Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Genesis 20:13 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 13. 13And 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.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Abraham says that when God—or, on a viable reading of the unusual Hebrew, 'the gods'—caused him to wander from his father's house, he asked Sarah to show loyal kindness by calling him her brother everywhere. The verse reveals a standing strategy that repeatedly placed Sarah at risk.
Read It With
- Genesis 20:1–18
Read verses 11–13 and Genesis 12:10–20. Verse 11 gives fear; verse 12 offers the kinship defense; verse 13 says the arrangement began when Abraham left home and applied in every place; Genesis 12 shows its earlier use. Reading only the word kindness could make the plan sound morally exemplary.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The standing arrangement shows that Gerar repeated an established family strategy rather than creating an isolated wording mistake.
Read Genesis 20:8–13 together
Why these verses belong together: Public fear and royal rebuke lead into Abraham's fear, kinship defense, and disclosure of the standing sister strategy.
Verse 8. 8 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.
Verse 9. 9 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.
Verse 10. 10 And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?
Verse 11. 11 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.
Verse 12. 12 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.
Verse 13. 13 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.
Follow the Context
- Abraham travels into the Negev, settles between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourns in Gerar (20:1).
- Abraham says of Sarah his wife, 'She is my sister,' and Abimelech sends for and takes Sarah (20:2).
- God comes to Abimelech in a night dream, identifies Sarah as a married woman, and warns him of death (20:3).
- Abimelech, who has not approached Sarah, appeals to a righteous nation, Abraham's and Sarah's statements, integrity of heart, and innocence of hands (20:4–5).
- God affirms Abimelech's integrity regarding the deception, says that divine restraint prevented him from sinning and touching Sarah, and commands him to restore the prophet's wife so Abraham may pray and he may live (20:6–7).
- Abimelech rises early, tells his servants, and the household fears greatly; he summons and rebukes Abraham for bringing a great sin on the kingdom and doing what should not be done (20:8–10).
- Abraham explains his assumption that the place lacked fear of God, his fear of being killed, Sarah's paternal half-sister relationship, and the standing sister strategy he asked Sarah to use wherever they traveled (20:11–13).
- Abimelech gives Abraham livestock and enslaved male and female servants, restores Sarah, offers land, and announces a thousand-silver gift whose 'covering of eyes' wording is difficult (20:14–16).
- Abraham prays; God heals Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants, and the narrator explains that the LORD had completely closed every womb because of Sarah, Abraham's wife (20:17–18).
Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation
“when God caused me to wander”
In plain language: Abraham describes divine or divine-associated causation of his departure and wandering.
The Hebrew verb is plural even though KJV renders God singular.
Why it matters: Both grammatical irregularity and possible accommodation should remain visible.
How certain? probable“this is thy kindness”
In plain language: Abraham calls Sarah's cooperation loyal kindness toward him.
The term frames his requested survival strategy.
Why it matters: Relational loyalty does not settle whether the request was just.
How certain? very strong“at every place”
In plain language: The sister claim was intended as a recurring arrangement.
Gerar was not a one-time spontaneous phrase.
Why it matters: The verse explains the repeated pattern from Genesis 12.
How certain? very strongWhat This Verse Is Not Saying
Sarah's requested kindness does not mean a spouse must enable deception or accept sexual and royal danger.
The plural Hebrew verb does not prove the Trinity, polytheism, or Abraham's rejection of the one God.
A longstanding plan does not become righteous through age, repetition, or family agreement.
The verse does not disclose Sarah's freedom to refuse the arrangement.
What Remains True
Longstanding family arrangements still require moral review when they depend on concealment or place one member's body, reputation, or safety at disproportionate risk.
How It Can Shape Life
- Revisit inherited survival strategies with the people who bear their cost. Loyalty never requires enabling deception, accepting preventable danger, or protecting a leader's image.
Teach It Back
Explain Genesis 20:13's contribution to Genesis 20:1–18. Include why the nearby verses are required, what the verse clearly says, and one conclusion it does not justify.
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Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Genesis 20:1–18 — God Protects Sarah in GerarSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
Where care is needed
The plural verb may be unusual singular reference, an archaic feature, or accommodated 'gods' language; Abraham's exact intent cannot be recovered with certainty.
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, 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 ↗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 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 ↗