The Meaning of Genesis 16:3 Explained

Genesis 16:3

KJV: And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.

YLT: And Sarai, Abram's wife, taketh Hagar the Egyptian, her handmaid, at the end of the tenth year of Abram's dwelling in the land of Canaan, and giveth her to Abram her husband, to him for a wife,

Darby: And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar, the Egyptian, her maidservant, at the end of ten years that Abram had dwelt in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram, as his wife.

ASV: And Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her handmaid, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to Abram her husband to be his wife.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And Sarai  Abram's  wife  took  Hagar  her maid  the Egyptian,  after  Abram  had dwelt  ten  years  in the land  of Canaan,  and gave  her to her husband  Abram  to be his wife. 

What does Genesis 16:3 Mean?

Study Notes

Hagar
Hagar is a type of the law "which gendereth to bondage" Galatians 4:24 ; Galatians 4:25 .

Context Summary

Genesis 16:1-16 - Abram's Son Ishmael
Poor Hagar! What contrasts met in her life! Bought in an Egyptian slave-mart, but destined to be the mother of a great people! She is not the last to suffer from the mistakes and sins of God's children, but she was abundantly recompensed. Abram did her a great wrong. Human policy will often suggest a course which seems right in our own eyes, but the end is death. How remarkable is the advice given to Hagar by the angel: return and submit! Does not the child of God often seek to evade the cross! "Let me but get away from this intolerable trouble," we cry. But God meets us. "No stranger He to all our wanderings wild!" We have to take up the cross, and sit down again on the hard stool. Some day we shall be permitted to go out, but not till we have learned our lesson perfectly. In the meanwhile, we are assured that our life shall be prolific in great results. In an outburst of awe and joy, the slave-girl learned that God sees and hears. Note 2 Chronicles 16:9; 1 Peter 3:12.
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Chapter Summary: Genesis 16

1  Sarai, being barren, gives Hagar to Abram
4  Hagar, being afflicted for despising her mistress, runs away
7  An angel commands her to return and submit herself,
10  promises her a numerous posterity,
12  and shows their character and condition
13  Hagar names the place, and returns to Sarai
15  Ishmael is born
16  The age of Abram

What do the individual words in Genesis 16:3 mean?

And took Sarai wife of Abram - Hagar the Egyptianess her maidservant after ten years had dwelt Abram in the land of Canaan and she gave her to Abram her husband to be his wife
וַתִּקַּ֞ח שָׂרַ֣י אֵֽשֶׁת־ אַבְרָ֗ם אֶת־ הָגָ֤ר הַמִּצְרִית֙ שִׁפְחָתָ֔הּ מִקֵּץ֙ עֶ֣שֶׂר שָׁנִ֔ים לְשֶׁ֥בֶת אַבְרָ֖ם בְּאֶ֣רֶץ כְּנָ֑עַן וַתִּתֵּ֥ן אֹתָ֛הּ לְאַבְרָ֥ם אִישָׁ֖הּ ל֥וֹ לְאִשָּֽׁה

וַתִּקַּ֞ח  And  took 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
שָׂרַ֣י  Sarai 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: שָׂרַי  
Sense: original name of Sarah the wife of Abram or Abraham.
אֵֽשֶׁת־  wife 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
אַבְרָ֗ם  of  Abram 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אַבְרָם  
Sense: original name of Abraham.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
הָגָ֤ר  Hagar 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: הָגָר  
Sense: Sarah’s Egyptian slave girl, Abraham’s concubine, Ishmael’s mother.
הַמִּצְרִית֙  the  Egyptianess 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִצְרִי  
Sense: Egyptian—an inhabitant or citizen of Egypt.
שִׁפְחָתָ֔הּ  her  maidservant 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: שִׁפְחָה  
Sense: maid, maid-servant, slavegirl.
מִקֵּץ֙  after 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: קֵץ  
Sense: end.
עֶ֣שֶׂר  ten 
Parse: Number, feminine singular
Root: עֶשֶׂר 
Sense: ten.
שָׁנִ֔ים  years 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: שָׁנָה  
Sense: year.
לְשֶׁ֥בֶת  had  dwelt 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.
אַבְרָ֖ם  Abram 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אַבְרָם  
Sense: original name of Abraham.
בְּאֶ֣רֶץ  in  the  land 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
כְּנָ֑עַן  of  Canaan 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: כְּנַעַן 
Sense: the 4th son of Ham and the progenitor of the Phoenicians and of the various nations who peopled the seacoast of Palestine.
וַתִּתֵּ֥ן  and  she  gave 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
אֹתָ֛הּ  her 
Parse: Direct object marker, third person feminine singular
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
לְאַבְרָ֥ם  to  Abram 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אַבְרָם  
Sense: original name of Abraham.
אִישָׁ֖הּ  her  husband 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: אֱנׄושׁ 
Sense: man, mortal man, person, mankind.
ל֥וֹ  to  be  his 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
לְאִשָּֽׁה  wife 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.