Genesis 20:3
New International Version
But God came to Abimelek in a dream one night and said to him, “You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman.”

New Living Translation
But that night God came to Abimelech in a dream and told him, “You are a dead man, for that woman you have taken is already married!”

English Standard Version
But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.”

Berean Standard Bible
One 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.”

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, “Indeed you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.”

New American Standard Bible
But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is married.”

NASB 1995
But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is married.”

NASB 1977
But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is married.”

Legacy Standard Bible
But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is married.”

Amplified Bible
But God came to Abimelech in a dream during the night, and said, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken [as your wife], for she is another man’s wife.”

Christian Standard Bible
But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, “You are about to die because of the woman you have taken, for she is a married woman.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, “You are about to die because of the woman you have taken, for she is a married woman.”

American Standard Version
But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, because of the woman whom thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And God came upon Abimelek in a dream of the night and said to him: “Behold, you die for the sake of the woman whom you have taken, because she is the wife of a man.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And God came to Abimelech by night in sleep, and said, Behold, thou diest for the woman, whom thou hast taken, whereas she has lived with a husband.

Contemporary English Version
But God came to Abimelech in a dream and said, "You have taken a married woman into your home, and for this you will die!"

Douay-Rheims Bible
And God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and he said to him: Lo thou shalt die for the woman thou hast taken: for she hath a husband.

English Revised Version
But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, because of the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
God came to Abimelech in a dream one night and said to him, "You're going to die because of the woman that you've taken! She's a married woman!"

Good News Translation
One night God appeared to him in a dream and said, "You are going to die, because you have taken this woman; she is already married."

International Standard Version
But God came to Abimelech in a dream during the night and spoke to him, "Pay attention! You're about to die, because the woman you have taken is a man's wife!"

JPS Tanakh 1917
But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him: 'Behold, thou shalt die, because of the woman whom thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife.'

Literal Standard Version
And God comes to Abimelech in a dream of the night and says to him, “Behold, you [are] a dead man, because of the woman whom you have taken—and she married to a husband.”

Majority Standard Bible
One 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.”

New American Bible
But God came to Abimelech in a dream one night and said to him: You are about to die because of the woman you have taken, for she has a husband.

NET Bible
But God appeared to Abimelech in a dream at night and said to him, "You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken, for she is someone else's wife."

New Revised Standard Version
But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, “You are about to die because of the woman whom you have taken; for she is a married woman.”

New Heart English Bible
But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, "Look, you are a dead man, because of the woman whom you have taken. For she is a man's wife."

Webster's Bible Translation
But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, on account of the woman whom thou hast taken: for she is a man's wife.

World English Bible
But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man, because of the woman whom you have taken; for she is a man’s wife.”

Young's Literal Translation
And God cometh in unto Abimelech in a dream of the night, and saith to him, 'Lo, thou art a dead man, because of the woman whom thou hast taken -- and she married to a husband.'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Abraham, Sarah, and Abimelech
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.” 4Now Abimelech had not gone near her, so he replied, “Lord, would You destroy a nation even though it is innocent?…

Cross References
Genesis 12:17
The LORD, however, afflicted Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Abram's wife Sarai.

Genesis 12:18
So Pharaoh summoned Abram and asked, "What have you done to me? Why didn't you tell me she was your wife?

Genesis 20:7
Now return the man's wife, for he is a prophet; he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not restore her, be aware that you will surely die--you and all who belong to you."

Genesis 31:24
But that night God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream and warned him, "Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad."

Numbers 22:9
Then God came to Balaam and asked, "Who are these men with you?"

1 Chronicles 16:21
He let no man oppress them; He rebuked kings on their behalf:

Psalm 105:14
He let no man oppress them; He rebuked kings on their behalf:


Treasury of Scripture

But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, you are but a dead man, for the woman which you have taken; for she is a man's wife.

a dream.

Genesis 28:12
And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

Genesis 31:24
And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said unto him, Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.

Genesis 37:5,9
And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more…

a dead.

Genesis 20:7
Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.

Psalm 105:14
He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes;

Ezekiel 33:14,15
Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right; …

a man's wife.

