Chuàngshìjì 16:3

3 Yúshì Yàbólán de qīzi Sālái jiāng shǐnǚ Āijí rén Xiàjiǎ gĕi le zhàngfu wéi qiè . nàshí Yàbólán zaì Jiānán yǐjing zhù le shí nián .

Chuàngshìjì 16:3 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 16:3

And Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian,
&c.] Took her by the hand, it is probable, and led her into the apartment where Abram was, and presented her to him; their characters are very exactly described, and the contrast beautifully given, that the affair might be the more remarkable and observable:

after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan;
so that he was now eighty five years of age, for he was sventy five when he departed from Haran and came into Canaan, ( Genesis 12:4 ) ; and Sarai, being ten years younger than he, must be sventy five; the Jews from hence have formed a rule or canon; that if a man marries a woman, and she has no children in ten years, he is obliged to marry another ^F8:

and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife;
his secondary wife, or concubine; which, though contrary to the first institution of marriage, was connived at of God, and was practised by good men: nothing can excuse them but their earnest desire after the Messiah, the promised seed; and one may conclude, that nothing but this especially could move Sarai to take such a step, so contrary to the temper and disposition of women in common.

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FOOTNOTES:

F8 Bereshit Rabba, ut supra. (sect. 45. fol. 40. 2.). Jarchi & Aben Ezra in loc.

Chuàngshìjì 16:3 In-Context

1 Yàbólán de qīzi Sālái bú gĕi tā shēng érnǚ . Sālái yǒu yī gè shǐnǚ , míng jiào Xiàjiǎ , shì Āijí rén .

2 Sālái duì Yàbólán shuō , Yēhéhuá shǐ wǒ bùnéng shēngyù . qiú nǐ hé wǒde shǐnǚ tóngfáng , huòzhĕ wǒ kĕyǐ yīn tā de háizi ( de háizi yuánwén zuò beì jiànlì ) . Yàbólán tīng cóng le Sālái de huà .

3 Yúshì Yàbólán de qīzi Sālái jiāng shǐnǚ Āijí rén Xiàjiǎ gĕi le zhàngfu wéi qiè . nàshí Yàbólán zaì Jiānán yǐjing zhù le shí nián .

4 Yàbólán yù Xiàjiǎ tóngfáng , Xiàjiǎ jiù huái le yùn . tā jiàn zìjǐ yòu yùn , jiù xiǎokàn tāde zhǔ mǔ .

5 Sālái duì Yàbólán shuō , wǒ yīn nǐ shòu qū . wǒ jiāng wǒde shǐnǚ fàng zaì nǐ huái zhōng , tā jiàn zìjǐ yòu le yùn , jiù xiǎokàn wǒ . yuàn Yēhéhuá zaì nǐ wǒ zhōngjiān pànduàn .