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)
While Abimelech claimed he acted with "integrity of heart," God clarifies that He was the active force preventing Abimelech from sinning, not just Abimelech's own goodness. This highlights that God's grace is the ultimate barrier against our worst impulses, even when we're unaware of the full extent of His intervention.
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)
King Abimelech has taken Sarah to be his wife, unaware she is Abraham's wife and Abraham's half-sister. God appears to Abimelech in a dream, revealing Sarah is married and that Abimelech is as good as dead unless he returns her. Abimelech, who had not yet touched Sarah, pleads that he acted with an honest heart, believing Abraham's story that she was his sister.
Did you know God sees beyond your actions to the true state of your heart? In a moment of potential disaster, God reassures Abimelech, acknowledging his inner motivations.
Even when our actions seem to put us in the wrong, God is aware of our sincere intentions. Abimelech had mistakenly taken Sarah, believing her to be unmarried. Although this action led to a serious error, God didn't condemn him outright. He declared, 'Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart.' This means God recognized that Abimelech's intention wasn't malicious; he wasn't trying to deliberately sin against Abraham or God. This highlights God's deep understanding of human hearts, seeing past immediate circumstances to the underlying motives and sincerity.
Ever wondered why you didn't go further down a wrong path? God's Word reveals that sometimes, He actively intervenes to stop us from sinning.
The verse doesn't just say Abimelech didn't sin; it says God kept him from sinning. 'It was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch her.' This is a powerful reminder that God’s providence often works to restrain us from falling into greater sin. He can do this through various means: a check on our conscience, an unexpected circumstance, or even physical limitation, as seen with Abimelech not being able to 'touch' Sarah. This divine intervention is not about excusing Abimelech's initial error, but about highlighting God's grace in preventing a worse outcome and ultimately protecting His plan.
Understand the original words
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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.
This event underscores God's protective hand not only over His chosen people but also over those who, like Abimelech, act with integrity, even when deceived. It shows God intervening directly to prevent sin and to uphold His promises through Abraham's lineage.
c. 1800 BC— this verse
Abraham sojourns in Gerar
Abraham and Sarah travel to the region of Gerar, a Philistine city. Abraham, fearing for his life, tells Sarah to claim she is his sister, a situation that had previously occurred with Pharaoh in Egypt.
c. 1800 BC
Abimelech takes Sarah
King Abimelech of Gerar sees Sarah and takes her to be his wife, unaware that she is Abraham's wife. God sends a plague upon Abimelech's household.
c. 1800 BC
God warns Abimelech in a dream
God appears to Abimelech in a dream, revealing that Sarah is Abraham's wife and that Abimelech will die for taking her. He explains that he withheld Abimelech from sinning against God.
c. 1800 BC
Abimelech confronts Abraham
Abimelech questions Abraham about his deception and restores Sarah to him. Abraham explains his fear that the 'fear of God' was absent in the land, leading to his wife's potential endangerment.
c. 1800 BC
Abraham prays for Abimelech
Abraham prays for Abimelech and his household, and God heals them, allowing them to have children again. This event highlights Abraham's role as a prophet and intercessor.
This passage beautifully echoes God's intimate knowledge of our thoughts and actions, even before we speak them, mirroring His declaration to Abimelech that He knew the integrity of his heart.
1 Corinthians 10:13This verse speaks to God's faithfulness in not allowing us to be tempted beyond what we can bear and providing a way out, which aligns with God's action of withholding Abimelech from sinning.
Proverbs 16:7This proverb highlights that when a person's ways please the Lord, He makes even their enemies at peace with them, resonating with how God preserved Abimelech due to his underlying good intentions and His own divine intervention.
Romans 7:15-20Paul's struggle with sin, where he does what he doesn't want to do, shows the internal conflict that can exist, making Abimelech's situation relatable, where his heart was right but actions led him astray, requiring divine restraint.
Genesis 31:24In a similar instance, God warns Laban in a dream not to speak to Jacob either good or bad, demonstrating a pattern of God intervening in dreams to guide or restrain individuals involved in complex relational situations.
gillGenesis 20:6: "And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her."
And God said unto him in a dream,.... The same dream continued: yea, or "also" I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; not only thou knowest, but I, who know all things, know and acknowledge that this was so done by thee. Abimelech's plea is admitted, and a very great tes…
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…
While Abimelech claimed he acted with "integrity of heart," God clarifies that He was the active force preventing Abimelech from sinning, not just Abimelech's own goodness. This highlights that God's grace is the ultimate barrier against our worst impulses, even when we're unaware of the full extent of His intervention.
King Abimelech has taken Sarah to be his wife, unaware she is Abraham's wife and Abraham's half-sister. God appears to Abimelech in a dream, revealing Sarah is married and that Abimelech is as good as dead unless he returns her. Abimelech, who had not yet touched Sarah, pleads that he acted with an honest heart, believing Abraham's story that she was his sister.
King Abimelech has taken Sarah to be his wife, unaware she is Abraham's wife and Abraham's half-sister. God appears to Abimelech in a dream, revealing Sarah is married and that Abimelech is as good as dead unless he returns her. Abimelech, who had not yet touched Sarah, pleads that he acted with an honest heart, believing Abraham's story that she was his sister.
"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." — While Abimelech claimed he acted with "integrity of heart," God clarifies that He was the active force preventing Abimelech from sinning, not just Abimelech's own goodness. This highlights that God…
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Last reviewed October 2026