Final answer:
Hagar names God 'a God of seeing' as an acknowledgment of God's awareness and attention to her suffering and mistreatment. This reflects the biblical theme of a compassionate deity responsive to individual affliction, providing comfort and hope to the marginalized.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student asks why Hagar names God "a God of seeing" after she is mistreated by Abram and Sarai.
In the biblical narrative, Hagar is an Egyptian slave of Sarai who, after being given to Abram to bear a child, is mistreated by Sarai and flees.
In her distress, Hagar encounters an angel of God who promises her a multitude of descendants through her unborn son, Ishmael.
Hagar acknowledges God's awareness of her situation by naming Him "El-Roi," translating to "the God who sees me", implying that she has been seen, heard, and acknowledged by God in her affliction.
Viewing God as a being who sees her pain and offers a promise for her future is significant.
This perspective not only provides Hagar with hope but also suggests a universal attribute of God's character in the biblical text: a deity who is attentive and responsive to the suffering of individuals, regardless of their status.
The narrative highlights that God's vision encompasses all of humanity, even those who feel forgotten or marginalized, like Hagar.
Therefore, Hagar's act of naming God as "a God of seeing" indicates a form of divine recognition and comfort during a time of great personal injustice, reflecting a theme of God's compassionate attention toward the downtrodden in the biblical accounts.