels, we the matriarch's descendants, do not even rate a single message from an angel.
והתעני, and subject yourself to harsh treatment seeing that ultimately it will be for your benefit. It is better for you to remain within the proximity of a man such as Avram, seeing that due to his many merits, your offspring will multiply greatly.

And (the) messenger of YHVH said to her, “I greatly multiply your offspring/seed/descendants, and they will not be able to be counted for their abundance.”

10 וַיֹּאמֶר לָהּ מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה הַרְבָּה אַרְבֶּה אֶת־זַרְעֵךְ וְלֹא יִסָּפֵר מֵרֹב׃

י

The messenger continues telling Hagar, by order of HaShem, as if He was saying, “I greatly multiply your offspring/seed/descendants, and they will not be able to be counted for their abundance.” This line should sound very familiar to you. These are very similar words given to Avram when referring to his descendants. Why would it say that of Hagars’ seed? This is simple to answer. This is because, even though these descendants are not the chosen ones from HaShem, they are still seeds of Avram, and HaShem must honor the promise to Avram. Even this seed between Avram and Hagar has to be honored by HaShem because HaShem honors all his promises, and these descendants are descendants of Avram. However, to be numerous descendants of Avram and the land gifted to them are two different promises. Later in Scripture, we will read that HaShem tells the Israelites that they are His chosen people.

Now, let's go to the question some of you might have. Why does the messenger/Angel say, “I greatly multiply your offspring?” This is the same reason as before: the messenger delivers HaShem’s message as if He were saying it. These words are not the messenger’s/angel’s but HaShem’s. The messenger repeats the words that HaShem wants Hagar to hear as He said them, nothing more. We must be aware of this as we continue reading Scripture because it will happen again. It is just like HaShem told Moses,

Shemot/Exodus 7:1

“And YHVH said to Moses, “Behold/see, I will make you an Elohim/God unto/to Pharoah and Aaron, your brother, will be your prophet.”

Moses has the same job as the messenger who found Hagar. The messenger is a stand-in for HaShem. He acts on HaShem’s behalf, just like Moses will act on HaShem’s behalf to Pharaoh. This does not mean that Moses or this messenger are Gods, but they are doing God’s will or delivering a message for Him. With this verse and the one in exodus 7:1, HaShem is teaching us how he works through various means. HaShem works through spirits, messengers/angels, righteous men, and even evil men, such is the case on one of the exiles of Israel. Cyrus was an evil emperor/king of Persia who HaShem used to send the people of Israel back to Khenaan after one of the exiles.

Isiah 45:1

“Thus says YHVH to his anointed/Messiah, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him and to loose the belts of kings, to open doors before him that gates may not be closed”

Ezra 1:1-4

In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of YHVH by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, YHVH stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: YHVH, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of YHVH, the God of Israel— he is the God who is in Jerusalem. And let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.”

Once again, HaShem is teaching us how He works, not at once but at different stages of the Bible. As I mention before you can not skip and must read all the Scriptures or you will not understand. This messenger is not God, and Moses was not God but only HaShem who is in heaven is God. Everyone else may be called Elohim/God but not because they are, but because they are doing His will as if they were Him.

Radak (1160-1235) commentary: הרבה ארבה, the angel being G'd's messenger, may speak in the first person as if he were to do what he says, seeing that he delivers G'd's message. It is as if G'd Himself had spoken.

Steinsaltz (1937-2020) commentary: The angel of the Lord said to her: I will multiply your descendants; the child in your womb will grow into a great nation. And they shall not be counted due to their great number. Hagar’s child would also receive the blessing of fertility and strength granted to Abram.

I find the lack of comments on this verse interesting.

And (the) messenger of YHVH said to her, “For you see, you are pregnant, and you will have a son, and you will call his name YiShmaEl/Ismael because YHVH heard to your affliction.

11 וַיֹּאמֶר לָהּ מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה הִנָּךְ הָרָה וְיֹלַדְתְּ בֵּן וְקָרָאת שְׁמוֹ יִשְׁמָעֵאל כִּי־שָׁמַע יְהוָה אֶל־עָנְיֵךְ׃

יא

Meaning of the name

YiShmaEl/Ismael

Word for word, the name translates to “He listens God,” or “God, He listens/God hears/God who listens/he hears God.” However, the verse gives the explanation for the name’s meaning, “Because YHVH heard to your affliction.” This points us to the right translation of Yishmael/Ismael, “God, He listens/hears.”

