Genesis 20:12-18

20:12 What’s more, ¹  she is indeed my sister, my father’s daughter, but not my mother’s daughter. She became my wife. 20:13 When God made me wander ²  from my father’s house, I told her, ‘This is what you can do to show your loyalty to me: ³  Every place we go, say about me, “He is my brother.”’”

20:14 So Abimelech gave ⁴  sheep, cattle, and male and female servants to Abraham. He also gave his wife Sarah back to him. 20:15 Then Abimelech said, “Look, my land is before you; live wherever you please.” ⁵ 

20:16 To Sarah he said, “Look, I have given a thousand pieces of silver ⁶  to your ‘brother.’ ⁷  This is compensation for you so that you will stand vindicated before all who are with you.” ⁸ 

20:17 Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, as well as his wife and female slaves so that they were able to have children. 20:18 For the Lord ⁹  had caused infertility to strike every woman ¹⁰  in the household of Abimelech because he took ¹¹  Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

[20:12]  ¹ tn Heb “but also.”

[20:13]  ² tn The Hebrew verb is plural. This may be a case of grammatical agreement with the name for God, which is plural in form. However, when this plural name refers to the one true God, accompanying predicates are usually singular in form. Perhaps Abraham is accommodating his speech to Abimelech’s polytheistic perspective. (See GKC 463 §145.i.) If so, one should translate, “when the gods made me wander.”

[20:13]  ³ tn Heb “This is your loyal deed which you can do for me.”

[20:14]  ⁴ tn Heb “took and gave.”

[20:15]  ⁵ tn Heb “In the [place that is] good in your eyes live!”

[20:16]  ⁶ sn A thousand pieces [Heb “shekels”] of silver. The standards for weighing money varied considerably in the ancient Near East, but the generally accepted weight for the shekel is 11.5 grams (0.4 ounce). This makes the weight of silver here 11.5 kilograms, or 400 ounces (about 25 pounds).

[20:16]  ⁷ sn To your ‘brother.’ Note the way that the king refers to Abraham. Was he being sarcastic? It was surely a rebuke to Sarah. What is amazing is how patient this king was. It is proof that the fear of God was in that place, contrary to what Abraham believed (see v. 11).

[20:16]  ⁸ tn Heb “Look, it is for you a covering of the eyes, for all who are with you, and with all, and you are set right.” The exact meaning of the statement is unclear. Apparently it means that the gift of money somehow exonerates her in other people’s eyes. They will not look on her as compromised (see G. J. Wenham, Genesis [WBC], 2:74).

[20:18]  ⁹ tn In the Hebrew text the clause begins with “because.”

[20:18]  ¹⁰ tn Heb had completely closed up every womb.” In the Hebrew text infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.

[20:18]  ¹¹ tn Heb “because of.” The words “he took” are supplied in the translation for clarity.