Literary-Feminist Readings Of Biblical Narratives By Phyllis Trible

Biblical scholar and author, Phyllis Trible, in her book Texts of Terror: Literary-Feminist Readings of Biblical Narratives, brings to the forefront the often forgotten tale of Hagar, the Egyptian slave woman, to demonstrate an ulterior method of viewing God, the bible, and religion. Through her examination of the objectification and oppression that Hagar encounters from God, Trible proves validity in her claim that Hagar’s story holds great significance within both the Old Testament and contemporary society and the women of modern day. The phrase, thought, and belief “God is good” is common within religions that hold sacred the Old Testament. People often assume that their God works to benefit and comfort all of His human creations. They

After the birth of Abraham’s son, Ishmael, Sarah wants to do away with Hagar. At first, Abraham resists, but he is visited by the Lord who tells him to send away the “slave” (Trible 21). God promises Abraham a multitude of descendants through Ishmael, deliberately shifting that promise away from Hagar (Trible 19). God not only once again sides with the oppressor and ignores Hagar’s suffering; he belittles and removes her personhood and sends her into exile (Trible

He lived in the wilderness of Paran and became a great bow hunter, and eventually married. It is expressed that it was his mother who found him a wife. In Genesis 21:21, the final words spoke of her in the Bible tell of Hagar selecting an Egyptian woman for Ishmael to marry (Trible 27). By doing this, Hagar is ensuring the multitude of descendants that God once promised her. Even though God broke his promise to her by readdressing it to Abraham, she independently acted in order to create her own lineage and fulfill the destiny she wanted for