The story of Hagar in the Bible raises an interesting question – was she Abraham’s wife, or his concubine? A concise reading of Genesis seems to indicate she was Abram’s concubine, while a more careful examination suggests she may have been a type of secondary wife. Let’s walk through the key passages and see what the Bible tells us about the relationship between Abram, Sarai, and Hagar.
Genesis 16 – Hagar becomes Abram’s concubine
In Genesis 16, Sarai was unable to have children so she gave her servant Hagar to Abram as a concubine so that he could have an heir.
Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife. And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. (Genesis 16:1-4a ESV)
This passage clearly indicates that Sarai gave Hagar to Abram to be his concubine. The text says Sarai “gave her to Abram her husband as a wife.” This type of arrangement was common in ancient Near Eastern cultures when a wife was unable to have children. The wife would allow her husband to take one of her female servants as a surrogate to provide him an heir.
The terminology used also suggests Hagar’s status was that of a concubine. She is differentiated from Sarai who is repeatedly called Abram’s “wife.” The text pointedly calls Hagar a “servant” even after she becomes involved with Abram. Concubines in the ancient world were considered servants or secondary wives whose purpose was to provide heirs when a primary wife could not.
Later in Genesis 16 when Hagar flees after conflict with Sarai, the Angel of the LORD refers to her as “Sarai’s servant” indicating her status as a concubine rather than equal wife (Genesis 16:8). Based on a straightforward reading of this passage, Hagar appears to have become Abram’s concubine at Sarai’s urging.
Genesis 21 – Sarah refers to Hagar as Abraham’s wife
While Genesis 16 paints a clear picture of Hagar as concubine, Genesis 21 provides an interesting wrinkle. When Sarah demands that Abraham drive out Hagar and Ishmael, she refers to them in an unusual way:
But God said to Abraham, “Be not displeased because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named. And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also, because he is your offspring.” (Genesis 21:12-13 ESV)
Here, Sarah calls Hagar Abraham’s “slave woman.” This matches the terminology in Genesis 16. However, just a few verses later Sarah says something surprising:
So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. (Genesis 21:14 ESV)
When Abraham sends Hagar and Ishmael away, the text suddenly switches from calling Hagar a “slave woman” to using her name. This subtle shift hints that perhaps Hagar’s status has changed and she is viewed more as a secondary wife than merely a concubine.
Hagar and Keturah – both Abraham’s wives?
This possibility gains further credence when we look at Abraham’s other wives later in Genesis. After Sarah dies, Abraham takes another wife named Keturah who bears him six sons:
Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. (Genesis 25:1-2 ESV)
Intriguingly, the wording here is almost identical to when Abraham first takes Hagar as a wife back in Genesis 16. The verb “took” and the phrase “as a wife” are repeated in both passages, suggesting Hagar and Keturah may have shared similar status as secondary or surrogate wives.
Looking closely at the Hebrew word usage, there are indications Hagar may have been considered a legitimate spouse of lower status than Sarah, rather than merely a concubine. The rabbis recognized this ambiguity and debated in the Midrash whether Hagar should be considered a full wife of Abraham or not.
Hagar – wife or concubine?
While the Bible does not provide a completely unambiguous answer, the evidence seems to point to Hagar being both Abraham’s concubine and also some form of secondary wife. A few key insights emerge from the texts:
- As Sarah’s servant, Hagar was a concubine given to produce an heir for Abraham.
- Her status began to change after bearing Ishmael, as God promised to make him a great nation.
- Sarah and the Angel of the LORD referred to Hagar consistently as a servant, but Abraham may have considered her a secondary wife.
- The terminology around Abraham “taking” Hagar and Keturah “as wives” is similar, implying a comparable status.
- The rabbis debated Hagar’s exact status, recognizing the nuances in the text.
In the cultural context of the ancient Near East, it was acceptable and common for a barren wife to provide a servant to her husband for producing children. This servant was considered a concubine, not an equal wife. However, if the concubine bore a child, it seems she could be elevated to some type of secondary wife, while still being subordinate to the primary spouse.
