בראשית, פרק ט״ז, פסוק ב׳

After years of waiting for the divine promise of a child, Sarah takes unprecedented action. Recognizing that time is running out, she concludes that God's promise of descendants was directed solely at Abraham, while she was held back from bearing children [ספורנו, העמק דבר, רד״ק]. In her righteousness, she takes full responsibility for their childlessness rather than attributing it to her husband's advanced age [ביאור יש״ר]. She accepts her barrenness with profound faith, recognizing God's mercy and viewing her condition as a temporary pause that will eventually change [חומת אנך]. This peaceful acceptance translates into a direct course of action: because God has restrained her, she fully and willingly offers her maidservant to her husband [הכתב והקבלה].

Approaching Abraham with dignity, Sarah employs refined and respectful terms to suggest marital intimacy [שד״ל]. Her explicit offer highlights a deep ethical boundary, as a husband has no right to take his wife's maidservant without her clear consent [רב סעדיה גאון]. Furthermore, Sarah is precise in defining Hagar as her personal property rather than a mere subordinate. She intends to maintain absolute authority over Hagar even after giving her to Abraham [העמק דבר]. In fact, Sarah's release of Hagar is entirely conditional upon maintaining her own honor, a stipulation she later revokes when Hagar begins to show disrespect [קונטרס חיבה יתירה].

Sarah's underlying hope is to build her family through this union, as a child is the foundation of the parents' home, and a person without children is conceptually compared to a ruined house [אבן עזרא, רד״ק, רש״י, רס״ג, ביאור יש״ר]. Commentators offer two primary perspectives on how she envisioned this building process. One approach suggests she intended a form of legal and emotional adoption; because Hagar belonged to her, the resulting child would be considered her own, granting her comfort and a lasting legacy [רד״ק, העמק דבר, מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Another perspective argues that Sarah hoped to eventually bear a child herself. By enduring the deep pain and sacrifice of bringing another woman into her home, she hoped to earn the spiritual merit to conceive [רש״י, הכתב והקבלה, גור אריה]. Naturally, the presence of a child in the home, or even the emotional stirrings of jealousy, might also awaken her dormant fertility [ספורנו, פענח רזא].

Abraham's acceptance of this proposal is entirely devoid of personal desire. He agrees to the arrangement exclusively to bring comfort to his wife and fulfill her wishes [רמב״ן, רד״ק, מלבי״ם, ביאור יש״ר, הטור הארוך, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Demonstrating their mutual respect, he waits for Sarah to personally present Hagar to him, ensuring she is given the status of a full wife rather than a concubine [רמב״ן, הטור הארוך]. Moreover, Abraham recognizes a deeper truth in his wife's request. He does not merely hear her spoken words; he perceives the Holy Spirit speaking through her, realizing that this entire sequence of events is guided by God [רש״י, מזרחי, גור אריה, משכיל לדוד, ברטנורא]. Consequently, he understands that praying for Sarah's fertility at this moment would be premature, as God intends to reveal a greater miracle by allowing her to give birth at the age of ninety [רד״ק].