Genesis 16:2

Genesis 16:2

And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.

a. NLT: So Sarai said to Abram, “The LORD has prevented me from having children. Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her.” And Abram agreed with Sarai’s proposal.

b. NIV: so she said to Abram, “The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.” Abram agreed to what Sarai said.

c. YLT: and Sarai saith unto Abram, 'Lo, I pray thee, Jehovah hath restrained me from bearing, go in, I pray thee, unto my handmaid; perhaps I am built up from her;' and Abram hearkeneth to the voice of Sarai.

d. Amplified Bible: And Sarai said to Abram, See here, the Lord has restrained me from bearing [children]. I am asking you to have intercourse with my maid; it may be that I can obtain children by her. And Abram listened to and heeded what Sarai said.

e. Septuagint: And Sara said to Abram, Behold, the Lord has restrained me from bearing, go therefore in to my maid, that I may get children for myself through her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sara.

f. Stone Edition Chumash: And Sarai said to Abram, “See, now, HASHEM has restrained me from bearing; consort, now, with my maidservant, perhaps I will be built up through her.” And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai.

1. “And Sarai said unto Abram…”

a. Sarai [8297 * Saray] [Strong:  from 8269; dominative; Sarai, the wife of Abraham:--Sarai.]

b. said [559 * ‘amar] [Strong: a primitive root; to say (used with great latitude):--answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, + (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, X desire, determine, X expressly, X indeed, X intend, name, X plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), X still, X suppose, talk, tell, term, X that is, X think, use (speech), utter, X verily, X yet.]

c. to Abram [87 * ‘Abram] [Strong: contracted from 48; high father; Abram, the original name of Abraham:--Abram.]

2. “…Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her…”

a. the LORD [3068 * Yhovah] [Strong: from 1961; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God:--Jehovah, the Lord.]

b. restrained me [6113 * ‘atsar] [Strong: a primitive root; to inclose; by analogy, to hold back; also to maintain, rule, assemble:--X be able, close up, detain, fast, keep (self close, still), prevail, recover, refrain, X reign, restrain, retain, shut (up), slack, stay, stop, withhold (self).]

c. from bearing [3205 * yalad] [Strong: a primitive root; to bear young; causatively, to beget; medically, to act as midwife; specifically, to show lineage:--bear, beget, birth((-day)), born, (make to) bring forth (children, young), bring up, calve, child, come, be delivered (of a child), time of delivery, gender, hatch, labour, (do the office of a) midwife, declare pedigrees, be the son of, (woman in, woman that) travail(-eth, -ing woman).]

d. go in [935 * bow’] [Strong: a primitive root; to go or come (in a wide variety of applications):--abide, apply, attain, X be, befall, + besiege, bring (forth, in, into, to pass), call, carry, X certainly, (cause, let, thing for) to come (against, in, out, upon, to pass), depart, X doubtless again, + eat, + employ, (cause to) enter (in, into, -tering, -trance, -try), be fallen, fetch, + follow, get, give, go (down, in, to war), grant, + have, X indeed, (in-)vade, lead, lift (up), mention, pull in, put, resort, run (down), send, set, X (well) stricken (in age), X surely, take (in), way.]

e. unto my maid [8198 * shipchah]] [Strong: feminine from an unused root meaning to spread out (as a family; see 4940); a female slave (as a member of the household):--(bond-, hand-)maid(-en, -servant), wench, bondwoman, womanservant.]

f. it may be that [194 * ‘uwlay] [Strong: from 176; if not; hence perhaps:--if so be, may be, peradventure, unless.]

g. obtain shildren [1129 * banah] [Strong: a primitive root; to build (literally and figuratively):--(begin to) build(-er), obtain children, make, repair, set (up), X surely.]

1). In the previous chapter God had already said that the seed would come from Abram’s own bowels, but he said nothing of Sarah’s involvement.

a). Genesis 15:4 And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.

2). Harper’s Bible Commentary: Such substitute childbearing, reflected also in Genesis 30:1-13 was apparently an accepted social institution in the ancient Near East.

3). The Genesis Record, Henry Morris: “Just as Abram had been once willing to share her with other men…so she felt it necessary to share her husband with another woman as the only solution to their problem.”

4). After God spoke to Abram four times, the most powerful being the cutting of the Covenant in Genesis 15, there were no doubt discussion between Abram and Sarai about children. Before they had ever left Ur, Abram and Sarai were convinced she was unable to have children. They of course attributed it to God, I believe wrongly, but they probably tried many times for many years to no avail. Discussions then focused on an alternative plan, one that had nothing to do with God.

3. “…And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.”

a. and Abram [87 * ‘Abram] [Strong: contracted from 48; high father; Abram, the original name of Abraham:--Abram.]

b. hearkened [8085 * shama’] [Strong: a primitive root; to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.):--X attentively, call (gather) together, X carefully, X certainly, consent, consider, be content, declare, X diligently, discern, give ear, (cause to, let, make to) hear(-ken, tell), X indeed, listen, make (a) noise, (be) obedient, obey, perceive, (make a) proclaim(-ation), publish, regard, report, shew (forth), (make a) sound, X surely, tell, understand, whosoever (heareth), witness.]

c. the voice [6963 * qowl] [Strong: from an unused root meaning to call aloud; a voice or sound:--+ aloud, bleating, crackling, cry (+ out), fame, lightness, lowing, noise, + hold peace, (pro-)claim, proclamation, + sing, sound, + spark, thunder(-ing), voice, + yell.]

d. of Sarai [8297 * Saray] [Strong:  from 8269; dominative; Sarai, the wife of Abraham:--Sarai.]