This fluidity between concubine and wife in ancient societies makes it difficult to define Hagar’s status in absolute terms. The Bible text itself allows for ambiguity. While Hagar began clearly as Abram’s concubine, she later took on some qualities of a secondary wife while remaining a servant in Sarah’s eyes. Her status was likely somewhere in between.
The important thing is that God cared for Hagar and Ishmael even though Abraham sent them away. He provided for them and kept His promise to make Ishmael into a great nation as well (Genesis 21:18). Hagar’s specific marital classification is uncertain, but what is clear is that God watched over her and her son in their distress.
Other Old Testament examples of concubines
Stories about other concubines in the Old Testament can shed light on the custom and how it worked in Biblical times. These accounts provide points of comparison with Hagar’s situation.
Jacob’s concubines
Jacob, grandson of Abraham, had two concubines named Bilhah and Zilpah who were handmaids of his wives Rachel and Leah. When Rachel struggled to conceive, she gave Jacob her maid Bilhah as a concubine (Genesis 30:3-5). Similarly, when Leah stopped bearing children, she gave Jacob her maid Zilpah as a concubine (Genesis 30:9-12).
This follows the same pattern as Abraham taking Hagar from Sarah. Bilhah and Zilpah were not considered full wives, but rather concubines given to Jacob for the purpose of providing heirs when his wives were unable to do so.
Gideon’s concubine
In Judges 8, Gideon had many wives and also a concubine. The concubine’s son Abimelech created conflict after Gideon died when he tried to make himself king over Gideon’s 70 legitimate sons. The text refers to Abimelech as “son of his female slave” indicating the lesser status of his mother as a concubine (Judges 8:31, 9:1-18 ESV).
David’s concubines
King David took numerous concubines and wives during his reign. One notable story involves ten concubines of David who were raped by his son Absalom to humiliate David and assert his power (2 Samuel 16:21-23). These ten women are specifically referred to as “concubines” distinguishing them from David’s wives.
These Old Testament examples clarify that concubines held a secondary status below full wives. Though their children could inherit property and titles, they were not equal to children of wives. Concubines were treated as servants and their purpose was producing heirs.
New Testament teaching on marriage
It is also informative to look at how marriage is discussed in the New Testament. While concubinage is never explicitly mentioned, the descriptions of proper marital relations imply monogamy as God’s ideal.
Marriage as the union of one man and woman
In Matthew 19:3-6, when asked about divorce, Jesus goes back to the beginning and cites Genesis 2:24 to reinforce that marriage is meant to be the permanent, exclusive union of one man and one woman:
“Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Matthew 19:4-6 ESV)
Jesus emphasizes marriage is between one husband and one wife who unite spiritually and physically. His teaching does not leave room for polygamy or concubinage.
Qualifications for elders and deacons
In giving qualifications for church leaders, Paul instructs that an elder or deacon must be “husband of one wife” (1 Timothy 3:2,12; Titus 1:6 ESV). This requirement implies monogamy was expected for church leaders. Having multiple wives or concubines would disqualify someone from these roles.
Husbands to love their wives
Paul speaks repeatedly of the husband’s responsibility to sacrificially love his wife and the wife’s duty to respect her husband (Ephesians 5:25,33). The singular “wife” rather than “wives” indicates one covenant marriage partner.
The overall New Testament model of marriage is one man and one woman becoming spiritually and physically one. Practices like polygamy and concubinage fell far short of God’s ideal and were discouraged in the early church. Monogamous, committed unions became the norm.
Conclusion – Hagar’s unclear status
In the patriarchal society of ancient Israel, it was acceptable for childless wives like Sarai to give their female servants as concubines to their husbands for producing heirs. As Abraham’s concubine, Hagar’s status was below that of Sarai as primary wife.
However, after Hagar bore Ishmael, there are indications she may have been considered some form of secondary wife in Abraham’s eyes, though still under Sarai’s authority. The Bible does not explicitly classify Hagar as either wife or concubine.
Old Testament examples illustrate concubines held a secondary position compared to full wives. Though the New Testament endorses marriage between one man and woman, the cultural practices of that era allowed for concubinage as an alternative way of producing heirs.
Hagar likely occupied an ambiguous position between concubine and secondary wife. Ultimately, the Lord cared for Hagar and Ishmael and saw that they were provided for, which is the most important truth to remember from their story.