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Abimelech Abim'elech Account Band Dead Die Dream Good Husband Married Night Wife
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Abimelech Abim'elech Account Band Dead Die Dream Good Husband Married Night Wife
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.














(3) God (Elohim) came . . . --From the use of this title of the Deity it has been said that this narrative is an Elohistic form of the Jehovistic narrative in�Genesis 12:10-20. But we have seen that even in the History of the Fall, where the writer in so remarkable a manner styles the Deity Jehovah-Elohim, he nevertheless restricts Eve and the serpent in their conversation to the name Elohim. With the same care in the application of the names, it is necessarily Elohim who appears to a heathen king; and had the title Jehovah been used it would have been a violation of the narrator's rule. Moreover, the sole reason for calling that narrative Jehovistic is that in Genesis 12:17 it is Jehovah who plagues Pharaoh for Sarah's sake. But equally here, Genesis 20:18, it is Jehovah who protects Sarah from Abimelech; in both cases it being the covenant- God, who saves his people from injury.

Thou art but a dead man.--Heb., thou diest, or art dying. Abimelech was already suffering from the malady spoken of in Genesis 20:17, when Elohim appeared to him and warned him that death would be the result of perseverance in retaining Sarah. It was this malady which was the cause of the abstention spoken of in Genesis 20:4; Genesis 20:6. . . .

Verse 3. - But God - Elohim; whence the present chapter, with the exception of Ver. 18, is assigned to the Elohist (Tuch, De Wette, Bleek, Davidson), and the incident at Gerar explained as the original legend, of which the story of Sarah's abduction by Pharaoh is the Jehovistic imitation. But

(1) the use of Elohim throughout the present chapter is sufficiently accounted for by observing that it describes the intercourse of Deity with a heathen monarch, to whom the name of Jehovah was unknown, while the employment of the latter term in Ver. 18 may be ascribed to the fact that it is the covenant God of Sarah who there interposes for her protection; and

(2) the apparent resemblance between the two incidents is more than counterbalanced by the points of diversity which subsist between them - came to Abimelech in a dream - the usual mode of self-revelation employed by Elohim towards heathen. Cf. Pharaoh's dreams (Genesis 41:1) and Nebuchadnezzar's (Daniel 4:5), as distinguished from the visions in which Jehovah manifests his presence to his people. Cf. the theophanies vouchsafed to Abraham (Genesis 12:7; Genesis 15:1; Genesis 18:1) and to Jacob (Genesis 28:13; Genesis 32:24), and the visions granted to Daniel (Daniel 7:1-28; Daniel 10:5-9) and the prophets generally, which, though sometimes occurring in dreams, were yet a higher form of Divine manifestation than the dreams - by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, - literally, behold thyself dying, or about to die - σὺ ἀποθνήσκεις (LXX.). Abimelech, it is probable, was by this time suffering from the malady which had fallen on his house (vide Ver. 17) - for (i.e. on account of) the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife - literally, married to a husband, or under lordship to a lord (cf. Deuteronomy 22:22).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
One night, however,
הַלָּ֑יְלָה (hal·lā·yə·lāh)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3915: A twist, night, adversity

God
אֱלֹהִ֛ים (’ĕ·lō·hîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

came
וַיָּבֹ֧א (way·yā·ḇō)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

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

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

in a dream
בַּחֲל֣וֹם (ba·ḥă·lō·wm)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2472: A dream

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

“You are as good as dead
מֵת֙ (mêṯ)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 4191: To die, to kill

because of
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

the woman
הָאִשָּׁ֣ה (hā·’iš·šāh)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 802: Woman, wife, female

you have taken,
לָקַ֔חְתָּ (lā·qaḥ·tā)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 3947: To take

for she
וְהִ֖וא (wə·hi·w)
Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - third person feminine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

is a married
בְּעֻ֥לַת (bə·‘u·laṯ)
Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - feminine singular construct
Strong's 1166: To be master, to marry

woman.”
בָּֽעַל׃ (bā·‘al)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1167: A master, a husband, owner


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OT Law: Genesis 20:3 But God came to Abimelech (Gen. Ge Gn)
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