Genesis 16:9

9 Then the angel of the LORD told her, "Go back to the woman who owns you. Obey her."

Genesis 16:9 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 16:9

And the angel of the Lord said unto her
The same angel; though Jarchi thinks that one angel after another was sent, and that at every speech there was a fresh angel; and because this phrase is repeated again and again, some of the Rabbins have fancied there were four angels F18, and others five, but without any reason:

return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands;
go back to her, humble thyself before her, acknowledge thy fault, enter into her service again, and be subject to her; do her work and business, bear her corrections and chastisements; and "suffer thyself to be afflicted" {s}, by her, as the word may be rendered; take all patiently from her, which will be much more to thy profit and advantage than to pursue the course thou art in: and the more to encourage her to take his advice, he promises the following things, ( Genesis 16:10-12 ) .


FOOTNOTES:

F18 Bereshit Rabba, ut supra. (sect. 45. fol. 41. 1.)
F19 (yneth) "te patere affligi", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "quid si, patere te affligi?" Drusius.

Genesis 16:9 In-Context

7 The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring of water in the desert. The spring was beside the road to Shur.
8 He said, "Hagar, you are the servant of Sarai. Where have you come from? Where are you going?" "I'm running away from my owner Sarai," she answered.
9 Then the angel of the LORD told her, "Go back to the woman who owns you. Obey her."
10 The angel continued, "I will greatly increase the number of your children after you. You will have more of them than anyone can count."
11 The angel of the LORD also said to her, "You are now pregnant. You will have a son. You will name him Ishmael. That is because the LORD has heard about your suffering.
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