Genesis 20:12
◄  Genesis 20:12  ►
New International Version (©2011)
Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not of my mother; and she became my wife.

New Living Translation (©2007)
And she really is my sister, for we both have the same father, but different mothers. And I married her.

English Standard Version (©2001)
Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father though not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife.

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
"Besides, she actually is my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife;

King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)
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.

Holman Christian Standard Bible (©2009)
Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife.

International Standard Version (©2012)
Besides, she really is my sister—she's my father's daughter, but not my mother's daughter—so she could become my wife.

NET Bible (©2006)
What's more, she is indeed my sister, my father's daughter, but not my mother's daughter. She became my wife.

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
Besides, she is my sister-my father's daughter but not my mother's. She is also my wife.

King James 2000 Bible (©2003)
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.

American King James Version
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.

American Standard Version
And moreover she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife:

Douay-Rheims Bible
Howbeit, otherwise also she is truly my sister, the daughter of my father, and not the daughter of my mother, and I took her to wife.

Darby Bible Translation
But she is also truly my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.

English Revised Version
And moreover she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife:

Webster's Bible Translation
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.

World English Bible
Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.

Young's Literal Translation
and also, truly she is my sister, daughter of my father, only not daughter of my mother, and she becometh my wife;

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

20:9-13 See here much to blame, even in the father of the faithful. Mark his distrust of God, his undue care about life, his intent to deceive. He also threw temptation in the way of others, caused affliction to them, exposed himself and Sarah to just rebukes, and yet attempted an excuse. These things are written for our warning, not for us to imitate. Even Abraham hath not whereof to glory. He cannot be justified by his works, but must be indebted for justification, to that righteousness which is upon all and unto all them that believe. We must not condemn all as hypocrites who fall into sin, if they do not continue in it. But let the unhumbled and impenitent take heed that they do not sin on, thinking that grace may abound. Abimelech, being warned of God, takes the warning; and being truly afraid of sin and its consequences, he rose early to pursue the directions given him.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 12. - And yet indeed she is my sister. This was the second of the patriarch's extenuating pleas, that he had not exactly lied, having uttered at least a half truth. She is the daughter of my father (Temh), But not the daughter of my mother. That Sarah was the grand-daughter of Terah, i.e. the daughter of Haran, and sister of Lot, in other words, Iscah, has been maintained (Josephus, Augustine, Jerome, Jonathan). That she was Terah's niece, being a brother's daughter adopted by him, has received some support (Calvin); but there seems no reason for departing from the statement of the text, that she was her husband's half-sister, i.e. Terah's daughter by another wife than Abraham's mother (Rosenmüller, Kalisch, Keil, Knobel). And she became my wife.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And yet indeed she is my sister,.... In the same sense as Lot was his brother; for she was sister to Lot, and both were the children of Haran, the brother of Abraham:

she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; she was the daughter of his father, being his granddaughter, grandchildren are sometimes called children, but not the daughter or granddaughter of Abraham's mother; Terah having had two wives, by the one he had Haran, the father of Sarah, and by the other Abraham. According to the Arabic writers (f), Abraham and Sarah were the immediate children of Terah, but by two mothers:"the mother of Abraham (they say) died, whose name was Juna, and Terah married another wife, whose name was Lahazib, some say Tahuitha, who bore him Sarah, afterwards married to Abraham; hence Abraham said, she is my sister on my father's side, but not on my mother's side:"

and she became my wife; as in those times it was judged lawful, and so it has been accounted lawful in many nations to marry sisters on the father's side, when those on the mother's were prohibited (g).

(f) Elmacinus, p. 51. Patricides, p. 17. apud Hottinger. Smegma Oriental. p. 281. (g) Vid. Philo. de Special. Leg. p. 779. Clement. Alex. Stromat. l. 2. p. 421.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

12. yet indeed she is my sister—(See on [8]Ge 11:31). What a poor defense Abraham made. The statement absolved him from the charge of direct and absolute falsehood, but he had told a moral untruth because there was an intention to deceive (compare Ge 12:11-13). "Honesty is always the best policy." Abraham's life would have been as well protected without the fraud as with it: and what shame to himself, what distrust to God, what dishonor to religion might have been prevented! "Let us speak truth every man to his neighbor" [Zec 8:16; Eph 4:25].

Genesis 20:12 Parallel Commentaries

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Bible Hub: Online Parallel Bible


Abraham, Sarah and Abimelech
…11And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife's sake. 12And 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. 13And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said to her, This is your kindness which you shall show to me; at every place where we shall come, say of me, He is my brother. …

Genesis 11:29 Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife was Milkah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milkah and Iskah.
Genesis 20:2 and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, "She is my sister." Then Abimelek king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her.
Genesis 20:11 Abraham replied, "I said to myself, 'There is surely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.'
Genesis 20:13 And when God had me wander from my father's household, I said to her, 'This is how you can show your love to me: Everywhere we go, say of me, "He is my brother."'"
Genesis 26:7 When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, "She is my sister," because he was afraid to say, "She is my wife." He thought, "The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful."
2 Samuel 13:13 What about me? Where could I get rid of my disgrace? And what about you? You would be like one of the wicked fools in Israel. Please speak to the king; he will not keep me from being married to you."