So the angel of the LORD told her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her authority.”
Parallel translations
- WEB Yahweh’s angel said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hands.”
- KJV And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.
- NKJV The Angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand.”
- NASB So the angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority.”
- NLT The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority.”
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
The angel told Hagar to return to Sarai and submit to her. God called her back to a hard but right path.
Overview
Rather than condoning flight, God directs Hagar to return and submit, even to a harsh mistress. The command is paired with a great promise, making submission bearable through hope. This teaches that God often calls His people back to difficult situations with the assurance of His presence and blessing, a pattern echoed in the New Testament call to patient endurance.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- 1 Pet 5:5–6Young men, in the same way, submit yourselves to your elders. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
- Eph 6:5–6Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear and sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.
- Eph 5:21Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
- Titus 2:9Slaves are to submit to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative,
- 1 Pet 2:18–25Servants, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but even to those who are unreasonable.
- Eccl 10:4If the ruler’s temper flares against you, do not abandon your post, for calmness lays great offenses to rest.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 16:9 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.