Remember that names have meanings in Scripture. These meanings have messages. The message could be to a person, a nation, the world, or all. When it comes to Yishmael, the message is to all of us. HaShem told Hagar to call her son this name, so the meaning of the name is a message from Him to us. HaShem is saying that He is a God who listens. HaShem is a God who cares and listens to the world's pain, even if it is only one person.

Psalms 115:1-8

Not to us, O YHVH, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Our God is in the heavens; He does all that he pleases. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths but do not speak; eyes but do not see. They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell. They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat. Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them.

Any idol, meaning an image, statue, figure, or the likeness of the world's gods, has this terrestrial futures. They have mouths, eyes, ears, noses, hands, feet, and some terrestrial way of vocal cords to make sound. HaShem is not terrestrial. He is not of this world and has no terrestrial body of any sort, but he does talk, see, hear, smell, feel, move, and talk. HaShem is the living God that is everpresent in this world—always keeping watch and guiding this world.

Hagar was an Egyptian woman, and like all Egyptians of her time, she knew of her ancestors’ idols and many gods. As we will see, Hagar proves this by what she says in the next verse. But this God she now knows is a God who hears and sees her pain, and this is told to her and us by telling Hagar to name her son Yishmael/Ismael/God, He listens/hears.

Radak (1160-1235) commentary: ויאמר ... הנך הרה, the angel used these words as an introduction, seeing he was well aware that Hagar knew that she was pregnant as the Torah had reported in verse 4, as well as Hagar's reaction. The message that angel had come to deliver was וילדת בן, "you will give birth to a son." The word יולדת is a composite composed from the word וילדת, which is a verb in the past tense converted into the future tense by the letter ו at the front, the other component being the word ויולדת, the same root as a present participle. The meaning of the combined composite is that seeing that the birth was something that had not yet occurred, the verb must contain an allusion to the future, whereas seeing that Hagar knew that she was pregnant, i.e. that the process which would result in a birth had already begun, the formulation of the verb had to reflect this fact also. The angel's message was: "just as you are aware that you are pregnant you should be equally aware that you will bear a son as a result of this pregnancy." There are some grammarians who believe that the root of the word here is similar to a four-lettered verb.
אל עניך, "to your outcry [complaint instead of prayer, Ed.] concerning your plight." We are forced to explain the angel's words in this fashion, seeing he spoke of G'd having "heard," שמע, instead of ראה, "G'd has seen." It is also possible to explain the angel's words as does Onkelos, i.e. as צלותיך, "your prayer." There are precedents for the word ענה meaning a response to something, to wit Job 3,2 and Isaiah 13,22 as well as Deuteronomy 26,5 וענית ואמרת, and similar examples.

Steinsaltz (1937-2020) commentary: The angel of the Lord said to her: Behold, as you already know, you are with child, and I am hereby informing you that you shall bear a son, not a daughter. You shall call his name Ishmael, as the Lord has heard [shama] your suffering.

And he will be a wild donkey of an Adam, his hand against/in/among everyone, and everyone’s hand against/in/among his, and against the face of all his brethren/kin he will dwell.”

12 וְהוּא יִהְיֶה פֶּרֶא אָדָם יָדוֹ בַכֹּל וְיַד כֹּל בּוֹ וְעַל־פְּנֵי כָל־אֶחָיו יִשְׁכֹּן׃

יב

This verse starts by saying that Yismael will be a difficult person to others and others to him, but the verse is not talking about Yismael or rather not just him. This verse does not say, “He will be a wild donkey of a man,” but says, “He will be a wild donkey of an Adam.” This means that all Yismael’s descendants will be so. All the generations of Yishmael will be difficult people to contend with, especially to Yismael’s brothers, meaning Isaac or his descendants, who are the Israeli people. The Arab people and the Israelis have always been brothers or cousins and neighboring countries and have been in many conflicts over the years and to this day. HaShem is telling us the future of Yismael’s descendants, not just his. HaShem is telling Hagar the future of her son and his descendants, but for us, it is history and the present.

