Section 35 of 10420:1–18Genesis

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King James VersionGenesis 20:1–18

And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar.

And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.

But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man’s wife.

But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation?

Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this.

And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.

Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.

Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid.

Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.

And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?

And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife’s sake.

And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.

And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.

And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife.

And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee.

And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved.

So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children.

For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham’s wife.

Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.

Scripture text: King James Version, Standardized 1769 text. Public domain in the United States.About this Bible text

Genesis 20:1–18

God Protects Sarah in Gerar

The sister strategy again, and a king warned

Abraham again says Sarah is his sister. Abimelech takes her. God warns him in a dream before sexual contact occurs, affirms the integrity with which he acted on false information, and commands Sarah's return. Abraham is called a prophet who will intercede, not a man above correction.

Abimelech rebukes Abraham, restores Sarah publicly, and gives restitution. Abraham prays, and God heals the household. Preservation is not approval of the deception. Sarah's reported speech is not proof of equal power or free consent.

How this should shape us

Tell the whole truth when another person's safety depends on it. Receive correction, make restitution, and never use calling or prayer to bypass accountability or to infer consent from silence.

Teach it back

Explain how Genesis 20:1–18 repeats and changes the wife-sister danger. Include Sarah's actual marital status, what Abimelech knew, the explicit non-contact, God's restraint and command, Abimelech's public response, Abraham's explanation and prophetic role, the uncertain silver phrase, and why prayer and healing do not erase accountability or become a universal fertility promise.

Explain the section in your own words

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Go deeper

The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.

Where careful interpreters disagreeThe strongest options and their difficulties

Best judgment:

How certain? strong

Best judgment:

How certain? very strong

Best judgment:

How certain? probable

Best judgment:

How certain? probable

Best judgment:

How certain? probable

Research trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

Supports: Displayed wording, boundary, repeated wife-sister pattern, explicit non-contact, rebuke, restoration, prayer, healing, promise placement, and later kinship law.

Genesis 20:1–18 in the pinned eng-kjv2006 source; compared with Genesis 12:10–20; 18:1–33; 21:1–7; 26:1–11; Leviticus 18:9, 11; 20:17

Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis

Supports: Marriage language, integrity, innocence, divine restraint, non-contact, prophet and prayer, fear, loyal-kindness request, plural wandering verb, difficult silver phrase, healing, giving birth, and emphatic womb closure.

Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible, wlc/Gen.xml, Genesis 20:1–18; lemmas and morphology for ishah, be'ulat ba'al, tom-levav, niqyon kappayim, chasakh, naga, navi, palal, yare, hesed, ta'ah, kesut einayim, yakach, rapha, yalad, atsar, and rechem

NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes

Supports: Prophet and intercession syntax, emphatic death warning, plural verb, silver weight, difficult covering-of-eyes idiom, vindication, emphatic womb closure, and proposed timeline.

NET Bible, Genesis 20:1–18 and translator notes, especially 20:7, 13, 16–18

Genesis

Supports: Abraham-cycle placement, promise-to-birth movement, wife-sister repetition, and final-form theological setting.

Genesis commentary, discussion of Genesis 18:16–21:7

Genesis 16 and 22: Abraham and Isaac — Study Guide

Supports: Critical and ethical counterpoint for the Abraham cycle; no passage-specific claim attributed beyond inspected scope.

Genesis 16 and 22: Abraham and Isaac study guide and course context for the Abraham cycle

Genesis

Supports: Literary placement and commentary navigation only.

Genesis, official Cambridge contents and introduction; commentary locator for Genesis 20:1–18

On Account of Sarai: Gen 12:10–13:1

Supports: Sarah-centered narrative safeguards, wife and woman terminology, power, repeated wife-sister structure, and refusal to infer consent from silence.

Australian Biblical Review 44, pages 32–41, with Genesis 20 comparison

Pimps or Protectors? A Reexamination of the Wife-Sister Deceptions

Supports: Strong alternative moral reading, self-preservation, brother-negotiation reconstruction, half-sister detail, non-necessity of consummation, and differences among the wife-sister stories.

Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 64.1, pages 45–57, especially discussion of Genesis 20

'Like Father, Like Son'? The Woman as a Bargaining Object in Gen 20:1-18 and Gen 26:1-11

Supports: Repeated deception, ethical rebuke, Sarah's limited narrated agency, patriarchal power, objectification, bargaining, and outsider moral correction; inferred consent rejected.

Old Testament Essays 34.1, complete open article, especially sections B–D on Genesis 20 and 26

Genesis 20: A Literary Template for the Prophetic Tradition

Supports: First prophet title, intercession, revelation to an outsider, correction of prophetic character, public consequences, prayer, healing, and proposed later prophetic patterns.

In die Skriflig 38.2, pages 217–234, especially pages 217–230

An Interpretation of 'Covering of Eyes' in Genesis 20:16

Supports: Survey of compensation, expiation, dowry, vindication, and restored-honor readings of 'covering of eyes,' plus the minority evil-eye and silver-protection proposal.

Journal for Semitics 20.2, pages 487–496, especially pages 488–494

Did the Gods Cause Abraham's Wandering? An Examination of Elohim with the Plural Verb in Genesis 20:13

Supports: Plural causative verb with Elohim, God and gods translation possibilities, ancient-version resolutions, and accommodation proposal; full body access limitation retained.

Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 35.2, pages 149–166; official abstract and accessible article notes

Sources for This Section

These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.

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, boundary, repeated wife-sister pattern, explicit non-contact, rebuke, restoration, prayer, healing, promise placement, and later kinship law.

