Genesis 20:2 Abraham said of his wife Sarah, "She is my sister." So Abimelech king of Gerar had Sarah brought to him.

◄ Genesis 20:2 ►

New International Version
and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” Then Abimelek king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her.

New Living Translation
Abraham introduced his wife, Sarah, by saying, “She is my sister.” So King Abimelech of Gerar sent for Sarah and had her brought to him at his palace.

English Standard Version
And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.

Berean Standard Bible
Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech king of Gerar had Sarah brought to him.

King James Bible
And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.

New King James Version
Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.

New American Standard Bible
And Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech king of Gerar sent men and took Sarah.

NASB 1995
Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.

NASB 1977
And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.

Legacy Standard Bible
And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.

Amplified Bible
Abraham said [again] of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah [into his harem].

Christian Standard Bible
Abraham said about his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” So King Abimelech of Gerar had Sarah brought to him.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Abraham said about his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech king of Gerar had Sarah brought to him.

American Standard Version
And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.

Contemporary English Version
he told everyone that his wife Sarah was his sister. So King Abimelech of Gerar had Sarah brought to him.

English Revised Version
And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Abraham told everyone that his wife Sarah was his sister. So King Abimelech of Gerar sent men to take Sarah.

Good News Translation
he said that his wife Sarah was his sister. So King Abimelech of Gerar had Sarah brought to him.

International Standard Version
because Abraham kept saying about his wife Sarah, "She is my sister," King Abimelech of Gerar summoned them and took Sarah into his household.

Majority Standard Bible
Abraham said of his wife Sarah, ?She is my sister.? So Abimelech king of Gerar had Sarah brought to him.

NET Bible
Abraham said about his wife Sarah, "She is my sister." So Abimelech, king of Gerar, sent for Sarah and took her.

New Heart English Bible
Abraham said about Sarah his wife, "She is my sister." Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.

Webster's Bible Translation
And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, she is my sister: And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.

World English Bible
Abraham said about Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
and Abraham says concerning his wife Sarah, “She is my sister”; and Abimelech king of Gerar sends and takes Sarah.

Young's Literal Translation
and Abraham saith concerning Sarah his wife, 'She is my sister;' and Abimelech king of Gerar sendeth and taketh Sarah.

Smith's Literal Translation
And Abraham will say as to Sarah his wife, This my sister: and Abimelech, king of Gerar, will send and take Sarah.

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
And he said of Sara his wife: She is my sister. So Abimelech the king of Oerara sent, and took her.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And he said about his wife Sarah: “She is my sister.” Therefore, Abimelech, the king of Gerar, sent for her and took her.

New American Bible
Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech, king of Gerar, sent and took Sarah.

New Revised Standard Version
Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” And King Abimelech of Gerar sent and took Sarah.

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister; and Abimeleck king of Gadar sent and took Sarah.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And Abraham said about Sara his wife, “She is my sister” and Abimelek the King of Gadar sent and he took Sara.

OT Translations

JPS Tanakh 1917
And Abraham said of Sarah his wife: 'She is my sister.' And Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Abraam said concerning Sarrha his wife, She is my sister, for he feared to say, She is my wife, lest at any time the men of the city should kill him for her sake. So Abimelech king of Gerara sent and took Sarrha.

Additional Translations ...

Audio Bible

Context

Abraham, Sarah, and Abimelech
1Now Abraham journeyed from there to the region of the Negev and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he was staying in Gerar, 2Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech king of Gerar had Sarah brought to him. 3One night, however, God came to Abimelech in a dream and told him, “You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken, for she is a married woman.”…

Berean Standard Bible · Download

Cross References

Genesis 12:11-20
As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “Look, I know that you are a beautiful woman, / and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. / Please say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake, and on account of you my life will be spared.” ...

Genesis 26:6-11
So Isaac settled in Gerar. / But when the men of that place asked about his wife, he said, “She is my sister.” For he was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” since he thought to himself, “The men of this place will kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is so beautiful.” / When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked down from the window and was surprised to see Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah. ...

Exodus 20:14
You shall not commit adultery.

