Hagar (HAY-gahr) was an Egyptian slave in the household of Abraham and Sarah and the mother of Ishmael. Genesis records her flight from mistreatment, her encounter with the angel of the Lord at a wilderness spring, and her later survival with Ishmael after they were sent away.
Birth year: Unknown.
Death year: Unknown.
Active during: The patriarchal narratives in Genesis; no secure calendar years are supplied.
Home region: Abraham and Sarah’s household in Canaan; the wilderness south of Canaan; the Desert of Beersheba and Paran.
Main passages: Genesis 16:1–16; 21:8–21.
Story and role
Hagar was an Egyptian slave in the household of Abraham and Sarah and the mother of Ishmael. Genesis records her flight from mistreatment, her encounter with the angel of the Lord at a wilderness spring, and her later survival with Ishmael after they were sent away.
What the record preserves
The biblical passages show the choices, relationships, and consequences that made Hagar part of the larger story. They should be read in context rather than reduced to a single label.
Limits of the evidence
Genesis does not give Hagar’s birth or death years. Beer Lahai Roi is placed between Kadesh and Bered, but its exact site is uncertain; Paran also names a broad and debated wilderness region. The markers are orientation aids, not claims of a known route.
Explore the places connected with Hagar on a modern reference map.
Read further
Genesis 16:1–16; 21:8–21, NIV; Bible Gateway Encyclopedia: Beer Lahai Roi.