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Portrait of HagarPortrait · Hagar

Patriarchs · Old Testament

Hagar

Seen and Provided For in the Wilderness

Name meaning
Flight or stranger; Egyptian name
Name origin
Hebrew: הָגָר (Hagar), commonly understood as "flight"; Egyptian background

Quick facts

Occupation
  • Servant/maidservant
  • Mother
Birthplace
Egypt
Modern-day location
Egypt; the specific birthplace is not recorded.
Family
  • Servant of Sarah
  • Concubine of Abraham
  • Mother of Ishmael
First mention
Genesis 16:1-3
Last mention
Genesis 21:17-21; Galatians 4:24-25
Key artifacts
  • Spring in the wilderness
  • Water skin and bread
  • Well called Beer-lahai-roi

Key verses

  • “Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?”

    Genesis 16:13

  • “Fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.”

    Genesis 21:17

  • “And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water.”

    Genesis 21:19

Biography

Early Life

Hagar was an Egyptian servant of Sarah who was given to Abraham to bear a child when Sarah was barren.

Defining Biblical Moments

After conceiving Ishmael, Hagar fled Sarah's harshness and was met by an angel who promised descendants and told her to return. Later, sent away with Ishmael, she despaired in the wilderness until God opened her eyes to a well and promised to make Ishmael a great nation.

Strengths

Hagar shows endurance under difficult servitude and is the first to give God the name El Roi, "the God who sees me."

Weaknesses & Lessons

Her story is shaped by others' decisions; the narrative highlights the harm caused when people attempt to force God's promises through exploitation.

Life Lessons for Today

God sees those on the margins; even when human systems fail, divine provision and promise can sustain the vulnerable.

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Hagar appears in Women of the Bible: Profiles in Courage & Faith, alongside more profiles like this one.

Page #33 in Women of the Bible: Profiles in Courage & Faith

Women of the Bible: Profiles in Courage & Faith front cover

Women whose courage shaped Scripture

Vivid profiles of the women of the Bible whose faith, wisdom, and quiet courage carried them through extraordinary moments.

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