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That same year, Sarah, seeing her barrenness, said to Abram: “Behold, the Lord shut me up so that I will not give birth: go down to my handmaid (Gen. 16:2), perhaps from her I will receive consolation.” And since Sarai did not calm down, although Abram was slow to carry out her advice, but, as it is written, “Abram listened to the voice” of his wife (Gen. 16:2), and Sarai released to him Hagar the Egyptian, given with other slaves by Pharaoh on the day when he took her as his wife. When Hagar conceived, she began to despise her mistress, thinking that her seed would enter the land of promise and receive it as an inheritance. Sarah could have curbed Hagar’s arrogance, but since she saw that she, who had hitherto been a slave, had shared his bed from the time she was given to Abram, she did not reproach the concubine, so as not to bring dishonor to Abram himself. However, she said to him: “I have offended you” (Gen. 16:5), - that is, I did not exchange you for a king, but you have now preferred a slave to me; Hagar should have thanked me for the fact that my prayer was heard and she conceived, because I gave her to you in order to receive comfort from her, but she repays the good I have done to her with evil, in the eyes of all the slaves she inflicts a cruel insult on me. Hagar, who hoped in Abram, when she saw that he had given her into the hands of her mistress, whom she reproached, was afraid and fled. But an Angel met her and said to her: “Return to your mistress and submit yourself under her hand... your seed will be multiplied, and will not be counted from the multitude... for the Lord has heard your humility” (Gen. 16:9-11), - if you are ready to return and serve your mistress, “and bear a son, and call his name Ishmael” (Gen. 16:11). “This onager will be a **** among people,” because he will settle in the desert and, like an onager, will not be at peace with people; “his hand is against everyone,” that is, to plunder everyone, “and the hands of everyone are against him” (Gen. 16:12). Since he will attack all nations, he himself will be attacked by all nations. “And in the borders of all his brethren—that is, the sons of Sarai and Keturah— will dwell” (Gen. 16:12), because the lands of their inheritance were already separated for the sons of Shem. Hagar realized that Abram would have many children, but not from her. She was assured of this by the fact that he no longer came to her and, as soon as he noticed that she had conceived, did not approach her. Abram only entered into Hagar at the request of Sarah, so that she might have at least a small consolation from Hagar until God pleased her with the fruit of his own womb. And Hagar said: “You are the God of vision,” condescend and allow yourself to be seen by those who honor you. And adding to this, Hagar said: “I saw a vision after You saw me” (Gen. 16:13), because at first the Angel, having appeared, did not say anything to her, so as not to terrify her. When he addressed the word to her, then she had a vision in a vision, that is, God appeared in the face of an Angel; That’s why she gave the treasure the name: “the treasure of the Living One who sees me” (Gen. 16:14). Hagar returned to her mistress and asked for forgiveness. And when she told Abram and Sarah about her vision, informing her of what the Angel had told her about her son, namely, that he would live within the borders of his brethren, then this news, heard by Sarah, made amends for the grief that Hagar had caused her before. “And gave birth to Hagar... and Abram called the name of his son... Ishmael” (Gen. 16:15), as Hagar was taught. Synod: “wild donkey”. – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” You might be interested in: