Discovery BoxGenesis 16:1 
Context16:1 Now Sarai, 1 Abram’s wife, had not given birth to any children, 2 but she had an Egyptian servant 3 named Hagar. 4
Genesis 16:3
Context16:3 So after Abram had lived 5 in Canaan for ten years, Sarai, Abram’s wife, gave Hagar, her Egyptian servant, 6 to her husband to be his wife. 7
Genesis 16:8
Context16:8 He said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” She replied, “I’m running away from 8 my mistress, Sarai.”
Genesis 18:7
Context18:7 Then Abraham ran to the herd and chose a fine, tender calf, and gave it to a servant, 9 who quickly prepared it. 10
Genesis 24:2
Context24:2 Abraham said to his servant, the senior one 11 in his household who was in charge of everything he had, “Put your hand under my thigh 12
Genesis 24:9
Context24:9 So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and gave his solemn promise he would carry out his wishes. 13
Genesis 24:59
Context24:59 So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, accompanied by her female attendant, with Abraham’s servant and his men.
Genesis 24:61
Context24:61 Then Rebekah and her female servants mounted the camels and rode away with 14 the man. So Abraham’s servant 15 took Rebekah and left.
Genesis 25:12
Context25:12 This is the account of Abraham’s son Ishmael, 16 whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s servant, bore to Abraham.
Genesis 30:3
Context30:3 She replied, “Here is my servant Bilhah! Have sexual relations with 17 her so that she can bear 18 children 19 for me 20 and I can have a family through her.” 21
Genesis 30:18
Context30:18 Then Leah said, “God has granted me a reward 22 because I gave my servant to my husband as a wife.” 23 So she named him Issachar. 24
Genesis 32:4
Context32:4 He commanded them, “This is what you must say to my lord Esau: ‘This is what your servant 25 Jacob says: I have been staying with Laban until now.
Genesis 32:18
Context32:18 then you must say, 26 ‘They belong 27 to your servant Jacob. 28 They have been sent as a gift to my lord Esau. 29 In fact Jacob himself is behind us.’” 30
Genesis 35:26
Context35:26 The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant, were Gad and Asher.
These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan Aram.
Genesis 43:24
Context43:24 The servant in charge 31 brought the men into Joseph’s house. He gave them water, and they washed their feet. Then he gave food to their donkeys.
Genesis 44:33
Context44:33 “So now, please let your servant remain as my lord’s slave instead of the boy. As for the boy, let him go back with his brothers.
1 tn The disjunctive clause signals the beginning of a new episode in the story.
2 sn On the cultural background of the story of Sarai’s childlessness see J. Van Seters, “The Problem of Childlessness in Near Eastern Law and the Patriarchs of Israel,” JBL 87 (1968): 401-8.
3 tn The Hebrew term שִׁפְחָה (shifkhah, translated “servant” here and in vv. 2, 3, 5, 6, and 8) refers to a menial female servant.
4 sn The passage records the birth of Ishmael to Abram through an Egyptian woman. The story illustrates the limits of Abram’s faith as he tries to obtain a son through social custom. The barrenness of Sarai poses a challenge to Abram’s faith, just as the famine did in chap. 12. As in chap. 12, an Egyptian figures prominently. (Perhaps Hagar was obtained as a slave during Abram’s stay in Egypt.)
5 tn Heb “at the end of ten years, to live, Abram.” The prepositional phrase introduces the temporal clause, the infinitive construct serves as the verb, and the name “Abram” is the subject.
6 tn Heb “the Egyptian, her female servant.”
7 sn To be his wife. Hagar became a slave wife, not on equal standing with Sarai. However, if Hagar produced the heir, she would be the primary wife in the eyes of society. When this eventually happened, Hagar become insolent, prompting Sarai’s anger.
8 tn Heb “from the presence of.”
9 tn Heb “the young man.”
10 tn The construction uses the Piel preterite, “he hurried,” followed by the infinitive construct; the two probably form a verbal hendiadys: “he quickly prepared.”
11 tn The Hebrew term זָקֵן (zaqen) may refer to the servant who is oldest in age or senior in authority (or both).
12 sn Put your hand under my thigh. The taking of this oath had to do with the sanctity of the family and the continuation of the family line. See D. R. Freedman, “Put Your Hand Under My Thigh – the Patriarchal Oath,” BAR 2 (1976): 2-4, 42.
13 tn Heb “and he swore to him concerning this matter.”
14 tn Heb “And she arose, Rebekah and her female servants, and they rode upon camels and went after.”
15 tn Heb “the servant”; the word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
16 sn This is the account of Ishmael. The Book of Genesis tends to tidy up the family records at every turning point. Here, before proceeding with the story of Isaac’s family, the narrative traces Ishmael’s family line. Later, before discussing Jacob’s family, the narrative traces Esau’s family line (see Gen 36).
17 tn Heb “go in to.” The expression “go in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse.
18 tn After the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with the conjunction indicates the immediate purpose of the proposed activity.
19 tn The word “children” is not in the Hebrew text but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
20 tn Heb “upon my knees.” This is an idiomatic way of saying that Bilhah will be simply a surrogate mother. Rachel will adopt the child as her own.
21 tn Heb “and I will be built up, even I, from her.” The prefixed verbal form with the conjunction is subordinated to the preceding prefixed verbal form and gives the ultimate purpose for the proposed action. The idiom of “built up” here refers to having a family (see Gen 16:2, as well as Ruth 4:11 and BDB 125 s.v. בָנָה).
22 tn Heb “God has given my reward.”
23 tn The words “as a wife” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for clarity (cf. v. 9).
sn Leah seems to regard the act of giving her servant Zilpah to her husband as a sacrifice, for which (she believes) God is now rewarding her with the birth of a son.
24 sn The name Issachar (יְשָּׁשכָר, yishakhar) appears to mean “man of reward” or possibly “there is reward.” The name plays on the word used in the statement made earlier in the verse. The Hebrew noun translated “reward” is derived from the same root as the name Issachar. The irony is that Rachel thought the mandrakes would work for her, and she was willing to trade one night for them. But in that one night Leah became pregnant.
25 sn Your servant. The narrative recounts Jacob’s groveling in fear before Esau as he calls his brother his “lord,” as if to minimize what had been done twenty years ago.
26 tn The form is the perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive; it has the nuance of an imperfect of instruction.
27 tn The words “they belong” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
28 tn Heb “to your servant, to Jacob.”
29 tn Heb “to my lord, to Esau.”
30 tn Heb “and look, also he [is] behind us.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
31 tn Heb “the man.”
