Who was Hagar in the Bible?

Hagar was an Egyptian maidservant to Sarah, Abraham's wife. She became the mother of Abraham's first son, Ishmael, as recorded in Genesis 16.

What is the story of Hagar and Ishmael?

Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham to bear a child, leading to Ishmael's birth. After conflict with Sarah, Hagar fled but returned after an angel's promise. Later, she and Ishmael were sent away, and God provided for them in the wilderness (Genesis 16, 21).

What is Hagar's significance in the New Testament?

The Apostle Paul uses Hagar allegorically in Galatians 4:21-31. She represents the old covenant of slavery under the law, contrasted with Sarah who represents the new covenant of freedom through promise.

Hagar

Both TestamentsPatriarchsFemaleMother

Hagar, Sarah's Egyptian maidservant, bore Abraham a son named Ishmael and is also mentioned in Paul's allegory in Galatians.

Hagar

Biography

Hagar was an Egyptian slave woman who served in Abraham and Sarah's household and became central to one of the Bible's most complex family dramas. When Sarah remained childless after years of waiting for God's promised heir, she gave Hagar to Abraham as a concubine according to the custom of the day (Genesis 16:2–3). When Hagar conceived, tension erupted between the two women, and Hagar fled into the wilderness. There, the angel of the Lord appeared to her at a spring, making her the first person in Scripture to receive an angelic visitation, and directed her to return. God promised that her son Ishmael would become a great nation. Years later, after Isaac's birth, Sarah demanded Hagar's expulsion, and God again met her in the wilderness, providing water and renewing the promise (Genesis 21:14–19). Paul later used Hagar allegorically in Galatians 4:24–25 to represent the Sinai covenant.

Significance

Hagar's story is remarkable for its theological depth. She is the only person in the Old Testament who gives God a name, El Roi, 'the God who sees me' (Genesis 16:13), an act that testifies to an encounter of profound personal intimacy with the divine. Her experience reveals that God's care extends beyond the covenant community to the marginalized and vulnerable. The New Testament's use of Hagar in Galatians 4 elevates her story to a typological plane, contrasting law and grace, bondage and freedom. Her life teaches that God sees the suffering of the outcast and that his purposes are not confined to those at the center of human privilege.

Authority Records

Wikidata VIAF Library of Congress GND

FatherpharaohSpouseAbrahamChildIshmael

Verse Appearances (12)

Genesis

Genesis 16:1 Genesis 16:3 Genesis 16:4 Genesis 16:8 Genesis 16:15 Genesis 16:16 Genesis 21:9 Genesis 21:14 Genesis 21:17 Genesis 25:12

Galatians

Galatians 4:24 Galatians 4:25

References

Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]

View all sources & licensing →

See our editorial standards →

Content compiled from public domain scholarship, academic sources, and verified references. Editorial standards · View all sources