Bereshis 16:9

9 And the Malach Hashem said unto her, Return to thy gevirah, and submit thyself under her hands.

Bereshis 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 ) .

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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.

Bereshis 16:9 In-Context

7 And the Malach Hashem found her by a spring of mayim in the midbar, near the spring on the road to Shur.

8 And he said, Hagar, Sarai’s shifchah, from where camest thou? And where wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my gevirah Sarai.

9 And the Malach Hashem said unto her, Return to thy gevirah, and submit thyself under her hands.

10 And the Malach Hashem said unto her, I will multiply thy zera exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.

11 And the Malach Hashem said unto her, See, thou art with child and shalt bear ben, and shalt call shmo Yishmael; because Hashem shema thy oni (misery).