John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 16:1-16
The Circumstances connected with the Birth of Ishmael1, 2. Abraham was now eighty-five years old, Sarah was seventy-five, and the promise of an heir seemed no nearer fulfilment. Despairing of offspring herself, Sarah persuades Abraham to take her Egyptian maid Hagar as a secondary wife, intending, according to ancient custom, to regard the issue as her own. But her lack of faith in God’s promises was productive of very unhappy consequences. 4. Hagar] The Arabs claim descent from Hagar through... read more
Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Genesis 16:1-6
Sarai and Hagar 16:1-6Using a woman other than one’s wife (Genesis 16:2) was a method of providing an heir in the case of a childless marriage apart from adoption. [Note: Speiser, p. 130; T. Frymer-Kensky, "Patriarchal Family Relationships and Near Eastern Law," Biblical Archaeologist 44 (1981):209-14.] Hagar was Sarai’s personal servant, not a slave girl. Abram also had at least one personal servant (Genesis 24:2)."It was a serious matter for a man to be childless in the ancient world, for it... read more