Genesis 7:1

7:1 The Lord said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, for I consider you godly among this generation. ¹ 

Genesis 12:13

12:13 So tell them ²  you are my sister ³  so that it may go well ⁴  for me because of you and my life will be spared ⁵  on account of you.”

Genesis 24:42

24:42 When I came to the spring today, I prayed, ‘O Lord, God of my master Abraham, if you have decided to make my journey successful, ⁶  may events unfold as follows: ⁷ 

Genesis 42:15

42:15 You will be tested in this way: As surely as Pharaoh lives, ⁸  you will not depart from this place unless your youngest brother comes here.

[7:1]  ¹ tn Heb “for you I see [as] godly before me in this generation.” The direct object (“you”) is placed first in the clause to give it prominence. The verb “to see” here signifies God’s evaluative discernment.

[12:13]  ² tn Heb “say.”

[12:13]  ³ sn Tell them you are my sister. Abram’s motives may not be as selfish as they appear. He is aware of the danger to the family. His method of dealing with it is deception with a half truth, for Sarai really was his sister – but the Egyptians would not know that. Abram presumably thought that there would be negotiations for a marriage by anyone interested (as Laban does later for his sister Rebekah), giving him time to react. But the plan backfires because Pharaoh does not take the time to negotiate. There is a good deal of literature on the wife-sister issue. See (among others) E. A. Speiser, “The Wife-Sister Motif in the Patriarchal Narratives,” Oriental and Biblical Studies, 62-81; C. J. Mullo-Weir, “The Alleged Hurrian Wife-Sister Motif in Genesis,” GOT 22 (1967-1970): 14-25.

[12:13]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew verb translated “go well” can encompass a whole range of favorable treatment, but the following clause indicates it means here that Abram’s life will be spared.

[12:13]  ⁵ tn Heb “and my life will live.”

[24:42]  ³ tn Heb “if you are making successful my way on which I am going.”

[24:42]  ⁴ tn The words “may events unfold as follows” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

[42:15]  ⁴ tn Heb “[By] the life of Pharaoh.”