Text -- Genesis 20:1-8 (NET)

Abraham and Abimelech

20:1 Abraham journeyed from there to the Negev region and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he lived as a temporary resident in Gerar, 20:2 Abraham said about his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech, king of Gerar, sent for Sarah and took her. 20:3 But God appeared to Abimelech in a dream at night and said to him, “You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken, for she is someone else’s wife.” 20:4 Now Abimelech had not gone near her. He said, “Lord, would you really slaughter an innocent nation? 20:5 Did Abraham not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ I have done this with a clear conscience and with innocent hands!” 20:6 Then in the dream God replied to him, “Yes, I know that you have done this with a clear conscience. That is why I have kept you from sinning against me and why I did not allow you to touch her. 20:7 But now give back the man’s wife. Indeed he is a prophet and he will pray for you; thus you will live. But if you don’t give her back, know that you will surely die along with all who belong to you.” 20:8 Early in the morning Abimelech summoned all his servants. When he told them about all these things, they were terrified.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Gen 20:1

¹ tn Or “the South [country]”; Heb “the land of the Negev.”

sn Negev is the name for the southern desert region in the land of Canaan.

² tn Heb “and he sojourned.”

NET Notes: Gen 20:3

¹ tn Heb “came.”

² tn Heb “Look, you [are] dead.” The Hebrew construction uses the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) with a second person pronominal particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) with by the participle. It is a highly rhetorical expression.

³ tn Heb “and she is owned by an owner.” The disjunctive clause is causal or explanatory in this case.

NET Notes: Gen 20:4

¹ tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

² tn Apparently Abimelech assumes that God’s judgment will fall on his entire nation. Some, finding the reference to a nation problematic, prefer to emend the text and read, “Would you really kill someone who is innocent?” See E. A. Speiser, Genesis (AB), 149.

NET Notes: Gen 20:5

¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tn Heb “and she, even she.”

³ tn Heb “with the integrity of my heart.”

NET Notes: Gen 20:6

¹ tn Heb “with the integrity of your heart.”

² tn Heb “and I, even I, kept you.”

³ tn Heb “therefore.”

NET Notes: Gen 20:7

¹ tn Or “for,” if the particle is understood as causal (as many English translations do) rather than asseverative.

² sn For a discussion of the term prophet see N. Walker, “What is a Nabhi?” ZAW 73 (1961): 99-100.

³ tn After the preceding jussive (or imperfect), the imperative with vav conjunctive here indicates result.

sn He will pray for you that you may live. Abraham was known as a man of God whose prayer would be effectual. Ironically and sadly, he was also known as a liar.

⁴ tn Heb “if there is not you returning.” The suffix on the particle becomes the subject of the negated clause.

⁵ tn The imperfect is preceded by the infinitive absolute to make the warning emphatic.

NET Notes: Gen 20:8

¹ tn Heb “And Abimelech rose early in the morning and he summoned.”

² tn The verb קָרָא (qara’) followed by the preposition לְ (lamed) means “to summon.”

³ tn Heb “And he spoke all these things in their ears.”

⁴ tn Heb “the men.” This has been replaced by the pronoun “they” in the translation for stylistic reasons.