Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Genesis 20:16 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 16. 16And 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.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Abimelech tells Sarah he has given a thousand pieces of silver to her 'brother' and describes the gift with the obscure phrase 'a covering of eyes.' The context strongly suggests public compensation or vindication, but the exact idiom and the KJV's 'reproved' wording remain uncertain.
Read It With
- Genesis 20:1–18
Read verses 14–18. Verse 14 restores Sarah; verse 15 offers land; verse 16 addresses public honor and silver; verses 17–18 report intercession and healing. Reading verse 16 alone invites unsupported claims about veils, magic, guilt, or a fixed monetary formula.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The substantial silver statement addresses Sarah's public standing, though its idiom remains deliberately difficult for modern readers.
Read Genesis 20:14–16 together
Why these verses belong together: Sarah's restoration, gifts, land, and the silver statement together narrate material and public repair.
Verse 14. 14 And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife.
Verse 15. 15 And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee.
Verse 16. 16 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.
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
“to thy brother”
In plain language: Abimelech pointedly refers to Abraham by the identity used in the deception.
The wording may carry irony or rebuke.
Why it matters: The king's speech does not forget the concealed marriage.
How certain? probable“a thousand pieces of silver”
In plain language: A very substantial quantity of weighed silver.
The gift serves public and material repair.
Why it matters: Its size does not make it a universal compensation schedule.
How certain? strong“a covering of the eyes”
In plain language: An obscure expression literally involving covered eyes.
It is connected to how Sarah will be regarded by those with her.
Why it matters: Vindication is strong, but several interpretations remain possible.
How certain? probable“thus she was reproved”
In plain language: A difficult form that may mean she was set right, cleared, or vindicated.
The clause concludes Abimelech's public repair statement.
Why it matters: It should not automatically shift guilt onto Sarah.
How certain? probableWhat This Verse Is Not Saying
The 'covering of eyes' does not certainly command Sarah to wear a veil.
The phrase does not prove that Sarah committed sexual misconduct or needed forgiveness for intercourse; the text denies contact.
The silver does not establish a universal compensation amount, prosperity formula, magical cure, or dowry rule.
The minority evil-eye proposal does not establish the certain meaning of the verse; it remains a possible historical reconstruction.
KJV 'reproved' does not require understanding Sarah as the guilty party; vindicated or set right is a strong translation possibility.
What Remains True
Restitution should address public reputation and material harm without inventing guilt for the person placed at risk or pretending money fully repairs what occurred.
How It Can Shape Life
- When someone was wrongly exposed to suspicion or sexualized rumor, correct the public record, compensate concrete losses where appropriate, and let the affected person help define repair rather than forcing a symbolic payment on them.
Teach It Back
Explain Genesis 20:16'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 precise function of the silver, the idiom's origin, the force of 'to your brother,' and the last Hebrew form remain disputed.
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 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 ↗