Genesis 20
Big idea: Abraham repeats the exact failure of chapter 12, and this time the narrative lingers on the man he wronged. Living in Gerar, he says of Sarah, "she is my sister," and Abimelech takes her. God intervenes in a dream — you are a dead man, for the woman is a man's wife — and Abimelech, who had not touched her, argues his own innocence and is granted it. Then God gives the surprising instruction: give her back, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you. Abimelech's rebuke to Abraham is longer and more dignified than anything Abraham says in reply, and Abraham's excuse — she really is my half-sister; I assumed there was no fear of God in this place — is exposed as both technically true and entirely wrong. The chapter ends with the prophet praying for the king, and wombs opening.
Chapter 20 ends with God healing Abimelech's household so that they bear children again — and the very next verses open the womb the whole book has been waiting on: Yahweh visited Sarah as he had said.
20:1–7 — You are a dead man
Abraham moves south to Gerar and says of Sarah, she is my sister; Abimelech sends and takes her. God comes to Abimelech in a dream: you are a dead man, because the woman you took is a man's wife. Abimelech protests his integrity — didn't he tell me she was his sister? — and God acknowledges it, says he withheld him from sinning, and instructs him to restore her, because Abraham is a prophet who will pray for him and he will live.
1 Abraham traveled from there toward the land of the South, and lived between Kadesh and Shur. He lived as a foreigner in Gerar. 2 Abraham said about Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah. 3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man, because of the woman whom you have taken; for she is a man’s wife.” 4 Now Abimelech had not come near her. He said, “Lord, will you kill even a righteous nation? 5 Didn’t he tell me, ‘She is my sister’? She, even she herself, said, ‘He is my brother.’ I have done this in the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands.” 6 God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that in the integrity of your heart you have done this, and I also withheld you from sinning against me. Therefore I didn’t allow you to touch her. 7 Now therefore, restore the man’s wife. For he is a prophet, and he will pray for you, and you will live. If you don’t restore her, know for sure that you will die, you, and all who are yours.”
20:8–13 — What have you done to us?
Abimelech rises early, tells his servants, and they are terrified. He confronts Abraham with three questions — what have you done to us, how have I sinned against you, what did you see that made you do this? Abraham's answer is a calculation: I thought there was no fear of God in this place, and they would kill me for my wife. Then the technicality — she really is my half-sister — and the admission that this was a standing arrangement in every place they went.
8 Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ear. The men were very scared. 9 Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said to him, “What have you done to us? How have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done deeds to me that ought not to be done!” 10 Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you see, that you have done this thing?” 11 Abraham said, “Because I thought, ‘Surely the fear of God is not in this place. They will kill me for my wife’s sake.’ 12 Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. 13 When God caused me to wander from my father’s house, I said to her, ‘This is your kindness which you shall show to me. Everywhere that we go, say of me, “He is my brother.”’”
20:14–18 — The prophet prays for the king
Abimelech restores Sarah with a lavish settlement — sheep, cattle, servants — offers Abraham the run of his land, and gives Sarah a thousand pieces of silver as a public vindication of her honour. Then Abraham prays, and God heals Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants so that they bear children — for Yahweh had closed every womb in the house because of Sarah.
14 Abimelech took sheep and cattle, male servants and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and restored Sarah, his wife, to him. 15 Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is before you. Dwell where it pleases you.” 16 To Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. Behold, it is for you a covering of the eyes to all that are with you. In front of all you are vindicated.” 17 Abraham prayed to God. So God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants, and they bore children. 18 For Yahweh had closed up tight all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
Scripture text: World English Bible (public domain).