Genesis
Chapter 20
Abraham at Gerar
Abraham left there for the territory of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur, then he stayed for a time in Gerar.
Abraham had said of his wife, “She is my sister”; so Abimelech, king of Gerar, sent for Sarah and had her brought to him.
But God came to Abimelech in a dream at night. He said to him:
“You are a dead man because of this woman you have taken, for she is a married woman.”
But Abimelech had not approached her, so he said:
“My Lord, are you going to kill a pagan who acted with good intention?
Didn’t he say to me: ‘She is my sister’? And she said to me: ‘He is my brother.’ I acted with the simplicity of my heart and with innocent hands.”
God said to him in the dream:
“I knew that you did that with the simplicity of your heart, and I prevented you from sinning against me. That is why I did not let you touch her.
Now return the woman to the man, for he is a prophet; he will pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not return her, know that you will surely die; you and all yours will die.”
So Abimelech rose early in the morning, called all his officials, and told them all these things. The officials were terrified.
Abimelech then called Abraham and said:
“What have you done to us? In what way have I wronged you, for you to bring such a grave sin against me and my kingdom? You have done to me things that should not be done.”
Abimelech said to Abraham:
“Why did you act as you did?”
Abraham said:
“I thought there is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.
Yet it is true that she is my sister, my father’s daughter, but not my mother, and she became my wife.
So, when the gods made me wander far from my father’s family, I said to her: Now, if you love me, I beg you to say that I am your brother wherever we go.”
Abimelech then brought sheep and cattle, male and female slaves, and gave them to Abraham, and he had Sarah return to her husband.
He told Abraham:
“See, you have the run of my land; live wherever you please.”
And to Sarah, he said:
“I am giving your brother a thousand silver coins. It will be a protection for you, and evidence for all those with you. So none of them will think ill of you.”
Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his servants so that they were able to have children again.
For the Lord had made it impossible for Abimelech’s wife and maids to have more children because of Abraham’s wife, Sarah.
Commentaries
Abraham at Gerar.
This passage presents a different version of Abraham’s journey through Canaanite territories. In 12:10-20, the patriarch finds himself in Egypt with a similar plot, while in 26:1-11, although the essence of the story remains unchanged, the main character is different: it is Isaac who chooses to live in Gerar. Three key elements should be highlighted in this passage:
1. The Bible’s stance on the ancient custom of influential individuals acquiring concubines, as described in 12:10-20 and 20:2, emphasizes the biblical tradition’s effort to correct this practice among the Hebrew people.
2. The correction of an ancient practice in Israel that permitted marriages within the degree of kinship that Abraham mentions regarding Abimelech in verse 12 (cf. 2 Sm 13:13), a practice that will be prohibited in Lv 18:9, 11; 20:17.
3. The third element pertains to the religious aspect. The text states that God is also known and respected beyond Abraham’s circle. Abimelech knows and fears him, if you will, more than Abraham himself. However, according to the narrator, Abraham maintains such a direct, intimate, and effective relationship with his God that he declares to Abimelech that only Abraham’s intercession can save him from the evils that could befall him if he were to take Sarah. This relationship between Abraham and God positions him as a prophet (7), whose intercession is both valid and effective (17f). It reflects the thinking of a time when people had extensive experience with the role of prophets. They announce the Word of the Lord and become effective intercessors in critical moments for the people (cf. 1 Sm 7:8; 12:19; Jr 37:3; 42:1-4; Am 7:2-6).