Ibn Ezra (approximately 1089 - 1092 to approximately 1164 - 1167) commentary: A WILD ASS OF A MAN. He will be free among men. Compare, Who hath sent out the wild ass free (Job 39:5). The meaning of our clause is that no stranger will rule over him. Others say that we should render perah adam (a wild ass of a man) by a wild ass and a man. It is like The sun and moon stand still in their habitation ((Hab. 3:11). The meaning of our verse is: because he will be a wild ass his hand shall be against every man, but because he is a man every man’s hand (shall be) against him. In my opinion its interpretation is: he will be as a wild ass among men; i.e., he will overcome men. However, ultimately every man’s hand (shall be) against him. This is clearly stated in the book of Daniel, for the fourth beast described therein refers to the kingdom of Ishmael.

Ramban (1194-1270) commentary: ‘PERE ADAM.’ Rashi comments: “One who loves the deserts [and] to hunt wild animals, as it is written, And he dwelt in the wilderness and became an archer. His hand shall be against every man. This means that he will be a highway man. And every man’s hand against him. Everyone will hate him and attack him.”
The correct interpretation is that pere adam is a construct form, meaning that he will be a wild-ass man accustomed to the wilderness, going forth to his work, seeking for food, devouring all and being devoured by all. The subject pertains to his children who will increase, and they will have wars with all the nations.
Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra said: “His hand shall be against every man in that he will be victorious at first over all nations, and afterwards, every man’s hand shall be against him, meaning that he will be vanquished in the end.

Sforno (approximately 1470/1475-1549) commentary: פרא אדם. The word פרא describes a wild donkey, an animal that has not been domesticated. The angel told Hagar that the son she would bear would be genetically very similar in his character to a wild donkey. This would be due to his having part of the genes of his Egyptian mother. The prophet Ezekiel already described the Egyptians as being physically not much different from wild donkeys (Ezekiel 23:20) These characteristics would manifest themselves in the fact that he would make his home in the desert, a region not imposing restrictions on him. The Torah testifies to this in Genesis 21:20. The reason that the word אדם is added by the angel in describing Ishmael, was that he would inherit any human traits from his father Avram. The fact that he did possess such traits is confirmed by the Midrash which claims that he became a penitent before his father Avraham's death. (Baba Batra 16).

Radak (1160-1235) commentary: והוא יהיה; the letter ה at the beginning of the word והוא means that the angel's prophecy referred not only to Yishmael, but to his offspring as well. He foretold the characteristics of the Ishmaelites based on their founder's genes.
פרא אדם, a desert Bedouin, known as such because most Bedouins live in tents instead of in permanent dwellings. Compare Jeremiah 3,2 כערבי במדבר, "as an Arab, at home in the desert." [the word describes people who do not impose the restrictions upon themselves that civilized people accept in the interest of forming communities. Ed.] The Arabs are the people descended from the Ishmaelites.
ידו בכל, seeing that he will dwell in the desert, [a region in which there are no laws governing private property, Ed.] he will violate people's rights, and they in turn will outlaw him, putting a price on his head. In spite of living in constant friction with his neighbours he will not flee but will continue to dwell in their presence. When the angel concludes with the statement that he will ultimately die in the presence of כל אחיו/all his brothers, the word אחיו/His brother is used as a simile for the word שכניו, "his neighbours."

Steinsaltz (1937-2020) commentary: He shall be a wild man. He will have a reputation as a wild, uncontrolled, and unsettled figure. His hand shall be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him; he will be continually involved in fights, quarrels, and wars. Perhaps the angel was alluding to the tendency of Ishmael and his descendants to choose the life of the nomad. As is typical of the nomadic existence, they would be drawn to banditry and suffer from endless conflicts. And yet, he shall dwell among all his brethren. He will achieve greatness in the eyes of his brothers and the members of his family.

And called the name of YHVH, who promised her, “You are a God of vision/sight/seeing.” for/because she said, “Even/Also/ here He looks after me after chowing/seeing me?”

13 וַתִּקְרָא שֵׁם־יְהוָה הַדֹּבֵר אֵלֶיהָ אַתָּה אֵל רֳאִי כִּי אָמְרָה הֲגַם הֲלֹם רָאִיתִי אַחֲרֵי רֹאִי׃

יג

I spent over 24 hours trying to translate this verse and still am not sure if the translation is as Scripture meant it. I went everywhere, trying everything out, even looking at infinite translations, and they were all vastly different from each other. So, this tells me that every translator is in the same boat I am. We are all having trouble with the right translation of this verse.

