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Abraham Giving Sarah To Pharaoh

Abraham twice presented his wife, Sarah, as his sister to foreign rulers, first to Pharaoh in Egypt (Genesis 12) and later to Abimelech, king of Gerar (Genesis 20:2) [4]. Sarah was indeed Abraham's half-sister, sharing the same father but not the same mother [1, 2]. This familial relationship is cited by Abraham himself as justification for his statement [11].

The first instance occurred when a famine compelled Abraham to go to Egypt. Fearing that the Egyptians would kill him to take his beautiful wife, Abraham instructed Sarah to say she was his sister [8]. As Abraham anticipated, the Egyptians noticed Sarah's beauty, and she was taken into Pharaoh's household [12]. Due to Sarah, Pharaoh treated Abraham well, providing him with sheep, oxen, donkeys, and servants [16]. However, God afflicted Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Sarah [10, 17]. These plagues were so intense that Pharaoh was prevented from touching Sarah [13]. Pharaoh then confronted Abraham, questioning why he had not revealed Sarah was his wife. He subsequently returned Sarah to Abraham and sent them away from Egypt with all their possessions [10].

Years later, Abraham settled in Gerar, where he again told people that Sarah was his sister [7]. Abimelech, the king of Gerar, sent for and took Sarah [4]. God appeared to Abimelech in a dream, warning him that he would die because the woman he had taken was married. Abimelech, who had not yet touched Sarah, pleaded his innocence, stating he had acted with integrity and that Abraham himself had claimed she was his sister [15]. God acknowledged Abimelech's integrity and instructed him to return Sarah to Abraham, who was a prophet, so that Abraham could pray for him [15]. Abimelech then confronted Abraham, expressing his dismay at Abraham's deception. Abraham explained that he feared for his life in a place where he believed there was no fear of God, and reiterated that Sarah was indeed his half-sister [11]. Abimelech returned Sarah to Abraham, along with gifts of sheep, oxen, and servants, and offered Abraham a place to settle in his land [5, 6].

Interpretations of these events vary. Some scholars, like John Gill, view Abraham's actions as an equivocation and deception, demonstrating a distrust of divine Providence and an inexcusable relapse into a previous sin [8]. Others, such as Augustine, argue that Abraham did not lie because Sarah was indeed his sister, and he withheld the information that she was also his wife out of fear for his life [11]. The Jewish philosopher Nachmanides notes the wonder of Sarah's enduring beauty, even at 65 years old when she was taken by Pharaoh, and later when she was around 90 years old when taken by Abimelech [9, 14]. Sarah's age is notable as the only instance in Scripture where a woman's age at death is recorded, at 127 years [2]. She was the mother of Isaac [3].

