Sastra Bait Kedua Kejadian 16:6: On Flight and Finding, On the Cherubim, The Midrash & On Mating with the Preliminary Studies

[1] “And Sarai evil-entreated her, and she fled from her face. And an angel of the Lord found her at the fountain of water in the wilderness, at the fountain in the way to Shur. And the angel of the Lord said unto her, ‘Handmaid of Sarai, whence comest thou? and whither goest thou?’ And she said, ‘From the face of Sarai my mistress I am fleeing.’ And the angel of the Lord said unto her, ‘Return to thy mistress, and humble thyself under her hands’ (Gen. 16:6–9). And the angel of the Lord said unto her, ‘Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son; and thou shalt call his name Ishmael, because the Lord hath hearkened to thy humiliation. He shall be a dweller in the fields; his hands shall be against all men, and all men’s hands shall be against him’ ” (ibid. 11, 12).

[3] And thus we see that Hagar or the lower education, whose sphere is the secular learning of the schools, while she twice departs from sovereign virtue in the person of Sarah, does once retrace her steps. On this first occasion hers was a voluntary flight, not a banishment, and when she met the angel or divine reason, she returned to her master’s house (Gen. 16:6 ff.). The second time she is cast forth utterly, never to return (Gen. 21:14).

This treatise, which follows at once on the preceding, continues the exposition of Genesis 16 from the middle of vs. 6 to vs. 12, omitting vs. 10. These verses are quoted in full in § 1, but the discussion is chiefly confined to a few words or phrases, namely “fled,” “found,” and “fountain.” The first point to be noted is that Hagar fled. Flight may be due to three different causes: hatred, fear, and shame (2–3). Hagar is an example of the third, and the story shows that the inward monitor or Elenchus, which is typified by the angel, taught her that this shame must be tempered by courage (4–6).