Call her by her name
What's in a name? In today's translation we restore some of Hagar's power and dignity by taking a closer look at her name's surprising meanings.
Welcome back to The Life of H: Sarah, Reimagined. This week I continue my tightrope walk: translating Sarah’s story from the biblical Hebrew, verse by verse, in public view. This week we come to a painful and controversial chapter in Sarah’s story, and in Hagar’s.
In honor of this week’s Torah portion, Shemot, meaning names — I’ve decided to dedicate today’s installment of The Life of H to Sarah’s maidservant, Hagar, and the hidden power in her name.
That’s because naming — and un-naming — have consequences, in life in general, and in these verses in particular.
Below you’ll hear me read my poetic translation of Genesis 21:9-13—a pivotal and deeply disturbing (and I believe misunderstood) scene in which Sarah orders Abraham to cast Hagar and her teenage son Ishmael from their home.
Why would Sarah make such a bold and dangerous decree? A surface reading of the text leaves us horrified at what appears to be Sarah’s irrational and impetuous whim, based merely on seeing the half-brothers Isaac and Ishmael playing together.
But when we slow down and dig into the text, we discover much more nuance.
Plus, as I translated these verses, pausing to consider each word as I worked, I noticed that although Hagar is a central figure in this story, she is rarely mentioned by name. Instead she is referred to as a maidservant, handmaid, slave, or bondswoman, depending on the translation.
Specifically, when Sarah demands that Hagar and Ishmael be cast out of their home, she refers to Hagar as her maidservant, and not her name.
This slight is demeaning and dehumanizing. And it adds to the sense that Sarah’s behavior is unforgivable. It is also true that in order to hurt someone, we often create distance by stripping them of their name, and thus their humanity.
In another post I’ll offer a more enlightened perspective on why Sarah might have felt the need to make such a drastic and dangerous move. But for today I’ll focus on restoring Hagar’s name to the text in what feels to me like an act of restorative translation.
As for Hagar, hints about her trials and her strengths are tucked like secret messages into the very letters of her name.
Below, you’ll find a traditional translation of the text, then an audio of my admittedly untraditional version, along with my translator’s notes.
I think you’ll find that by honoring and restoring (and restory-ing) Hagar’s name to the text, an ancient verse comes to life anew.
But first, here are two great opportunities to write and learn together, that I don’t want you to miss:
Come home to your writing this winter: Register for this virtual stay-at-home writing retreat before it’s too late:
Re-Dreaming Sarah: Restoring a Patriarchal Narrative to its Indigenous, Feminine Roots
with Tzivia Gover, Friday, February 7, 2025, 7-9 pm Eastern
Hosted by the Western Mass. Jung Association, via Zoom
The story of Sarah, Abraham, and Hagar lies at the heart of three world religions and has influenced laws, literature, attitudes and biases about the role of women to this day. In this talk I will look to this foundational legend through the lenses of dreamwork, poetry, and translation to reveal a more balanced and restorative narrative. Sliding scale admission fee available when you register.
Register for Re-Dreaming Sarah.
Why do I put these translations behind a paywall? Because I hope one day to publish this work, and if I share it now with all 2,000+ of you, my cherished subscribers, it will be considered ‘previously published’ and will thus have a harder time finding its way into the wider world. PLUS: What I’m doing here is difficult, time consuming (and joyful!) work. So by subscribing you help to support this project.
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