What do I think this verse means? For one, if you read many other translations, it points to Hagar thinking and giving this name to the messenger, which she physically sees, and it seems that she thinks he is HaShem, which he is not. There is almost no going around it. I could say she did not know any better, but I doubt that, as she has lived enough time under Avram and Sarai to know better.
In the translation I settled in, which I might change when HaShem gives me the knowledge to know it, Hagar calls HaShem this phrase and not the messenger because the verse starts with “And she called the name of HaShem, who promised her.” This is why so many people are having trouble with the verse. Most other translations read, “So she called the name of the Lord, who spoke to her.” This could be taken as Hagar calling the messenger this phrase, even though it does say that she called HaShem the phrase, and we know that HaShem and the messenger/angel are not the same, as it clearly states in previous verses that this is a messenger of HaShem. The word used here for the phrase “Who promised” is הַדֹּבֵר/HaDover, which is the prefix הַ/the, and the word דָבַר/davar, which could mean to see, to talk, to speak, or to promise. I went with promise because HaShem did promise her a son and that He would multiply him in abundance. The one she called “you are a God of sight or seeing” is the one that made the promise, which was HaShem, and the messenger just related the promise for Him. So, the name was for HaShem and not the messenger.

“You are a God of vision/sight/seeing.” for/because she said, “Even/Also/ here He looks after me after chowing/seeing me?”

Hagar called HaShem, “You are a God of vision/sight/seeing.” Why? Because she asked herself, “Even here?” And she continued, “He looks after me?” And still goes on saying, “Chowing me?” Let's break it down.

Even here? = Even here in the desert, away from Avram?

He looks after me? = He looks after me? The servant treated in such harshness by my mistress?

Chowing me? = Telling and promising me a son with the same qualities as Avram’s descendants of being too numerous?

Hagar, an Egyptian of many gods, gods who do nothing for anyone, now encounters a God who actually does something for someone—a God who sees and looks after even her, a servant.

After many hours of considering the words and phrases together, this makes more sense to me. This translation fits itself, all the other phrases around it, and the whole chapter. Any other way does not; it even leaves us confused and wondering why it is written like so.

Rashi (approximately 1040 - approximately 1105) commentary: אתה אל ראי THOU ART A GOD OF SEEING — The word is punctuated with a Chataph Kametz because it is a noun, and the meaning is “a God of seeing” — One who sees the humiliation to which people are subjected by others (Genesis Rabbah 45:10)
הגם הלום HAVE I ALSO [SEEN] HERE — This is an exclamation of surprise: “could I have ever imagined that here also — in the wilderness — I would see the messengers of the Omnipresent after I have seen them in Abraham’s house, where I saw them regularly!” You may know that she used to see them there regularly from this: That Manoah saw the angel only once and exclaimed, (Judges 13:22) “We shall surely die”, and she saw angels four times, one after the other, and she showed no fear (Genesis Rabbah 45:7).

Ibn Ezra (approximately 1089 - 1092 to approximately 1164 - 1167) commentary: HAVE I EVEN HERE. The commentaries translate halom as now. However, its correct meaning is here. Halom (hither) in Is there yet a man come hither (halom) (I Sam. 10:22) is similar. The meaning ha-gam halom ra’iti achare ro’i (have I even here seen Him that seeth me) is: have I even here seen an angel of God after God saw my affliction, because God constantly seeth me (ro’i).

Shabbethai Bass (1641–1718) Commentary: He sees the humiliation of the humiliated. [Hagar was saying:] “Granted, I saw angels in the house of Avraham, due to Avraham and Sarah’s righteousness — but why in the wilderness? It must be that, ‘He sees the humiliation...’” (Gur Aryeh)

Steinsaltz (1937-2020) commentary: Realizing that that the angel was no more than a messenger, she called, described, the name of the Lord who spoke to her as: You are the God of my vision, the God who is seen, the God who reveals Himself. It is hard to ascertain much about the character of the quiet Hagar, but as one who came from the house of Abram, she must have absorbed something of his worldview. She was therefore aware that the angel was not a god, but a mouthpiece of God. For she said: Have I seen a revelation here too, after my vision, in addition to those I saw in Abram’s house? Hagar had some prior familiarity with angels, as she had lived in a spiritual environment. She exclaimed in surprise that even here, in a distant wilderness, the God she had seen and known in her home had revealed Himself to her.

Therefore, the well was called “BeEr-LaKhai-Roi.” Behold/see it is between Kadesh and Bared.