Exodus 20:16
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Leviticus 18:20
You must not lie carnally with your neighbor’s wife and thus defile yourself with her.

Deuteronomy 5:18
You shall not commit adultery.

Deuteronomy 5:20
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

2 Samuel 11:2-4
One evening David got up from his bed and strolled around on the roof of the palace. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing—a very beautiful woman. / So David sent and inquired about the woman, and he was told, “This is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” / Then David sent messengers to get her, and when she came to him, he slept with her. (Now she had just purified herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned home.

Proverbs 6:32
He who commits adultery lacks judgment; whoever does so destroys himself.

Proverbs 12:22
Lying lips are detestable to the LORD, but those who deal faithfully are His delight.

Matthew 5:27-28
You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ / But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Matthew 15:19
For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander.

Mark 10:19
You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not cheat others, honor your father and mother.’”

Luke 18:20
You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and mother.’”

John 8:44
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies.

Treasury of Scripture

And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.

said.

Genesis 12:11-13
And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon: …

Genesis 26:7
And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon.

2 Chronicles 19:2
And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD.

Abimelech.

Genesis 12:15
The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.

Genesis 26:1,16
And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar…

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Genesis 20

1. Abraham sojourns at Gerar.
2. Denies his wife, who is taken by Abimelech.
3. Abimelech is reproved for her in a dream.
9. He rebukes Abraham.
14. Restores Sarah;
16. and reproves her.
17. Abimelech and his family are healed at Abraham's prayer.

Berean Study Bible

And there Abraham said
The phrase "And there" indicates a specific location and time in Abraham's journey. Abraham, a patriarch of faith, finds himself in Gerar, a Philistine territory. The Hebrew root for "said" (אָמַר, 'amar) implies a deliberate declaration. Abraham's speech here is a strategic decision, reflecting human frailty and fear despite his covenant relationship with God. This moment serves as a reminder of the complexities of faith and the human tendency to rely on self-preservation.

of his wife Sarah
Sarah, whose name means "princess," is not only Abraham's wife but also a key figure in God's covenant promise. Her identity as Abraham's wife is crucial, as it ties directly to the promise of a son, Isaac, through whom God's covenant would continue. The mention of "his wife" underscores the sacredness of marriage and the divine plan that is at risk due to Abraham's actions.

'She is my sister.'
This statement is a half-truth, as Sarah is indeed Abraham's half-sister (Genesis 20:12). However, it is also a deception intended to protect Abraham. The Hebrew culture placed great importance on familial relationships, and this claim was meant to ensure Abraham's safety. Yet, it reveals a lapse in trust in God's protection. This moment challenges believers to consider the importance of truth and integrity, even in difficult circumstances.

So Abimelech king of Gerar
Abimelech, meaning "my father is king," is a title rather than a personal name, common among Philistine rulers. Gerar, located in the Negev region, was a place of political and economic significance. Abimelech's actions are not merely personal but reflect the customs and political dynamics of the time. This context highlights the vulnerability of Abraham and Sarah in foreign lands and the potential for conflict between God's people and surrounding nations.

sent for Sarah and took her
The act of "sending for" and "taking" Sarah indicates the authority and power wielded by Abimelech. In ancient Near Eastern culture, kings had the right to take women into their harems, often for political alliances. This action sets the stage for divine intervention, as God protects Sarah to ensure the fulfillment of His covenant. It serves as a powerful reminder of God's sovereignty and faithfulness, even when human actions threaten His plans.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(2) She is my sister.--Twenty years before, Abraham had acted in the same way in Egypt, and Pharaoh had rebuked him, but sent him away with large presents. We learn from this chapter, Genesis 20:13, that the false representation which twice brought them into trouble was habitual with the two; nor does Abraham ever seem conscious that he was acting in it wrongfully. To us it seems cowardly, in one who had so many men trained to battle, thus to expose his wife to danger; and to have recourse to deceit, at the very time when such abundant revelations were being made to him, also shows an apparent want of faith in God. But Holy Scripture neither represents its heroes as perfect, nor does it raise them disproportionately above the level of their own times. Its distinguishing feature rather is that it ever insists upon a perpetual progress upwards, and urges men onward to be better and holier than those that went before. Abraham was not on the same high spiritual level as a Christian ought to be who has the perfect example of Christ as his pattern, and the gift of the Holy Ghost for his aid; and the fact that God rescued him and Sarah from all danger in Egypt may have seemed to him a warrant that in future difficulties he would have the same Divine protection. Human conduct is ever strangely chequered, but we have a wholesome lesson in the fact, that it was Abraham's politic device which twice entangled him in actual danger.

