Genesis 20:18 | 55
19:37 n Dt 2:9 19:38 o Dt 2:19
20:1 p Ge 18:1 q Ge 26:1 , 6 , 17
20:2 r ver 12 ; Ge 12:13 ; 26:7 s Ge 12:15
20:3 t Job 33:15 ; Mt 27:19 u Ps 105:14
20:4 v Ge 18:25 20:6 w 1Sa 25:26 , 34
20:7 x ver 17 ; 1Sa 7:5 ; Job 42:8
20:9 y Ge 12:18 ; 26:10 ; 34:7
20:11 z Ge 42:18 ; Ps 36:1 a Ge 12:12 ; 26:7
20:14 b Ge 12:16
20:15 c Ge 13:9 20:17 d Job 42:9 20:18 e Ge 12:17
36 So both of Lot ’ s daugh ters be came preg nant by their fa ther . 37 The older daugh ter had a son , and she named him Moab a ; he is the fa ther of the Mo ab ites n of to day . 38 The youn ger daugh ter also had a son , and she named him Ben-Ammi b ; he is the fa ther of the Ammonites c o of today .
Abraham and Abimelek
20:1-18Ref — Ge 12:10-20 ; 26:1-11
20 Now Abra ham moved on from there p into the re gion of the Negev and lived between Ka desh and Shur . For a while he stayed in Ge rar , q 2 and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah , “ She is my sis ter . r ” Then Abim e lek king of Ge rar sent for Sarah and took her . s
3 But God came to Abim e lek in a dream t one night and said to him , “ You are as good as dead be cause of the woman you have taken ; she is a mar ried woman .” u
4 Now Abim e lek had not gone near her , so he said , “ Lord , will you de stroy an in no cent nation ? v
5 Did he not say to me , ‘ She is my sis ter ,’ and didn ’ t she also say , ‘ He is my brother ’? I have done this with a clear con science and clean hands .”
6 Then God said to him in the dream , “ Yes , I know you did this with a clear con science , and so I have kept w you from sin ning against me . That is why I did not let you touch her . 7 Now re turn the man ’ s wife , for he is a prophet , and he will pray for you x and you will live . But if you do not re turn her , you may be sure that you and all who be long to you will die .”
8 Early the next morn ing Abim e lek sum moned all his of fi cials , and when he told them all that had hap pened , they were very much afraid . 9 Then Abim e lek called Abra ham in and said , “ What have you done to us ? How have I wronged you that you have brought such great guilt upon me and my king dom ? You have done things to me that should never be done . y ” 10 And Abimelek asked Abraham , “ What was your reason for doing this ?”
11 Abra ham re plied , “ I said to my self , ‘ There is surely no fear of God z in this place , and they will kill me be cause of my wife .’ a 12 Be sides , she really is my sis ter , the daugh ter of my fa ther though not of my mother ; and she be came my wife . 13 And when God had me wan der from my fa ther ’ s house hold , I said to her , ‘ This is how you can show your love to me : Ev ery where we go , say of me , “ He is my brother .” ’ ”
14 Then Abim e lek brought sheep and cat tle and male and fe male slaves and gave them to Abraham , b and he re turned Sarah his wife to him . 15 And Abim e lek said , “ My land is before you ; live wher ever you like .” c
16 To Sarah he said , “ I am giv ing your brother a thou sand shek els d of sil ver . This is to cover the of fense against you be fore all who are with you ; you are com pletely vin di cated .”
17 Then Abra ham prayed to God , d and God healed Abim e lek , his wife and his fe male slaves so they could have chil dren again , 18 for the Lord had kept all the women in Abimelek ’ s household from conceiving because of Abraham ’ s wife Sarah . e
a 37 Moab sounds like the Hebrew for from father . b 38 Ben-Ammi means son of my father ’ s people . c 38 Hebrew Bene-Ammon d 16 That is , about 25 pounds or about 12 kilograms
19:37 – 38 Moab . . . Ben-Ammi . These names possibly reflect the circumstances by which the boys are conceived ( see NIV text notes ). In explaining the origin of the Moabites and Ammonites , this episode clearly casts them in a negative light . Later generations of Israelites may well have been suspicious of these nations .
20:1 – 18 Abraham and Abimelek . Sarah ’ s abduction by the king of Gerar threatens to undermine God ’ s promise that she will bear Abraham a son . Building on the earlier account of Sarah being taken by Phar aoh ( 12:10 – 20 ), this episode stresses that Abimelek did not touch Sarah , an important consideration in the light of Isaac ’ s subsequent birth ( 21:1 – 7 ). 20:1 This episode opens by describing how Abraham moves to a location where he and Sarah are unknown . Gerar . Located in the south of what became known as Israel ( see map , p . 2547 ). 20:2 Because they are unknown in Gerar , Abraham is able to claim that Sarah is his sister . The narrator provides no explanation as to why Abraham makes this claim , presuming that the reader is already familiar with 12:11 – 13 . Abraham ’ s actions suggest that he lacks faith in God to protect him . Abimelek . Means “ my father is king ”; it was a common royal name ( 26:1 ; Ps 34 superscription ). 20:3 – 5 God ’ s intervention ensures that no harm comes to Sarah . Abim elek rightly proclaims his innocence . Such details underline that he did not have intercourse with Sarah , excluding the possibility that he could be the father of Isaac . 20:3 in a dream . This is the first occasion in the OT when God communicates in this way ( see 28:12 ; 31:10 – 11 ; 37:5 – 9 ; 40:5 – 8 ; 41:1 ). 20:7 prophet . Abraham is the first person the OT designates as a prophet . God ’ s comments emphasize how Abraham is able to intercede on behalf of others , which he previously did for the righteous in Sodom ( 18:16 – 33 ). 20:9 With justification Abimelek points to Abraham ’ s deceptive behavior in calling Sarah his sister . guilt . May also be translated “ sin .” Canaanite texts designate adultery as a “ great sin .”
20:11 no fear of God in this place . As Abimelek ’ s actions demonstrate , Abraham ’ s expectations regarding the people of Gerar are mistaken . 20:12 Abraham looks to excuse his actions by noting that Sarah is his half sister . Abraham ’ s use of this half-truth , however , has not prevented others from taking Sarah . But for God ’ s intervention , Abimelek would not have returned Sarah to Abraham . 20:14 – 16 Although innocent , Abimelek makes restitution in public to Abraham for having taken Sarah . The king demonstrates that others should not attribute guilt to Sarah . 20:17 – 18 The healing of Abimelek , his wife , and his female slaves highlights God ’ s ability to restore fertility . This anticipates the next episode , in which God restores to Sarah the ability to conceive and have a son . By noting that Abraham prayed for the restoration of Abim elek ’ s household to normality , the narrator draws attention to the motif of others being blessed through Abraham ( 12:3 ). This is the first occasion in the Bible when healing is associated with intercessory prayer .