14 עַל־כֵּן קָרָא לַבְּאֵר בְּאֵר לַחַי רֹאִי הִנֵּה בֵין־קָדֵשׁ וּבֵין בָּרֶד׃

יד

BeEr-LaKhai-Roi

According to the most popular translation of this well's name, it means “The Well of the Living One that sees me.” However, not everyone believes this or is sure if the meaning is accurate, so I went looking because the translations vary significantly from Bibles to Bibles and from commentaries to commentaries.

בְּאֵר/BeEr = means, Well/spring/pit

לַחַי/LaKhai = This word is a word with a prefix on it. The prefix is לַ, which means “to,” but it could also mean “for, onto.” The word חי means “living/alive/green (of vegetation)/flowing/fresh (of water)/reviving (of the springtime).

רֹאִי/RoI = This word we know from the previous verse. It means “to see/to show/to look/a promise.”

So, if we put all these three words together within the context of the chapter, it would be

Well to/for/onto the Living Promise

HaShem made this promise to Hagar through a messenger or angel. A promise from HaShem guarantees fulfillment, unlike a promise from mankind that can be broken or not accomplished for many reasons. A promise from HaShem, for as long as it has not reached fulfillment, is a living promise; it has not died or been forgotten and will happen. This well was named for the memory of that promise from HaShem to Hagar so that it will not be forgotten because, as stated before, this promise is not only of Hagar’s son but also of his descendants and goes far into the future. So much so that it is still going on today. This promise is very much so alive today as it was then because the descendants of Yishmael, the Arab people, are still alive and are still being as described by HaShem to this day.

The town or city קָדֵשׁ/Kadesh means “holy,” and the town or city בָּרֶד/Bared means “hail,” as in the ball of ice that rains down. This well is between “holy,” which is life and goodness; holy means to set apart for God or consecrated to God, and “hail,” which is usually a distraction or, at the bare minimum, damage. That is fitting as that is where we are, in between or with the potential to be holy or damaged by our own actions and decisions we make in life, always with decisions to do good or evil. However, I could be reading too much into it, but the word does say “Behold.” So it must mean something for this well to be between these two towns or cities with these particular names.

Rashi (approximately 1040 - approximately 1105) commentary: באר לחי ראי As the Targum takes it: the well at which the living angel had appeared to her.

Ibn Ezra (approximately 1089 - 1092 to approximately 1164 - 1167) commentary: BEER-LAHAI. Beer lahai means the well of him who will be alive next year. Compare, ko le-chai (so to life next year) (I Sam. 25:6). The well was so called because the Ishmaelites held annual festivities at this well. It is still in existence and is called the well of zamum.

Radak (1160-1235) commentary: על כן קרא לבאר, this is why anyone who encounters the well where the angel had appeared to Hagar at the time the "באר לחי רואי" . Seeing that an angel lives eternally, the word לחי "to the living one," is an apt description for such a creature. The fountain mentioned in this verse is the same as the one that had been described previously in verse 7.
הנה בין קדש ובין ברד, The Torah gives an indication of where this fountain can be seen, so that when a person encounters it he will acknowledge G'd's greatness in revealing Himself by dispatching an angel even to the errant maid-servant of Sarai. The matter is all the more remarkable seeing that Hagar was not in the act of performing a mission on G'd's behalf at the time. Bared is the same as the previously mentioned Shur. The location had been known by two names. This is why the Torah mentioned both of these names. Ths is also why Onkelos translates both Shur and Bared as חגרא.

Steinsaltz (1937-2020) commentary: Therefore, one called the cistern Be’er Lahai Roi, meaning the well [be’er] of the living [ḥai] God of my vision [ro’i]. Behold, this well is still known, and is mentioned several times later (24:62; 25:11); it is located between Kadesh and Bered, to the south of Canaan.

And Hagar begot for Avram a son and Avram called the name of his son, which Hagar begot, Yishmael/Ismael.

15 וַתֵּלֶד הָגָר לְאַבְרָם בֵּן וַיִּקְרָא אַבְרָם שֶׁם־בְּנוֹ אֲשֶׁר־יָלְדָה הָגָר יִשְׁמָעֵאל׃

טו

As I translated and typed this verse, it made me pay attention to the wording and how it was written. “And Hagar begot for Avram,” “Avram called his name,” “which Hagar begot for him,” it all sounds too detached. Like this is not the son HaShem promised him. But I know this already, and it might be me who knows this already and me trying to read too much into it.

“And Hagar begot for Avram,” Scripture does not say that Hagar gave Avram a son. Compare with,

Bereshit/Genesis 21:1-2

“And YHVH visited Sarah as he had said, and YHVH did to Sarah as he had promised. And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him.”