Abimelech (called in Genesis 26:1, king of the Philistines, where see Note) . . . took Sarah.--She was now ninety years of age, and naturally her beauty must have faded. Some, however, think that with the promise of a son her youth had been renewed, while others suppose that the purpose uppermost in the mind of Abimelech was political, and that what he really desired was an alliance with the powerful sheik who had entered his territories.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 2. - And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister. As formerly he had done on descending into Egypt (Genesis 12:13). That Abraham should a second time have resorted to this ignoble expedient after the hazardous experience of Egypt and the richly-merited rebuke of Pharaoh, but more especially after the assurance he had lately received of his own acceptance before God (Genesis 15:6), and of Sarah's destiny to be the mother of the promised seed (Genesis 17:16), is well nigh unaccountable, and almost irreconcilable with any degree of faith and piety. Yet the lapse of upwards of twenty years since that former mistake may have deadened the impression of sinfulness which Pharaoh's rebuke must have left upon his conscience; while altogether the result of that experiment may, through a common misinterpretation of Divine providence, have encouraged him to think that God would watch over the purity of his house as he had done before. Thus, though in reality a tempting of God, the patriarch's repetition of his early venture may have had a secret connection with his deeply-grounded faith in the Divine promise (cf. Kalisch in loco). And Abimelech - i.e. Father-king, a title of the Philistine kings (Genesis 21:22; Genesis 26:1; Psalm 34:1), as Pharaoh was of the Egyptian (Genesis 12:15), and Hamor of the Shechemite (Genesis 34:4) monarchs; cf. Padishah (father-king), a title of the Persian kings, and Atalik (father, properly paternity), of the Khans of Bokhara (Gesenius, p. 6) - king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah. I.e. into his harem, as Pharaoh previously had done (Genesis 12:15), either having been fascinated by her beauty, which, although she was twenty years older than when she entered Egypt, need not have been much faded (vide Genesis 12:11; Calvin), or may have been miraculously rejuvenated when she received strength to conceive seed (Kurtz); or, what is as probable, having sought through her an alliance with the rich and powerful nomad prince who had entered his dominions (Delitzsch).

Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

Abraham
אַבְרָהָ֛ם (’aḇ·rā·hām)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 85: Abraham -- 'exalted father', the father of the Jewish nation

said
וַיֹּ֧אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

of
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

his wife
אִשְׁתּ֖וֹ (’iš·tōw)
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 802: Woman, wife, female

Sarah,
שָׂרָ֥ה (śā·rāh)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 8283: Sarah -- 'princess', a wife of Abraham

“She
הִ֑וא (hî)
Pronoun - third person feminine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

is my sister.”
אֲחֹ֣תִי (’ă·ḥō·ṯî)
Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 269: Sister -- a sister

So Abimelech
אֲבִימֶ֙לֶךְ֙ (’ă·ḇî·me·leḵ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 40: Abimelech -- 'father is king', a Philistine name, also an Israelite name

king
מֶ֣לֶךְ (me·leḵ)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4428: A king

of Gerar
גְּרָ֔ר (gə·rār)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 1642: Gerar -- a place South of Gaza

had Sarah
שָׂרָֽה׃ (śā·rāh)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 8283: Sarah -- 'princess', a wife of Abraham

brought
וַיִּשְׁלַ֗ח (way·yiš·laḥ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7971: To send away, for, out

to him.
וַיִּקַּ֖ח (way·yiq·qaḥ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3947: To take

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OT Law: Genesis 20:2 Abraham said about Sarah his wife She (Gen. Ge Gn)