1 Abraham journeyed from there toward the land of the Negev, and lived between Kadesh and Shur. He was a foreigner living in Gerar. 2 Abraham said concerning Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her. 3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream in 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 and he said, “Lord, would you kill even a righteous nation? 5 Did he not himself say to me, 'She is my sister?' 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 Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I also know that in the integrity of your heart you did this, and I also kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not allow you to touch her. 7 Therefore, return the man's wife, for he is a prophet. He will pray for you, and you will live. But if you do not restore her, know that you and all who are yours will surely die.” 8 Abimelech rose early in the morning and called all of his servants to himself. He told all these things to them, and the men were very afraid. 9 Then Abimelech called for 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 to me that which ought not to be done.” 10 Abimelech said to Abraham, “What prompted you to do this thing?” 11 Abraham said, “Because I thought, 'Surely there is no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.' 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 leave my father's house and travel from place to place, I said to her, 'You must show me this faithfulness as my wife: At every place where we go, say about me, “He is my brother.”'” 14 Then Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and male and female slaves, and gave them to Abraham. Then he returned Sarah, Abraham's wife, to him. 15 Abimelech said, “Look, my land is before you. Settle wherever it pleases you.” 16 To Sarah he said, “Look, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is to cover any offense against you in the eyes of all that are with you, and before everyone, you are completely made right.” 17 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female slaves so that they were able to have children. 18 For Yahweh had caused all the women of the household of Abimelech to be completely infertile, because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.
Genesis · Unlocked Literal Bible
Genesis 20 Unlocked Literal Bible
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People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Abimelech
King of Gerar who took Sarah, was warned by God in a dream and returned her to Abraham, and made a covenant with Abraham at Beersheba; an Abimelech king of the Philistines at…
Cited in the guide: Genesis 20:2–3; Genesis 21:22–27; Genesis 26:1
Abraham
Called by God, he left home in faith to become the father of a chosen people.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 12–25
Sarah
Wife of Abraham who bore Isaac in her old age, long after hope seemed gone.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 17-21
Cross references (16)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Genesis 26:6; Genesis 26:1; Psalm 29:8; 2 Chronicles 14:13–14; Genesis 18:1
- 2 Genesis 12:15; Genesis 26:7; Genesis 12:11–13; Proverbs 24:16; Genesis 20:12
- 3 Genesis 20:7; Matthew 27:19; Job 33:15; Psalm 105:14; Genesis 28:12
- 4 Genesis 18:23–25; 1 Chronicles 21:17; 2 Samuel 4:11; Genesis 20:6; Genesis 19:24
- 5 Psalm 7:8; 1 Kings 9:4; Proverbs 11:3; Proverbs 20:7; 1 Thessalonians 2:10
- 6 1 Samuel 25:34; 1 Samuel 25:26; Proverbs 21:1; Genesis 35:5; Genesis 31:7
- 7 Job 42:8; 1 Samuel 7:5; Hebrews 13:4; 2 Samuel 24:17; Revelation 11:5–6
- 9 Genesis 12:18; Genesis 39:9; Genesis 26:10; 2 Samuel 13:12; Romans 2:11
- 11 Genesis 26:7; Genesis 12:12; Psalm 36:1–4; Proverbs 2:5; Genesis 42:18
- 12 Genesis 11:29; Genesis 12:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:22
- 13 Genesis 12:1; Genesis 12:9; Acts 7:3–5; Psalm 64:5; Acts 5:9
- 14 Genesis 12:16; Genesis 20:2; Genesis 12:19–20; Genesis 20:11; Genesis 20:7
- 15 Genesis 13:9; Genesis 34:10; Genesis 47:6
- 16 Genesis 20:5; Proverbs 27:5; Genesis 24:65; Jonah 1:6; Revelation 3:19
- 17 James 5:16; Job 42:9–10; Proverbs 15:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:25; Philippians 4:6
- 18 Genesis 12:17; Genesis 30:2; Genesis 16:2; 1 Samuel 1:6; Genesis 20:7
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
… when the king rebuked Abraham for not saying she was his wife, and calling her his sister, he explained what he had been afraid of, and added this further, "And yet indeed she is my sister by the father's side, but not by the mother's; for she was Abraham's sister by his own father, and so near of kin.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)