Genesis 20

Abimelech Takes Sarah; God Intervenes

Abraham left that region and traveled to Negev [south Judah] where he settled between Kadesh and Shur. Then he lived in Gerar [south of Gaza]. He told everyone that his wife Sarah was his sister, so Gerar’s King Abimelech took her for himself. But God visited Abimelech and said,

“You are a dead man for taking Sarah, because she is already married.”

Abimelech hadn’t approached her yet, so he said,

“Your Majesty, are you gonna wipe out my country even though I thought I was doing something innocent? He told me they were siblings! And she agreed! My hands were clean and my heart was innocent when I did this.”

Then God told him in the dream,

“Yes, I know you did this with an innocent heart. I even prevented you from incriminating yourself against me by not letting you touch her. Now give Abraham back his wife, because he is my spokesman. He will intervene for you, and you will live. But if you don’t give her back, know that you and your people will be executed.”

Abraham Explains

So Abimelech got up early that morning and told his servants what had happened. They were terrified. Then he invited Abraham over and asked him, 

“Why did you put us in this position? What did I ever do to you that made you want to incriminate me and my empire? What you did to me is something that no one should ever do. Why’d you do that?”

Abraham said,

“I thought that you guys disregarded God and that you would kill me for my wife. And she really is my sister: we have the same dad but different moms. Then we got married. When God prompted me to wander away from my homelands, I asked her to introduce us as siblings everywhere we went.”

Abimelech Gives Sarah Back

Then Abimelech gave Abraham back his wife along with some sheep, oxen, male servants, and female servants. Abimelech said,

“I welcome you to tour my empire and settle wherever you want.”

Then he told Sarah,

“See how I’ve given your brother 1,000 silver coins on your behalf. That way everyone will be able to see that this situation has been corrected.”

Abraham intervened to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his maidens so that they were able to have children again. (The Existing One had prevented everyone in Abimelech’s household from getting pregnant during the Sarah incident.)