In the next verse, Hagar gives birth to Yismael, and it says,

“When Hagar bore Yishmael for Abram.”

Hagar bore for Avram, but Sarah gave Avraham a son. There is a difference, and in Scripture, wording is essentially important.

Avram named the child Yishmael, as HaShem told Hagar through the messenger, but we do not know why. Scripture stays silent on this matter. We do not know if Avram named him without knowing or if Hagar told Avram, and Avram agreed to name the child as HaShem said. However, we should know that Avram was a prophet, and we could say that Avram knew the name through divine means, but we do not know that by scripture, this would be an assumption on any of us part. Scripture does not say any of this. For all we know, Hagar could have told Avram the story, and Avram, knowing the working of HaShem and His messengers, knew Hagar’s story to be true and named the child Yishmael.

Rashi (approximately 1040 - approximately 1105) commentary: 'ויקרא אברם שם וגו AND ABRAM CALLED THE NAME [OF HIS SON] etc. — Although Abram had not heard the words of the angel when he said to Hagar “and thou shalt call his name Ishmael”, yet a spirit rested upon him and he called him Ishmael.

Sforno (approximately 1470/1475-1549) commentary: שם בנו אשר ילדה הגר ישמעאל, he was aptly called by that name both from Avram's point of view and from Hagar's point of view. Avraham prayed on behalf of his son Yishmael in 17:20, whereas Hagar's prayer had been heard as confirmed to her by the angel.

Radak (1160-1235) commentary: ויקרא אברם, even though the angel had instructed Hagar what name to give to the son she would bear, she conveyed this message to Avram, so that both she and Avram called her son Ishmael, in accordance with the angel's instructions. We find a similar situation in Genesis 4:25 and (Genesis 5,3) when Adam's third son was born, where the Torah tells us that both Chavah and Adam called him Sheth. On other occasions we find that father and mother named the same child differently, such as Rachel calling her youngest son בן אוני, whereas Yaakov call him .בנימין (Genesis 35:18)

Shabbethai ben Joseph Bass (1641–1718) (Hebrew: שבתי בן יוסף; also known by the family name Strom), born at Kalisz, was the founder of Jewish bibliography and author of the Siftei Chachamim supercommentary on Rashi's commentary on the Pentateuch. Commentery: The spirit of prophecy rested upon him. For if Avraham heard [the name] from Hagar [and then named him, this would be difficult to understand, for] she should have named him Yishmael, as she was commanded [regarding this name,] and not he. Perforce, the spirit of prophecy rested upon him, and he was as if commanded. (Gur Aryeh)

Steinsaltz (1937-2020) commentary: After returning home as instructed by the angel, Hagar ultimately bore to Abram a son; Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. It is possible that he had not heard from Hagar that this was the name recommended by the angel, and yet he selected it of his own accord, as the Lord had heard [shama] him and his misery as well, and had given him his firstborn son.

And Avram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael, for Abram.

16 וְאַבְרָם בֶּן־שְׁמֹנִים שָׁנָה וְשֵׁשׁ שָׁנִים בְּלֶדֶת־הָגָר אֶת־יִשְׁמָעֵאל לְאַבְרָם׃ס

טז

Avram was 85 years old when Sarai gave Hagar as a wife to Avram, that was the year 2033 after Creation, and a year later Yishmael was born in the year

2034 After Creation

Some commentators say that Hagar got pregnant twice and that she lost the first child, but I am not sure exactly why. Scripture says that Sarai gave Hagar to Avram for a wife when he was 85 but we do not know how long Avram had been 85 and we do not know in what month Yishmael was born. So it is possible that she only got pregnant once.

Radak (1160-1235) commentary: ואברם בן שמנים שנה ושש שנים, the reason why the Torah tells us Avram's age at the time Ishmael was born is to inform us that he was born in the same year Sarai had given Hagar to Avram in order to provide him with offspring. Avram was to rejoice over the prompt success of the arrangement. We know that Avram was 75 years old when he moved to the land of Canaan so that he must have been 85 years old at the end of the 10 years mentioned previously. (16:3). The word מקץ in that verse refers to the end of a period, i.e. the end of 10 years residence in the land of Canaan. We encounter the word מקץ as also meaning "at the end of" in Deut. 15:1 מקץ שבע שנים תעשה שמטה, "at the end of seven years (a cycle) you are to make a release," (forgive past due loans.)