Read Genesis 16 at Bible Gateway.
The Hebrew paragraph division:
Gen 16:1-16 {s} Abram’s faith in the promise tested (Hagar and Ishmael)
When this chapter opens, Abram is 85 years old and Sarai 75. My belief is that it had stopped being the way of women with her, and she had stopped believing that she would be the mother of the Promised Seed. She proposed Abram’s child should come through her maid, Hagar (not God’s idea). While this might be scandalous to us, it was a common practice then.
Hagar encountered the Angel of YHVH in the wilderness. This Angel, who is mentioned in many places in the Hebrew Testament, is not an ordinary class of angel, but a pre-incarnate appearance of Messiah Yeshua. When He is addressed as God or named as God, as in this passage, He does not deny it.
And the angel of YHVH found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. … And she called the name of YHVH who spoke to her, “You are God who sees me,” for she said, “Have I also here looked upon Him who sees me?” Gen 16:7, 13
This is unlike angels elsewhere in Scripture who do deny it.
And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said to me, “See that you do it not; I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren that have the testimony of Yeshua. Worship God, for the testimony of Yeshua is the spirit of prophecy.” Rev 19:10
Why This Matters: The Plain Meaning of Scripture is not only, God sees me, but remarkably:
And the Angel of YHVH said to her: “Behold, you are with child, and you shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because YHVH has heard your affliction.” Gen 16:11
God hears me and understands the trials I am going through.
If there are questions, these are good resources:
Finding Messiah in Torah – Christine Miller
Theophanies in the Old Testament – Answers in Genesis
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