Genesis 16:4 - Exposition

And he went in unto Hagar . בּוֹא אֶל־ , a linguistic peculiarity of the Jehovist, occurring Genesis 29:21 , Genesis 29:30 ; Genesis 30:3 , Genesis 30:4 ; Genesis 38:2 , Genesis 38:9 , Genesis 38:16 (Vaihinger, Davidson); but by some partitionists Genesis 29:1-35 and Genesis 30:1-43 . are assigned to the Elohist (Tuch, Bleek, De Wette). And she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes. As Hannah by Peninnah ( 1 Samuel 1:6 ); barrenness among the Hebrews having been regarded as a dishonor and reproach ( Genesis 19:31 ; Genesis 30:1 , Genesis 30:23 ; Le 20:20), and fecundity as a special mark of the Divine favor ( Genesis 21:6 ; Genesis 24:60 ; Exodus 23:26 ; Deuteronomy 7:14 ). Whether Hagar imagined Sarai to be through her barrenness " tanquam a Divino promisso repudiatam " (Lyra), or anticipated Sarai's displacement from her position as Abram's wife (Inglis), she, immediately on perceiving her condition, became insolent (cf. Proverbs 30:23 ).