v. 4. And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes. The plan of Sarai to which Abram had consented was decidedly human and did not have the divine approval. Hagar having conceived, her mistress was looked down upon in her eyes. The Jews, like the Orientals in general, regarded barrenness as a great evil and a divine punishment, Lev_20:20, and fruitfulness as a great good and a divine blessing, Exo_23:26; Deu_7:14. Still, the attitude of Hagar was a presumption, since she was not Abram's second wife, but retained her subordinate position throughout.
v. 5. And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee; I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes. The Lord judge between me and thee. This outburst on the part of Sarai was altogether unjustified; what she was suffering came upon her in consequence of her interference with God's plans. Yet she wanted the wrong and injury which had been heaped upon her to be blamed upon her husband, and even called upon Jehovah to be the judge between them. Sarai's outburst of temper was probably due to the very indifference which Abram showed with regard to the slave woman, for she wanted him to have seen and rebuked the latter's insolence, whereas he held that the relations in the household had in no way been altered by the consequence of Sarai's plan.
v. 6. But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. This was not evading the responsibility, but insisting upon its remaining where it had been during the entire incident: Hagar was still the slave of Sarai, who might use force in making her conscious of her subordinate position. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face. The mistress took measures to make the slave woman feel her power, probably by demanding that the latter perform the most menial services in the household, whereas Hagar seems to have occupied a position of some importance before. The proud spirit of the slave refusing to yield to such treatment, she fled from Hebron, willing rather to brave the wilderness than to submit to Sarai's harsh treatment. Thus the sins and weaknesses of the saints are openly narrated in Scriptures, the story forming a mirror in which we may see our own hearts.