Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Genesis 16:1-2
"Now Sarai, Abram's wife, bare him no children: and she had a handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, Jehovah hath restrained me from bearing; go in, I pray thee, unto my handmaid; it may be that I shall obtain children from her. And Abram hearkened unto the voice of Sarai."Well, what was wrong with this? It was a legal and commonly accepted practice after the customs of that age, and we can hardly suppose that Abram and Sarai here deliberately chose... read more
E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Genesis 16:1
handmaid. Not necessarily a slave. Compare 1 Samuel 25:4 ). Hagar = Hebrew. Flight. See Genesis 16:3 . read more