Bible Commentaries

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Genesis 20

75 Free Online Commentaries

Introduction

1  Abraham sojourns at Gerar.
2  Denies his wife, who is taken by Abimelech.
3  Abimelech is reproved for her in a dream.
9  He rebukes Abraham.
14  Restores Sarah;
16  and reproves her.
17  Abimelech and his family are healed at Abraham's prayer.
Verse 1

And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar.
A. M. cir. 2107. B.C. cir. 1897. from
13:1, 18:1, 24:62
Kadesh
14:7, 16:1,7,14, Numbers 13:26, 20:16, Deuteronomy 1:19, 32:51, 1 Samuel 15:7, Psalms 29:8
Gerar
Gerar was a city of Arabia Petræa, under a king of the Philistines, 25 miles from Eleutheropolis beyond Daroma, in the south of Judah. From ch. 10:19, it appears to have been situated in the angle where the south and west sides of Canaan met, and to have been not far from Gaza. Jerome, in his Hebrew Traditions on Genesis, says, from Gerar to Jerusalem was three days' journey. There was a wood near Gerar, spoken of by Theodoret; and a brook, (ch. 26:26,) on which was a monastery, noticed by Sozomen.
10:19, 26:1,6,20,26, 2 Chronicles 14:13,14
Verse 2

And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.
said
12:11-13, 26:7, 2 Chronicles 19:2, 20:37, 32:31, Proverbs 24:16, Ecclesiastes 7:20, Galatians 2:11,12, Ephesians 4:25, Colossians 3:9
Abimelech
12:15, 26:1,16
Verse 3

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.
a dream
28:12, 31:24, 37:5,9, 40:8, 41:1-36, Job 4:12,13, 33:15, Matthew 1:20, Matthew 2:12,13, 27:19
a dead
7, Psalms 105:14, Ezekiel 33:14,15, Jonah 3:4
a man's wife
Heb. married to an husband.
Verse 4

But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation?
had
6,18
wilt
17,18, 18:23-25, 19:24, 2 Samuel 4:11, 1 Chronicles 21:17
Verse 5

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.
in the integrity
or, simplicity, or sincerity.
Joshua 22:22, 1 Kings 9:4, 2 Kings 20:3, 1 Chronicles 29:17, Psalms 7:8, 25:21, 78:72, Proverbs 11:3, 20:7, 2 Corinthians 1:12, 1 Thessalonians 2:10, 1 Timothy 1:13
and innocency
Job 33:9, Psalms 24:4, 26:6, 73:13, Daniel 6:22
Verse 6

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.
withheld
18, 31:7, 35:5, Exodus 34:24, 1 Samuel 25:26,34, Psalms 84:11, Proverbs 21:1, Hosea 2:6,7
sinning
39:9, Leviticus 6:2, Psalms 51:4, 81:12, 2 Thessalonians 2:7,11
to touch
3:3, 26:11, 1 Corinthians 7:1, 2 Corinthians 6:17
Verse 7

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.
a prophet
The word navi, rendered a prophet, not only signifies one who foretell future events, but also an intercessor, instructor. See 1 Sa ch. 10.
1 Kings 18:1-46, 1 Corinthians 14:4; The title was also given to men eminent for eloquence and literary abilities: hence Aaron, because he was the spokesman of Moses to the Egyptian king, is called a prophet.; Exodus 4:16, 7:1, 12:1-3, 18:17, 7:1, 1 Chronicles 16:22, Psalms 25:14, 105:9-15, Hebrews 1:1
pray
Leviticus 6:4,7, 1 Samuel 7:5,8, 12:19,23, 2 Samuel 24:17, 1 Kings 13:6, 2 Kings 5:11, 19:2-4, Job 42:8, Jeremiah 14:11, 15:1, 27:18, James 5:14-16, 1 John 5:16, Revelation 11:5,6
surely
18, 2:17, 12:17, Job 34:19, Psalms 105:14, Ezekiel 3:18, 33:8,14-16, Hebrews 13:4
all
12:15, Numbers 16:32,33, 2 Samuel 24:17
Verse 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.
What hast
12:18, 26:10, Exodus 32:21,35, Joshua 7:25, 1 Samuel 26:18,19, Proverbs 28:10
a great
38:24, 39:9, Leviticus 20:10, 2 Samuel 12:5,10,11, Romans 2:11, Hebrews 13:4
ought
34:7, 2 Samuel 13:12, Titus 1:11
Verse 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.
Surely
22:12, 42:18, Nehemiah 5:15, Job 1:1, 28:28, Psalms 14:4, 36:1-4, Proverbs 1:7, 2:5, Proverbs 8:13, 16:6, Romans 3:18
slay
12:12, 26:7
Verse 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.
And yet
11:29, 12:13, 1 Thessalonians 5:22
she is the
Ebn Batrik, in his annals, among other ancient traditions, has preserved the following: "Terah first married Yona, by whom he had Abraham; afterwards he married Tehevita, by whom he had Sarah."
Verse 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.
God
12:1,9,11-20, Acts 7:3-5, Hebrews 11:8
This
1 Samuel 23:21, Psalms 64:5, Acts 5:9
say
12:13
Verse 14

And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife.
took
11, 12:16
restored
2,7, 12:19,20
Verse 15

And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee.
my land
13:9, 34:10, 47:6
where it pleaseth thee
Heb. as is good in thine eyes.
Verse 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.
thy
5, Proverbs 27:5
thousand
What these pieces were is not certain; but it is probable they were shekels, as it is so understood by the Targum; and the LXX. render it didrachma, by which the Hebrew shekel is rendered in ch. 23:15, 16.
behold
Or, "behold IT (the 1,000 shekels) is to thee," etc.
26:11
a covering
24:65
thus
1 Chronicles 21:3-6, Proverbs 9:8,9, 12:1, 25:12, 27:5, Jonah 1:6, Revelation 3:19
Verse 17

So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children.
7, 29:31, 1 Samuel 5:11,12, Ezra 6:10, Job 42:9,10, Proverbs 15:8,29, Isaiah 45:11, Matthew 7:7, 21:22, Acts 3:24, Philippians 4:6, 1 Thessalonians 5:25, James 5:16
Verse 18

For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham's wife.
7, 12:17, 16:2, 30:2, 1 Samuel 1:6, 5:10

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