currently belongs to various Canaanite peoples, but in due time Abraham’s descendants will inherit it. 16:1–6 This chapter focuses on the delay of the promise. This time it is not Abram who doubts the promise but Sarai. Ten years have passed since God made the promise, and Sarai believes she can fulfill it by using a surrogate—her slave Hagar. Employing a surrogate was an accepted practice in the ancient Near East. Abram has sexual relations with Hagar, and when she becomes pregnant, Hagar looks