Chapter 3: The Contempt

Something changed in Hagar the moment she knew she was carrying a child. For the first time in her life, she had something her mistress did not. Scripture says she began to despise Sarai.

Sarai saw it immediately. But she did not confront Hagar. She went to Abram.

SARAI“You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me.”— Genesis 16:5

It was her plan. And now that it produced exactly what she asked for, she could not bear the cost of it.

Abram's response was six words that decided Hagar's fate.

ABRAM“Your slave is in your hands. Do with her whatever you think best.”— Genesis 16:6

Sarai mistreated Hagar. The Hebrew word used here is harsh, the same word that later describes how the Egyptians oppressed the Israelites in slavery. This was not a household dispute. This was a woman with power making life unbearable for a woman without it, until Hagar had no choice but to run.