Many scholars have read the Sarah and Hagar narratives through the lens of trauma, specifically focusing upon the abuse of Hagar (Splawn 2012; Starr-Morris 2019; Pigott 2018; Okoye 2007; Murphy 2012; Lucas 2023; Lovelace 2015; Kotze 2017; Elness-Hanson 2021; Angel 2013). Sarah’s barrenness, especially in an ANE context, has also been analyzed for the traumatic and socially precarious position that it puts her in (Wénin 2001; Leder 2021, p. 7; Landau 2020). However, the thread that runs through Sarah’s experiences is neglect. Abraham neglects Sarah’s needs, desires, and even her as a person throughout the narratives and God does not name Sarah as the mother of Abraham’s promised heir until chapter 17 and even then, it is only spoken to Abraham and Abraham begs for Ishmael to be his heir. As much as Sarah experienced abuse (or dishonor by Hagar) and barrenness, neglect repeats throughout her story.
I will read Genesis 15–16 as a unit and analyze the characters’ responses through the lens of social cues. My goal is to show that the divine oracle in Genesis 15 neglects Sarah in the promise of an heir, and Abraham fails to acknowledge Sarah’s emotional cues when she offers Hagar as a surrogate in Genesis 16. This neglect of Sarah and her emotional needs results in her anger at Abraham and aggression toward Hagar. This analysis of the events is not intended to excuse Sarah’s actions or portray her as innocent. The goal is to show her actions as resulting from a rift forming between Abraham and Sarah based on the neglect of her role in providing an heir (Gen 15) and her need for security in her status (Gen 16), not to exonerate her abusive actions toward Hagar. To show this, I will start with a brief outline of emotional cues and motives in romantic relationships from a psychology perspective and an overview of scholarly interpretations of the divine promise in Genesis 15 and Sarah’s actions in Genesis 16.
I will then read Genesis 15–16 against descriptions of relevant ANE practices and other OT barrenness narratives to show how Abraham’s neglect of Sarah is not solely the product of their ANE or OT cultural expectations. Finally, I will analyze the text with emotional cues and motives to show how Sarah’s responses to Abraham and Hagar can be explained through Abraham’s, and God’s, neglect of her needs and desires.