What Does Genesis 16:4 Mean in the King James?
And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The Hebrew describes Sarai as becoming “light” in Hagar’s eyes, revealing contempt as a loss of perceived weight.
THE MEANING
When a new reality takes shape in you, someone who once carries authority can suddenly seem light and diminished in your eyes. The verse reveals how contempt can begin as a change in perceived weight before it enters speech.
THE ROOT
וַתֵּקַל
wattēqal
GROWS FROM
קלל
To be light, make light of, or treat as insignificant; the root also forms a word for a curse.
“despised” in this verse is wattēqal. The verse portrays Sarai as having become “light” in Hagar’s eyes: contempt is a changed estimate of her weight. The same root also forms “curse,” linking diminished regard with speech that dishonors.
ALSO GROWS
qal: Light, slight, or easy
קַל
This adjective makes the verse’s image plain: Sarai has become slight in Hagar’s estimation.
qĕlālāh: Curse
קְלָלָה
This branch carries the root into speech that dishonors or diminishes, extending the connection between contempt and making someone seem small.
THE PATTERN
Contempt turns a changed estimate of standing into treating another as negligible.
Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.He that is void of wisdom despiseth his neighbour: but a man of understanding holdeth his peace.And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:THE THREAD
Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.Genesis uses קלל (qālal), “to be light” or “treat as insignificant,” for Sarai becoming light in Hagar’s eyes; Samuel uses the same root in “lightly esteemed.” The shared word reveals contempt as a reduction in someone’s perceived weight.
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