And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid
He calls her by her name, which might surprise her, and describes
her by her character and condition, in order to check her pride,
and put her in mind of her duty to her mistress; and to suggest
to her, that she ought to have been not where she was, but in the
house of her mistress, and doing her service:
whence camest thou?
this question the angel asked, not as ignorant, for he that could
call her by her name, and describe her character and state, knew
from whence she came; but he said this not only to lead on to
what he had further to say to her, but to put her upon
considering from whence she came, what she had left behind, and
what blessings she had deprived herself of; she had not only left
her husband and her mistress, but the house of God; for such
Abram's family was, where the worship of God was kept up, and
where the Lord granted his presence, and indulged with communion
with himself:
and whither wilt thou go?
he knew her intention and resolution was to go to Egypt, and he
would have her think of the place whither she intended to go, as
well as that she had left, as that her journey to it was
dangerous, through a wilderness; that the country she was bound
for was a wicked and an idolatrous one, where she would not have
the free exercise of her religion she had embraced, nor any
opportunity of attending the pure worship of God, and would be
liable to be drawn into a sinful course of life, and into
idolatrous worship:
and she said, I flee from the face of my mistress
Sarai;
this was very ingenuously said, she acknowledges Sarai to be her
mistress, and owns that, she had displeased her, and caused her
face to be against her; and confesses the truth, that she had
fled from her, not being able to bear her frowns and corrections,
at least her spirit was too high to submit to them.