Genesis 20:12
Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father though not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
Abraham isn't just stating a fact about familial relation; he's using a partial truth to justify his deception. He highlights that Sarah is his sister (by father, not mother) but deliberately omits the crucial detail that she is also his wife, revealing a clever but ultimately misleading way of presenting the information.
Abraham, having recently witnessed the destruction of Sodom, moves to Gerar and, fearing for his life, tells King Abimelech that Sarah is his sister. God intervenes in a dream, revealing Sarah is a married woman and warning Abimelech, who then confronts Abraham and asks why he deceived them. Abraham explains his fear that the people would kill him for his wife, and then clarifies the complex family relationship that led him to call Sarah his sister.
Abraham’s statement in Genesis 20:12 is technically true, but it still led to a massive misunderstanding. How can something true still be deceptive?
Abraham says, 'she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father though not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife.' This is a factual statement about his relationship with Sarah. She was his half-sister, sharing his father but not his mother. This was a permissible relationship in that culture at that time.
However, the intention behind his words was to deceive. He strategically withheld the crucial fact that she was also his wife. By presenting only a partial truth, he created a false impression in King Abimelech's mind, leading the king to believe Sarah was available for marriage. This highlights that a lie isn't just about saying something false; it's also about intentionally misleading someone, even with factual statements.
Abraham married his half-sister. Was this acceptable? This situation touches on the evolving understanding of marriage and the place of God's law.
The text explains that Sarah was Abraham's half-sister, the daughter of his father Terah by a different mother. In Abraham's time, and in many cultures, marrying a half-sister (especially one related through the father) was not prohibited and was considered permissible. The commentators note that Levitical laws later explicitly forbade such unions, indicating a progression in God's revealed will regarding marriage.
This highlights an important principle: while God's moral character is unchanging, His specific instructions to His people can be revealed progressively. What was permitted in the early stages of human history, as seen here and with polygamy, was later forbidden. It reminds us to understand biblical narratives within their historical and cultural context, while also recognizing the ultimate authority of God's clear commands, especially those revealed in later Scripture.
Abraham's statement in Genesis 20:12 reveals a complex familial relationship where Sarah was his half-sister, a fact that, while technically true, was used to conceal her status as his wife, highlighting ancient marriage customs and Abraham's recurrent struggles with fear and trust.
c. 2000 BC
Terah's Family Migrates
Abraham's father, Terah, leads his family, including Abraham, Sarah, and Lot, from Ur of the Chaldeans, likely due to socio-economic or political instability, towards Canaan but settling in Haran.
c. 1990 BC
Abraham Called to Canaan
God calls Abraham from Haran to go to the land of Canaan, promising to make him a great nation. This marks the beginning of Abraham's nomadic journey and covenant relationship with God.
c. 1985 BC
Famine and Sojourn in Egypt
A severe famine forces Abraham and his household to sojourn in Egypt. During this time, Abraham, fearing for his life, tells Sarah to claim she is his sister, leading to Pharaoh taking her as a wife before God intervenes.
c. 1980 BC
Abraham and Lot Separate
After returning to Canaan and prospering, Abraham and his nephew Lot separate due to strife between their herdsmen. Lot chooses the fertile Jordan plain, while Abraham settles near Hebron.
This passage shows a very similar situation where Abraham, out of fear, asked Sarah to lie about their relationship, highlighting a recurring pattern of distrust and deception when he felt threatened.
Romans 3:23This verse speaks to the universal human tendency to fall short of God's glory, which helps explain how even a 'father of faith' like Abraham could struggle with honesty and trust.
James 1:14James describes how each person is tempted when lured and enticed by their own desire, providing a theological framework for Abraham's fear-driven decision to conceal the truth about Sarah.
1 Corinthians 10:13This verse promises that God provides a way out of temptation, underscoring that while Abraham's fear was real, his choice to deceive, rather than trust God's provision, was the key issue.
clarkeGenesis 20:12: "And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife."
She is my sister - I have not told a lie; I have suppressed only a part of the truth. In this place it may be proper to ask, What is a lie? It is any action done or word spoken, whether true or false in itself, which the doer or speaker wishes the observer or hearer to take in a contrary sense to that which he knows to be true. It is, in a word, any acti…
calvinGenesis 20:1-18: "And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar."
Et dixit Abraham de Sarah uxore sua, Soror mea est. Et misit Abimelech rex Gerar, et accepit Sarah.
But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife.
Et venit Jehova ad Abimelech in somnio noctis, et dixit et, Ecce es mortuus, propter uxor…
Abraham isn't just stating a fact about familial relation; he's using a partial truth to justify his deception. He highlights that Sarah is his sister (by father, not mother) but deliberately omits the crucial detail that she is also his wife, revealing a clever but ultimately misleading way of presenting the information.
Abraham, having recently witnessed the destruction of Sodom, moves to Gerar and, fearing for his life, tells King Abimelech that Sarah is his sister. God intervenes in a dream, revealing Sarah is a married woman and warning Abimelech, who then confronts Abraham and asks why he deceived them. Abraham explains his fear that the people would kill him for his wife, and then clarifies the complex family relationship that led him to call Sarah his sister.
Abraham, having recently witnessed the destruction of Sodom, moves to Gerar and, fearing for his life, tells King Abimelech that Sarah is his sister. God intervenes in a dream, revealing Sarah is a married woman and warning Abimelech, who then confronts Abraham and asks why he deceived them. Abraham explains his fear that the people would kill him for his wife, and then clarifies the complex family relationship that led him to call Sarah his sister.
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Genesis 20:12 is available in the Sola app.
c. 1978 BC— this verse
Sojourn in Gerar
Abraham moves from Mamre to the region of the Philistines and sojourns in Gerar. Fearing the local people would kill him for his wife's sake, he again instructs Sarah to say she is his sister.
c. 1978 BC
Abimelech's Intervention
King Abimelech of Gerar hears of Sarah and takes her. God intervenes in a dream, revealing Sarah is Abraham's wife and warning Abimelech of death, while also commending Abraham's integrity in the matter.
c. 1978 BC
Restoration and Blessing
Abimelech confronts Abraham, restores Sarah, and provides gifts. God heals Abimelech's household, which had been afflicted with barrenness due to Sarah's presence, and Sarah later conceives Isaac.
"Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father though not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife." — Abraham isn't just stating a fact about familial relation; he's using a partial truth to justify his deception. He highlights that Sarah is his sister (by father, not mother) but deliberately omits t…
