What Motivated Sarai to Offer Hagar?
The drama of Genesis 16 unfolds in the tension between divine promise and human impatience. God had promised Abram descendants as numerous as the stars, yet years passed without the fulfillment of that promise. At the center of this tension stood Sarai, Abram’s wife, carrying the emotional weight of barrenness. Her decision to offer Hagar, her Egyptian maidservant, as a surrogate was rooted in a complex blend of cultural norms, personal anguish, theological misunderstanding, and a desire to see God’s promise realized—even if by human means. Understanding her motivations provides insight into the human condition and the challenges of faith.
1. The Pain of Long-Term Barrenness
The first and most immediate motivation was Sarai’s deep emotional struggle with barrenness.
A. Barrenness in the Ancient World
In ancient Near Eastern culture:
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A woman’s identity was strongly tied to her ability to bear children.
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Infertility was viewed as a social shame.
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A barren wife felt personal failure and societal pressure.
Sarai, already advanced in age, bore this heavy weight for decades.
B. God’s Promise Intensified the Pain
Abram had received repeated promises of offspring (Genesis 12, 13, 15). The more Abram’s hope increased, the more Sarai may have felt:
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“I’m the obstacle to the promise.”
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“Maybe the problem is me, not the promise.”
The gap between God’s declaration and her lived reality was emotionally agonizing.
2. A Desire to Fulfill God’s Promise—Even If by Human Means
Sarai believed the promise of descendants, but she could not imagine its fulfillment through her own body.
A. Misinterpreting the Promise
God had promised Abram offspring, but had not yet declared that Sarai herself would be the mother (that revelation comes later, in Genesis 17).
Thus, Sarai reasoned:
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Maybe the heir is meant to come through another woman.
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Maybe I should “help” the process along.
B. Human Logic Instead of Divine Timing
Sarai sought to reconcile God’s promise with her barrenness through a culturally logical plan. Instead of rejecting God’s word, she tried to bring it to pass through her own strategy.
3. Cultural Acceptability of Surrogate Motherhood
Sarai’s decision was not unusual in the ancient Near East.
A. Surrogacy Was Common
Archaeological evidence (such as the Code of Hammurabi) shows:
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A barren wife could give her maidservant to her husband.
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The child born would legally belong to the wife.
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This practice was socially approved and widely used.
B. Hagar Was the Logical Choice
As Sarai’s personal maidservant:
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Hagar was under her authority.
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Any child Hagar bore would legally belong to Sarai.
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Hagar’s Egyptian background linked her to Abram and Sarai’s time in Egypt, making her part of the household.
Sarai’s plan, therefore, was culturally normal—but spiritually shortsighted.
4. Sarai Felt God Was Preventing Her from Conceiving
Her exact words are telling:
“The LORD has kept me from having children.” (Genesis 16:2)
A. Sarai Saw Her Barrenness as Divine Action
She interpreted her infertility not only as biology but as providence.
B. This Created a Crisis of Interpretation
Instead of waiting for God to reverse the situation, she concluded:
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Maybe God intends for the child to come through another woman.
Her reasoning was not irreligious—it was a theological misunderstanding shaped by pain.
5. A Desire to Relieve Social Shame
Sarai’s infertility wasn’t just a private grief; it was a public stigma.
A. Barren Women Faced Public Reproach
In her world:
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Women without children lacked social standing.
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They experienced pity, gossip, and disgrace.
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A large household with no heir was considered unstable.
B. Offering Hagar Was a Way to Secure the Family Line
By producing an heir—even through a surrogate—Sarai could:
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Establish security for Abram’s name.
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Gain social honor.
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End the stigma of a childless household.
Her decision combined personal longing with cultural pressure.
6. Impatience with God’s Timing
The promise had been given, but the waiting was long.
A. Abram Had Been in Canaan Ten Years (Genesis 16:3)
Ten years of waiting led Sarai to conclude:
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Perhaps the promise won’t be fulfilled through me.
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Perhaps God expects me to “do something.”
B. The Tension Between Faith and Delay
Sarai believed in God, but struggled with:
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Uncertainty
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Delay
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Silence
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Physical impossibility
Her impatience drove her to seek a shortcut to God’s plan.
7. Motivated by Love for Abram
It is often overlooked, but Sarai also acted out of concern for Abram.
A. She Wanted Abram to Have the Promised Heir
Sarai loved her husband and wanted him to receive what God had promised—even if she could not be part of it biologically.
B. She Sacrificed Her Own Emotional Comfort
Giving another woman to her husband would not have been easy. Yet she did so believing it was the only way to give Abram descendants.
This motivation shows both her devotion and her desperation.
Conclusion
Sarai’s decision to offer Hagar was driven by a mixture of emotional pain, cultural norms, theological misunderstanding, and human impatience. She deeply desired to see God’s promise fulfilled and reasoned that her barrenness was a sign that God intended to use another woman. In a moment of vulnerability, she turned to a socially accepted solution rather than waiting for God’s miraculous intervention.