Exact location: Genesis 20:1–18 in the pinned eng-kjv2006 source; compared with Genesis 12:10–20; 18:1–33; 21:1–7; 26:1–11; Leviticus 18:9, 11; 20:17

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: Marriage language, integrity, innocence, divine restraint, non-contact, prophet and prayer, fear, loyal-kindness request, plural wandering verb, difficult silver phrase, healing, giving birth, and emphatic womb closure.

Exact location: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible, wlc/Gen.xml, Genesis 20:1–18; lemmas and morphology for ishah, be'ulat ba'al, tom-levav, niqyon kappayim, chasakh, naga, navi, palal, yare, hesed, ta'ah, kesut einayim, yakach, rapha, yalad, atsar, and rechem

Open source ↗

Translation and textual notes

NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes

Biblical Studies Press

Biblical Studies Press, Digital edition accessed 2026

Supports: Prophet and intercession syntax, emphatic death warning, plural verb, silver weight, difficult covering-of-eyes idiom, vindication, emphatic womb closure, and proposed timeline.

Exact location: NET Bible, Genesis 20:1–18 and translator notes, especially 20:7, 13, 16–18

Open NET Genesis 20 ↗

modern open whole book commentary

Genesis

T. Desmond Alexander

The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary, 2023

Supports: Abraham-cycle placement, promise-to-birth movement, wife-sister repetition, and final-form theological setting.

Exact location: Genesis commentary, discussion of Genesis 18:16–21:7

Open source ↗

modern critical open study guide

Genesis 16 and 22: Abraham and Isaac — Study Guide

Joel S. Baden and Yale Bible Study

Yale Divinity School, 2021 course; page inspected 2026

Supports: Critical and ethical counterpoint for the Abraham cycle; no passage-specific claim attributed beyond inspected scope.

Exact location: Genesis 16 and 22: Abraham and Isaac study guide and course context for the Abraham cycle

Open source ↗

modern scholarly commentary publisher material

Genesis

Bill T. Arnold

Cambridge University Press, 2009

Supports: Literary placement and commentary navigation only.

Exact location: Genesis, official Cambridge contents and introduction; commentary locator for Genesis 20:1–18

Open source ↗

peer reviewed narrative and gender study

On Account of Sarai: Gen 12:10–13:1

Howard Wallace

Australian Biblical Review 44, 1996

Supports: Sarah-centered narrative safeguards, wife and woman terminology, power, repeated wife-sister structure, and refusal to infer consent from silence.

Exact location: Australian Biblical Review 44, pages 32–41, with Genesis 20 comparison

Open source ↗

peer reviewed evangelical literary and ethical study

Pimps or Protectors? A Reexamination of the Wife-Sister Deceptions

Matthew Newkirk

Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 64.1, 2021

Supports: Strong alternative moral reading, self-preservation, brother-negotiation reconstruction, half-sister detail, non-necessity of consummation, and differences among the wife-sister stories.

Exact location: Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 64.1, pages 45–57, especially discussion of Genesis 20

Open source ↗

peer reviewed open biblical ethical and gender study

'Like Father, Like Son'? The Woman as a Bargaining Object in Gen 20:1-18 and Gen 26:1-11

Gesila Uzukwu

Old Testament Essays 34.1, 2021

Supports: Repeated deception, ethical rebuke, Sarah's limited narrated agency, patriarchal power, objectification, bargaining, and outsider moral correction; inferred consent rejected.

Exact location: Old Testament Essays 34.1, complete open article, especially sections B–D on Genesis 20 and 26

Open source ↗

peer reviewed open canonical and prophetic study

Genesis 20: A Literary Template for the Prophetic Tradition

R. Gallaher Branch

In die Skriflig / In Luce Verbi 38.2, 2004

Supports: First prophet title, intercession, revelation to an outsider, correction of prophetic character, public consequences, prayer, healing, and proposed later prophetic patterns.

Exact location: In die Skriflig 38.2, pages 217–234, especially pages 217–230

Open source ↗

peer reviewed open lexical and cultural interpretive study

An Interpretation of 'Covering of Eyes' in Genesis 20:16

Zacharias Kotzé

Journal for Semitics 20.2, 2011

Supports: Survey of compensation, expiation, dowry, vindication, and restored-honor readings of 'covering of eyes,' plus the minority evil-eye and silver-protection proposal.

Exact location: Journal for Semitics 20.2, pages 487–496, especially pages 488–494

Open source ↗

peer reviewed grammatical and history of interpretation study

Did the Gods Cause Abraham's Wandering? An Examination of Elohim with the Plural Verb in Genesis 20:13

Andrew J. Schmutzer

Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 35.2, 2010

Supports: Plural causative verb with Elohim, God and gods translation possibilities, ancient-version resolutions, and accommodation proposal; full body access limitation retained.

Exact location: Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 35.2, pages 149–166; official abstract and accessible article notes

Open source ↗

Genesis 20:1–18, King James Version

The sister strategy again, and a king warned

How this should shape us

Teach it back

Go deeper

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible — Genesis

NET Bible — Genesis with translators' notes

Genesis

Genesis 16 and 22: Abraham and Isaac — Study Guide

Genesis

On Account of Sarai: Gen 12:10–13:1

Pimps or Protectors? A Reexamination of the Wife-Sister Deceptions

'Like Father, Like Son'? The Woman as a Bargaining Object in Gen 20:1-18 and Gen 26:1-11

Genesis 20: A Literary Template for the Prophetic Tradition

An Interpretation of 'Covering of Eyes' in Genesis 20:16

Did the Gods Cause Abraham's Wandering? An Examination of Elohim with the Plural Verb in Genesis 20:13