General Notes

Hagar, in the Old Testament, concubine of the patriarch Abraham and mother of Ishmael. Hagar was the handmaid of Abraham's wife, Sarah, who, because she was barren, gave Hagar to her husband in the hope of producing heirs. When Hagar conceived a child, however, Sarah became jealous and regretted her decision. To escape Sarah's persecution, Hagar was forced to flee into the desert. Reassured by an angel, she returned to bear Abraham a son, Ishmael (see Genesis 16). Eventually Sarah conceived and bore a child, who was named Isaac. After Isaac's birth, Sarah persuaded Abraham to drive Ishmael and his mother away. They wandered into the desert, where an angel appeared to them and prophesied greatness for Ishmael (see Genesis 21:1-21).

The story of Hagar has been interpreted in various ways. According to some scholars, Hagar personifies a tribe that at one time had been closely related to some of the Hebrew clans. Rivalry resulted in a separation, which is pictured as a dismissal of the inferior by the superior clan.

The story of Hagar is introduced in the New Testament and in rabbinical literature. She is allegorically contrasted with Sarah by St. Paul, who represents Hagar, the bondwoman, as the earthly Jerusalem and Sarah, the free woman, as the heavenly Jerusalem. Paul also similarly contrasts Ishmael and Isaac (see Gal. 4:22-31). A Jewish tradition identifies Hagar with Abraham's second wife, Keturah (see Genesis 25:1), and another makes her the daughter of an Egyptian pharaoh.

In Islamic tradition, Hagar is Abraham's true wife, and Ishmael, the favorite son. Ishmael is identified as the progenitor of the Arabs.



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