Genesis 20:4-6
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Abimelech's question, "will you slay also a righteous nation?", reveals his awareness of God's judgment on wicked cities like Sodom. It's not just about his own innocence, but a plea based on the perception that his people, unlike those cities, are not deserving of such total destruction.
Now Abimelech had not approached her. So he said, “Lord, will you kill an innocent people? Did he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this.” Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch her.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Abraham has just arrived in Gerar and, fearing for his life, told the people that Sarah was his sister, leading King Abimelech to take her into his palace. After God appears to Abimelech in a dream and warns him that he will die because he has taken a married woman, Abimelech questions God about punishing his innocent people along with him.
Abimelech, a pagan king, finds himself in a desperate situation. He's unaware he's about to face divine judgment, not for his own wrongdoing, but for an action he hasn't yet committed.
This verse highlights God's immediate intervention to protect an innocent person, even a non-believer. Abimelech hadn't 'come near' Sarah, meaning he hadn't consummated the union. God, who sees all, recognizes this lack of intent and, crucially, the absence of sin on Abimelech's part regarding Sarah. This protection is extended to his 'righteous nation' – his household or kingdom – underscoring God's care for those who are not willfully disobedient, even if they are caught in circumstances due to others' deception.
Faced with a divine threat, Abimelech makes a powerful appeal. His cry isn't just for himself, but for his entire people, revealing a deep concern for justice.
Abimelech's question, 'Lord, will you slay also a righteous nation?' reveals his understanding of divine justice. He appeals to the principle that God judges justly and doesn't punish the innocent alongside the guilty. The 'righteous nation' refers to his people who were not complicit in Abraham's deception. Abimelech's plea demonstrates integrity because he is concerned for those under his care who are blameless in this specific matter. It shows a genuine fear of God and a recognition that rulers are accountable for the well-being of their people. This contrasts sharply with the corrupt cities like Sodom, which were justly punished.
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’ădōnāy · Hebrew Proper Noun
The title "Lord" used in addressing the Divine, acknowledging His sovereign authority, supremacy, and status as the supreme Judge or Master over all human affairs.
ṣaddîq · Hebrew Adjective
One who is free from guilt, moral blame, or legal culpability regarding a specific action or crime. It implies a lack of malicious intent or actual transgression.
tōm · Hebrew Noun
Moral wholeness, completeness, or sincerity. It refers to a heart that is undivided and honest before God, characterized by adherence to moral standards without hypocrisy.
niqqāyôn · Hebrew Noun
The state of being free from moral fault or guilt; it signifies clean conduct and an absence of evil intention or action in one's dealings.
tummah · Hebrew Noun
A quality of moral completeness, wholeness, and sincerity. It refers to a heart that is undivided and honest in its intentions before God.
chata · Hebrew Verb
To miss the mark or fail to conform to God’s standard of righteousness. It involves missing the goal of divine law and purpose, often resulting in moral fault.
c. 2000 BC— this verse
Abraham Sojourns in Gerar
Abraham, migrating with his household, settles in the region of Gerar, near the Philistine territory. During this time, he repeats a past deception by claiming his wife Sarah is his sister out of fear.
c. 2000 BC
Abimelech Takes Sarah
King Abimelech of Gerar, impressed by Sarah's beauty, takes her into his harem, unaware she is Abraham's wife. This action directly precipitates the events of Genesis 20.
c. 2000 BC
God Warns Abimelech in a Dream
God appears to Abimelech in a dream, revealing Sarah's true marital status and warning him of imminent death for taking another man's wife. He also reveals he has afflicted Abimelech's household with barrenness.
c. 2000 BC
Abimelech Restores Sarah and Confronts Abraham
Abimelech immediately returns Sarah to Abraham, questioning his actions and the great sin brought upon his kingdom. Abraham explains his fear and Sarah's shared deception.
c. 2000 BC
God Heals Abimelech's Household
God heals Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants, and restores their fertility, demonstrating His power and confirming Abraham's prophetic role. Abraham then prays for Abimelech and his people.
This passage directly echoes Abimelech's plea, stating God will not acquit the guilty, highlighting the divine standard of justice that Abimelech appeals to. It emphasizes that God differentiates between the innocent and the guilty.
Ezekiel 18:20This verse clarifies the principle that individuals are judged for their own actions, not those of their rulers or neighbors, directly supporting Abimelech's concern for his 'righteous nation' who were innocent in this matter. It underscores the personal accountability that God upholds.
Psalm 105:14This verse speaks of God protecting His chosen people and rebuking kings for their sake, mirroring the situation where God intervened to protect Abraham and Sarah, and rebuked Abimelech. It shows a pattern of God defending His own, even through foreign rulers.
1 Samuel 26:23David echoes Abimelech's sentiment, stating that God repays each person according to their righteousness or wickedness. This reinforces the idea that Abimelech appealed to a known divine principle of justice.
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…
gillGenesis 20:4: "But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation?"
But Abimelech had not come near her,.... Sarah had been put into an apartment in his palace, and not yet admitted into his company, not at least to his bed; he had not lain with her, which is the design of the expression: the Septuagint version is, "had not touched her", as in Genesis 20:6 ; which is another phrase expressive of the same thing: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a…
Abimelech's question, "will you slay also a righteous nation?", reveals his awareness of God's judgment on wicked cities like Sodom. It's not just about his own innocence, but a plea based on the perception that his people, unlike those cities, are not deserving of such total destruction.
Abraham has just arrived in Gerar and, fearing for his life, told the people that Sarah was his sister, leading King Abimelech to take her into his palace. After God appears to Abimelech in a dream and warns him that he will die because he has taken a married woman, Abimelech questions God about punishing his innocent people along with him.
Abraham has just arrived in Gerar and, fearing for his life, told the people that Sarah was his sister, leading King Abimelech to take her into his palace. After God appears to Abimelech in a dream and warns him that he will die because he has taken a married woman, Abimelech questions God about punishing his innocent people along with him.
"Now Abimelech had not approached her. So he said, “Lord, will you kill an innocent people? Did he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my han…" — Abimelech's question, "will you slay also a righteous nation?", reveals his awareness of God's judgment on wicked cities like Sodom. It's not just about his own innocence, but a plea based on the per…
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Last reviewed October 2026
