| Abstract
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In this dissertation I offer a feminist commentary on the Hagar stories and of the stories of Yahweh, Sarah, and Abraham, which entwine and largely determine hers. I consider the influence these stories and their reception have had on Western culture and demonstrate that readers of the Bible, both scholars and non-specialists, tend to view Hagar and her progeny negatively. For many, this negative attitude towards Hagar and Ishmael is based on their readings, either current or dimly remembered, of Genesis, and, in addition for Christians, of Paul's devastating revision of Hagar's story in Galatians, where he where rejects Hagar/”Arabia” as an obstinate slave to the law of Judaism and exalts Sarah/Israel as the sacred foundation of Christianity. Interested general readers often refer to the standard commentaries to further their understanding of biblical texts. Unfortunately, negative attitudes toward Hagar and her progeny abound in these commentaries, resulting in erroneous translations and interpretations. In this dissertation I offer new translations of parts of Genesis 12–25 and demonstrate that many of the commentaries include mistranslations and misinterpretations of the narratives about Hagar and her progeny based on uncritical assumptions about them, and indeed, about all “Arabs.” Although my primary interest is in matters that directly concern the Hagar stories and their reception, this dissertation also reflects several other of my particular interests, including feminist and deconstructive interpretation; the study of biblical Hebrew and its translation into English; and the uneasy relationship between Israel and the Arabic people, both within the biblical stories and in the Middle East today.
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