Genesis 20
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 20
Abraham at Gerar.[a] 1 From there Abraham journeyed on to the region of the Negeb, where he settled between Kadesh and Shur.[b] While he resided in Gerar as an alien, 2 Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech, king of Gerar, sent and took Sarah. 3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream one night and said to him: You are about to die because of the woman you have taken, for she has a husband. 4 Abimelech, who had not approached her, said: “O Lord, would you kill an innocent man? 5 Was he not the one who told me, ‘She is my sister’? She herself also stated, ‘He is my brother.’ I acted with pure heart and with clean hands.” 6 [c]God answered him in the dream: Yes, I know you did it with a pure heart. In fact, it was I who kept you from sinning against me; that is why I did not let you touch her. 7 So now, return the man’s wife so that he may intercede for you, since he is a prophet,[d] that you may live. If you do not return her, you can be sure that you and all who are yours will die.
8 Early the next morning Abimelech called all his servants and informed them of everything that had happened, and the men were filled with fear. 9 Then Abimelech summoned Abraham and said to him: “What have you done to us! What wrong did I do to you that you would have brought such great guilt on me and my kingdom? You have treated me in an intolerable way. 10 What did you have in mind,” Abimelech asked him, “that you would do such a thing?” 11 Abraham answered, “I thought there would be no fear of God[e] in this place, and so they would kill me on account of my wife. 12 Besides, she really is my sister,[f] but only my father’s daughter, not my mother’s; and so she became my wife. 13 When God sent me wandering from my father’s house, I asked her: ‘Would you do me this favor? In whatever place we come to, say: He is my brother.’”(A)
14 Then Abimelech took flocks and herds and male and female slaves and gave them to Abraham; and he restored his wife Sarah to him. 15 Then Abimelech said, “Here, my land is at your disposal; settle wherever you please.” 16 To Sarah he said: “I hereby give your brother a thousand shekels of silver. This will preserve your honor before all who are with you and will exonerate you before everyone.” 17 Abraham then interceded with God, and God restored health to Abimelech, to his wife, and his maidservants, so that they bore children; 18 for the Lord had closed every womb in Abimelech’s household on account of Abraham’s wife Sarah.
Footnotes
- 20:1–18 Abraham again passes off his wife Sarah as his sister to escape trouble in a foreign land (cf. 12:10–13:1, the J source). The story appears to be from a different source (according to some, E) and deals with the ethical questions of the incident. Gn 26:6–11 is yet another retelling of the story, but with Isaac and Rebekah as characters instead of Abraham and Sarah.
- 20:1 Kadesh and Shur: Kadesh-barnea was a major oasis on the southernmost border of Canaan, and Shur was probably the “way to Shur,” the road to Egypt. Gerar was a royal city in the area, but has not been identified with certainty.
- 20:6 Abimelech is exonerated of blame, but by that fact not cleared of the consequences of his act. He is still under the sentence of death for abducting another man’s wife; the consequences result from the deed not the intention.
- 20:7 Prophet: only here is Abraham explicitly called “prophet,” Hebrew nabi (cf. Ps 105:15).
- 20:11 Fear of God is the traditional though unsatisfactory rendering of Hebrew yir’at YHWH, literally, “revering Yahweh.” The phrase refers neither to the emotion of fear nor to religious reverence of a general kind. Rather it refers to adherence to a single deity (in a polytheistic culture), honoring that deity with prayers, rituals, and obedience. The phrase occurs again in 26:24; 43:23; and 50:19. It is very common in the wisdom literature of the Bible.
- 20:12 My sister: marrying one’s half sister was prohibited later in Israel’s history.
Genesis 20
Legacy Standard Bible
Abraham Lies to Abimelech
20 And Abraham journeyed from (A)there toward the land of (B)the [a]Negev and settled between Kadesh and Shur; then he sojourned in (C)Gerar. 2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “(D)She is my sister.” So (E)Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. 3 (F)But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night and said to him, “Behold, (G)you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is [b]married.” 4 (Now Abimelech had not come near her.) Then he said, “Lord, (H)will You kill a nation, even though righteous? 5 Did he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she (I)herself also said, ‘He is my brother.’ In (J)the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my [c]hands I have done this.” 6 Then God said to him in the dream, “Indeed, I know that in the integrity of your heart you have done this, and I also [d](K)held you back from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her. 7 So now, return the man’s wife, for (L)he is a prophet, and he will pray for you, and you will live. But if you do not return her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.”
8 So Abimelech arose early in the morning and called all his servants and told all these things in their hearing; and the men were greatly afraid. 9 (M)Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? And [e]how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom (N)a great sin? You have done to me [f]things that ought not to be done.” 10 And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What have you seen, that you have done this thing?” 11 And Abraham said, “Because I said, surely there is no (O)fear of God in this place, and (P)they will kill me because of my wife. 12 Besides, she actually is my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife; 13 and it happened when (Q)God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said to her, ‘This is [g]the lovingkindness which you will show to me: [h]everywhere we go, (R)say of me, “He is my brother.”’” 14 (S)Abimelech then took sheep and oxen and male and female slaves and gave them to Abraham and returned his wife Sarah to him. 15 And Abimelech said, “(T)Behold, my land is before you; [i]settle wherever it is good in your sight.” 16 To Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your (U)brother one thousand pieces of silver; behold, it is [j]your vindication before all who are with you, and before all you are [k]cleared.” 17 (V)And Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maidservants, so that they bore children. 18 (W)For Yahweh had utterly shut all the wombs of the household of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
Footnotes
- Genesis 20:1 South country
- Genesis 20:3 Lit married to a husband
- Genesis 20:5 Lit palms
- Genesis 20:6 Lit restrained
- Genesis 20:9 Lit what
- Genesis 20:9 Lit deeds
- Genesis 20:13 Lit your
- Genesis 20:13 Lit at every place where
- Genesis 20:15 Lit dwell
- Genesis 20:16 Lit for you a covering of the eyes
- Genesis 20:16 Lit decided
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