Genesis 20:4-7

20:4 Now Abimelech had not gone near her. He said, “Lord, ¹  would you really slaughter an innocent nation? ²  20:5 Did Abraham ³  not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ⁴  ‘He is my brother.’ I have done this with a clear conscience ⁵  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. ⁶  That is why I have kept you ⁷  from sinning against me and why ⁸  I did not allow you to touch her. 20:7 But now give back the man’s wife. Indeed ⁹  he is a prophet ¹⁰  and he will pray for you; thus you will live. ¹¹  But if you don’t give her back, ¹²  know that you will surely die ¹³  along with all who belong to you.”

[20:4]  ¹ tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[20:4]  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.

[20:5]  ³ tn Heb “he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “and she, even she.”

[20:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “with the integrity of my heart.”

[20:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “with the integrity of your heart.”

[20:6]  ⁷ tn Heb “and I, even I, kept you.”

[20:6]  ⁸ tn Heb “therefore.”

[20:7]  ⁹ tn Or “for,” if the particle is understood as causal (as many English translations do) rather than asseverative.

[20:7]  ¹⁰ sn For a discussion of the term prophet see N. Walker, “What is a Nabhi?” ZAW 73 (1961): 99-100.

[20:7]  ¹¹ tn After the preceding jussive (or imperfect), the imperative with vav conjunctive here indicates result.

[20:7]  ¹² tn Heb “if there is not you returning.” The suffix on the particle becomes the subject of the negated clause.

[20:7]  ¹³ tn The imperfect is preceded by the infinitive absolute to make the warning emphatic.