חמסי עליך. כי החמס כסה הכתוב והמלאך גלה אותו וענין חמסי כי שרה היתה משתעבדת בהגר והיתה כפופה אליה ואברהם אמר לה כי הוא עון פלילי לענותה ומנעה עצמה מלהשתעבד בה ועתה נתאמרה אליה ועל כן אמרה ישפוט אם כדברי שאני משתעבדת או כדבריך ועל זה נקוד כי אין המשפט נאמר להרע לו והמלאך אמר הדין עמה שובי אל גברתך והתעני כמו שהיית עושה כבתחלה (דרשות אבן שועיב): ותאמר שרי אל אברם חמסי עליך, the meaning of the words חמסי עליך is revealed when the angel tells Hagar to go back to Sarai her mistress and to submit to her oppression (16,9). The Torah, at this stage, had covered up the change in Sarah's attitude toward Hagar. Sarai had become completely dependent on Hagar as a result of her having become pregnant. Previously, in the mistress-maid relationship it was the maid who had been dependent on her mistress. Avram had accused her of committing a criminal act by oppressing Hagar. By refusing her services as a maid, Hagar was further encouraged to treat her mistress as her inferior. As a result, Sarai now challenged Avram, blaming him for her reduction in status. She therefore demanded that G'd Himself intervene to show that it was really His will that she now be subordinate to Hagar. This is the reason for the dot on the word וביניך. The point is that Sarai did not want such Divine judgment to cause Avram harm. In the event, the angel told Hagar that Sarai had been correct in her treatment of her when he told her to go back and to submit to Sarai's harsh treatment of her.