“Here,” said Abram, “your servant is in your hands. Do whatever you want with her.” Then Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she fled from her.
Parallel translations
- WEB But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your maid is in your hand. Do to her whatever is good in your eyes.” Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her face.
- KJV But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.
- NKJV So Abram said to Sarai, “Indeed your maid is in your hand; do to her as you please.” And when Sarai dealt harshly with her, she fled from her presence.
- NASB But Abram said to Sarai, “Look, your slave woman is in your power; do to her what is good in your sight.” So Sarai treated her harshly, and she fled from her presence.
- NLT Abram replied, “Look, she is your servant, so deal with her as you see fit.” Then Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she finally ran away.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Abram deferred to Sarai, who treated Hagar harshly, causing her to flee. Conflict drove the pregnant Hagar into the wilderness.
Overview
Abram steps back rather than mediating, and Sarai's harsh treatment forces Hagar to run away. The breakdown of the household leaves a vulnerable, pregnant woman alone in the desert. Yet this flight becomes the occasion for God's gracious intervention, showing His care for the mistreated even amid human failure.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Jer 38:5“Here he is,” replied King Zedekiah. “He is in your hands, since the king can do nothing to stop you.”
- Prov 15:17–18Better a dish of vegetables where there is love than a fattened ox with hatred.
- Prov 27:8Like a bird that strays from its nest is a man who wanders from his home.
- Ps 106:41–42He delivered them into the hand of the nations, and those who hated them ruled over them.
- Eccl 10:4If the ruler’s temper flares against you, do not abandon your post, for calmness lays great offenses to rest.
- Prov 29:19A servant cannot be corrected by words alone; though he understands, he will not respond.
- 1 Pet 3:7Husbands, in the same way, treat your wives with consideration as a delicate vessel, and with honor as fellow heirs of the gracious gift of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.
- Prov 14:29A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man promotes folly.
- Prov 15:1A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
- Gen 24:10Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed with all manner of good things from his master in hand. And he set out for Nahor’s hometown in Aram-naharaim.
- Job 2:6“Very well,” said the LORD to Satan. “He is in your hands, but you must spare his life.”
- Exod 2:15When Pharaoh heard about this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian, where he sat down beside a well.
- Gen 13:8–9So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no contention between you and me, or between your herdsmen and my herdsmen. After all, we are brothers.
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 16:6 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.