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Why did Sarah send Hagar and Ishmael away in the biblical account?
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Abraham
The March of Abraham, painting by JĆ³zsef MolnĆ”r, 19th century; in the Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest.
In the biblical account, Sarah sent Hagar and her son Ishmael away after the birth of her own son, Isaac.
Sarah had originally provided Hagar to Abraham as a surrogate to conceive an heir because she was childless. However, after Isaac was bornāfulfilling Godās promise to SarahāSarah observed Ishmael and Isaac playing together. Fearing that Ishmael would also become an heir to Abraham, she demanded that Hagar and her son be sent into the desert.123
While this act resulted in their banishment, the narrative notes that God sustained them and promised that Ishmael would also become the father of a great nation.32