Genesis 16:5
And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee. And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee.
The quarrel came because Abraham and Sarah did not wait in confiding faith for the fulfillment of the promise that they should have a son, since they could not believe that Sarah would bear in her old age. At Sarah's urging Abraham took Hagar as his wife, and by hearkening to her he failed to endure the test of his faith in God's unlimited power. That failure brought unhappiness upon himself and upon Sarah.
After Hagar conceived she became proud and haughty, carrying herself boastfully and haughtily before Sarah and treating her with contempt. Sarah therefore felt despised in Hagar's eyes. Hagar flattered herself that she was to be the mother of the great nation God had promised to make of Abraham.
Sarah's words complained to Abraham and charged him with wrong, blaming him for the resulting unhappiness and contempt. Yet taking Hagar had been Sarah's own special proposal and request. Her protest asserted that Abraham's marriage to Hagar violated her rights as wife, for she alone was his true wife and no other person was entitled to share her place and rights as wife and mother.
Abraham was grieved, perplexed and distressed by Sarah's charge and by the conflicting complaints, including Hagar's complaints of abuse. He answered that Hagar was still Sarah's servant and left her under Sarah's control, reminding Sarah that he would not have taken Hagar except at her request. He nevertheless refused to send Hagar away, because he thought her child was the one through whom the promise would be fulfilled. He knew that if he redressed Hagar's wrongs he would increase the jealousy and unhappiness of Sarah, his first and much-loved wife. Sarah's unwillingness to share Abraham's affections and her demand that her rival be sent away were not reproved by God.