Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Genesis 12:14 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 14. 14And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
When Abram enters Egypt, the Egyptians see that the woman is very beautiful, partly confirming his prediction and moving the danger from imagined possibility into public attention.
Read It With
- Genesis 12:10–20
Read verses 14–16 together. General notice becomes praise by Pharaoh's officials, Sarai is taken into the royal house, and Abram receives wealth because of her.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The Egyptians' seeing partially fulfills Abram's prediction and moves the story from planned danger to actual public attention.
Read Genesis 12:14–16 together
Why these verses belong together: Seeing escalates from Egyptians to royal officials, Sarai is taken, and Abram receives wealth because of her.
Verse 14. 14 And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair.
Verse 15. 15 The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house.
Verse 16. 16 And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels.
What This Verse Is Not Saying
The Egyptians' attention does not make Sarai responsible for their gaze or later royal action.
What Remains True
A feared risk becoming real does not automatically justify every precaution taken beforehand.
How It Can Shape Life
- When an anticipated danger appears, protect the vulnerable person rather than using the prediction's accuracy to excuse a harmful plan.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Genesis 12:10–20 — Famine Drives Abram Into EgyptSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? very strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Displayed wording, immediate sequence, repeated wife-sister pattern, famine journeys, and canonical exodus connections.
Exact location: Genesis 12:10–20 in the pinned eng-kjv2006 source; compared with Genesis 12:1–9; 13:1–4; 20:1–18; 26:1–11; 46:1–4; and Exodus 1–14
Open source ↗hebrew text morphology and lemma data
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project
Open Scriptures, Version 2.2 released 2021; repository inspected 2026
Supports: Severe famine, temporary sojourn, fear clauses, going-well verbs, on-account-of phrases, passive taking, servants, cognate plague construction, wife terminology, Pharaoh's questions, and escorted departure.
Exact location: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible, wlc/Gen.xml, Genesis 12:10–20
Open source ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, Digital edition accessed 2026
Supports: Severe-famine wording, general-welfare sense in verse 13, passive taking into the royal household, material irony, plague intensification, emphatic rebuke, and sending away.
Exact location: NET Bible, Genesis 12:10–20 and notes
Open NET Genesis 12 ↗