Genesis 16:8
“And he said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.”
KJV
Read in Genesis 16Meaning
The messenger calls her Hagar, servant of Sarai, asks where she has come from and where she is going, and Hagar says she is fleeing Sarai.
Read carefully
Her social status is named, but so is her personal identity and testimony; the text lets the vulnerable person speak about the conflict herself.
Reflection
Responsible attention begins by seeing a person as a person and listening carefully to the reality they describe rather than speaking over them.