Sources

  1. Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Sarah — (princess). + The wife and half-sister, (Genesis 20:12) of Abraham, and mother of Isaac. Her name is first introduced in (Genesis 11:29) as Sarai. The change of her name from Sarai, my princess (i.e. Abraham's), to Sarah, princess (for all the race), was made at the same time that Abram's name was changed to Abraham,--on the establishment of the covenant of circumcision between him and God. Sarah's history is of course that of Abraham. [[1044]Abraham] She died at Hebron at the age of 127 years, 28 years before her husband and was buried by him in the cave of (”
  2. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Sarah — Princess, the wife and at the same time the half-sister of Abraham (Gen. 11:29; 20:12). This name was given to her at the time that it was announced to Abraham that she should be the mother of the promised child. Her story is from her marriage identified with that of the patriarch till the time of her death. Her death, at the age of one hundred and twenty-seven years (the only instance in Scripture where the age of a woman is recorded), was the occasion of Abraham's purchasing the cave of Machpelah as a family burying-place. In the allegory of Gal. 4:22-31 sh”
  3. Genesis “Genesis 21:3 (BSB) — And Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore to him.”
  4. Genesis “Abraham said about Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah. -- Genesis 20:2”
  5. Genesis “Genesis 20:14 (YLT) — And Abimelech taketh sheep and oxen, and servants and handmaids, and giveth to Abraham, and sendeth back to him Sarah his wife;”
  6. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Abimelech — My father a king, or father of a king, a common name of the Philistine kings, as "Pharaoh" was of the Egyptian kings. (1.) The Philistine king of Gerar in the time of Abraham (Gen. 20:1-18). By an interposition of Providence, Sarah was delivered from his harem, and was restored to her husband Abraham. As a mark of respect he gave to Abraham valuable gifts, and offered him a settlement in any part of his country; while at the same time he delicately and yet severely rebuked him for having practised a deception upon him in pretending that Sarah was only his”
  7. Project Gutenberg “Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, CHAPTER 12, section 1: . Concerning Abimelech; And Concerning Ismael The Son Of Abraham; And Concerning The Arabians, Who Were His Posterity. 1. Abraham now removed to Gerar of Palestine, leading Sarah along with him, under the notion of his sister, using the like dissimulation that he had used before, and this out of fear: for he was afraid of Abimelech, the king of that country, who did also himself fall in love with Sarah, and was disposed to corrupt her; but he was restrained from satisfying his lust by a dangerous distemper which befell him from ”
  8. Genesis (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Genesis 20:2: And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, she is my sister,.... This he gave out in all conversation he came into, and said it to every one that asked who she was, which was little better than a lie; it at least was an equivocation and deception, and not at all justifiable, and tended to expose his wife's chastity, and discovered a distrust of divine Providence; the same infirmity be had given way to, and the same evil he had fallen into in Egypt, Gen 12:11, and therefore was the more inexcusable now; good men not only fall into sin, but have their relapses: and Abimelec”
  9. Sefaria (Jewish (Kabbalistic/Philosophical)) “Ramban (Nachmanides) on Genesis 20:2: AND ABIMELECH, KING OF GERAR, SENT AND TOOK SARAH. It is wondrous that Sarah, after being worn with age, was extremely beautiful, fit to be taken by kings. When she was taken to Pharaoh, though she was sixty-five 276 According to the Seder Olam, the famine occurred in Egypt in the year in which Abraham left Haran, and that is when Abraham went there (Chapter 1). Now Scripture states that when he left Haran, Abraham was seventy-five years old (12:4); Sarah who was ten years younger (17:17) was thus sixty-five. years old, it is possible that she still had he”
  10. Sefaria (Jewish (Kabbalistic/Philosophical)) “Ramban (Nachmanides) on Genesis 12:18: AND PHARAOH CALLED ABRAM. It is possible that when the plagues suddenly came upon him and his house at the very time Sarah was taken to his house, he thought to himself, What is this that G-d hath done unto us? 97 Genesis 42:28. And so he asked her, and she told him that she is Abraham’s wife. For this reason he called Abraham and accused him. Or it may be, as our Rabbis say, 98 Bereshith Rabbah 41:2. It is also mentioned in Rashi. that Pharaoh was smitten with a certain skin disease which is aggravated by intimacy with a woman. Therefore he suspected tha”
  11. Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 2: Augustine — City of God, Christian Doctrine — CHAP. 19.--OF THE DIVINE PRESERVATION OF SARAH'S CHASTITY IN EGYPT, WHEN ABRAHAM HAD CALLED HER NOT HIS WIFE BUT HIS SISTER.: Having built an altar there, and called upon God, Abraham proceeded thence and dwelt in the desert, and was compelled by pressure of famine to go on into Egypt. There he called his wife his sister, and told no lie. For she was this also, because she was near of blood; just as Lot, on account of the same nearness, being his brother's son, is called his brother. Now he did not deny that she was his wife, but held ”
  12. Sefaria (Jewish (Kabbalistic/Philosophical)) “Ramban (Nachmanides) on Genesis 20:2: AND ABRAHAM SAID OF SARAH HIS WIFE, SHE IS MY SISTER. This was not like what happened in Egypt. There, when they entered the land, it is said that the Egyptians saw that the woman was beautiful, and they praised her to the lords and to Pharaoh, 275 Above, 12:14-15. as they were an immoral people but this king was perfect and upright, and his people were likewise good. However Abraham suspected them, and he told everyone that she was his sister.”
  13. Sefaria (Jewish (Rationalist)) “Abraham Ibn Ezra on Genesis 12:19: [SO I TOOK HER TO BE MY WIFE.] This indicates that Pharaoh took her to be his wife, to sleep with her. God brought plagues upon him to prevent him from touching her. The Lord sent these plagues to protect the wife of the one whom he loved. The plagues were so severe that Pharaoh was unable to touch Sarah. The following is analogous: When thou goest forth to battle against thine enemies…and seest among the captives a woman of goodly form, and thou hast a desire unto her, and takest her to thee to wife . The Bible then says, then thou shalt bring her home to th”
  14. Genesis (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Genesis 20:2: She is my sister - See the parallel account, Genesis 12 (note), and the notes there. Sarah was now about ninety years of age, and probably pregnant with Isaac. Her beauty, therefore, must have been considerably impaired since the time she was taken in a similar manner by Pharaoh, king of Egypt; but she was probably now chosen by Abimelech more on the account of forming an alliance with Abraham, who was very rich, than on account of any personal accomplishments. A petty king, such as Abimelech, would naturally be glad to form an alliance with such a powerful chief a”
  15. Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 4: Augustine — Anti-Manichaean, Anti-Donatist — BOOK XXII. (part 31): in the authority she had consistently with the order of nature, requiring the performance of a duty, not complying with a sinful desire; so in this case, the husband, in perfect assurance of the chaste attachment of his wife to himself, and knowing her mind to be the abode of modest and virtuous affection, called her his sister, without saying that she was his wife, test he himself should be killed, and his wife fall into the hands of strangers and evil-doers: for he was assured by his God that He would not allow h”
  16. Genesis (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Genesis 12:16: And he entreated Abram well for her sake,.... Pharaoh was very complaisant to him, showed him great respect, and bestowed many favours on him on account of Sarai, whom he took to be his sister, and which were done, that he would consent that she might be his wife: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels; which were, some at least, if not all, the gifts of Pharaoh to him, or otherwise there seems to be no reason why they should be made mention of here. The Jews say (g), that Pharaoh, because of the love”
  17. Midrash Rabbah (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Midrash Rabbah, Shemot Rabbah 20:1: “It was when Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them via the land of the Philistines, although is was near, as God said: Lest the people reconsider when they see war and return to Egypt” (Exodus 13:17). “It was when Pharaoh let the people go” – that is what the verse says: “A whip for the horse, and a bridle for the donkey” (Proverbs 26:3). “A whip for the horse,” this is the first Pharaoh, as it is stated: “The Lord afflicted Pharaoh…over the matter of Sarai, Abram’s wife” (Genesis 12:17). Why does the verse state: “Abram’s wife”? “Two are better t”
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