Tag: Genesis 20

Plague of Barrenness

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Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his female slaves, so that they gave birth to children. For the Lord had completely closed all the wombs of the household of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
Genesis 20:17-18 (NASB)

Sarah was barren, and the consequence to Abimelech and his household was also a kind of barrenness. God “closed the wombs” of everyone in the land.

Here, when it says “because of Sarah,” the words are literally “at Sarah’s word.”

This happened back in Genesis 12, too; the plagues on Pharaoh may have been through Sarah’s spoken word.

Covering of the Eyes

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Then to Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver; indeed this vindicates you before all who are with you and before everybody.” Thus she was rebuked.
Genesis 20:16 (NKJV)

The Hebrew phrase that is translated as “this vindicates you” here is כְּסוּת עֵינַיִם, which means “a covering of the eyes.”

The meaning is debated among the rabbis, but Chizkuni’s interpretation seems to be the best.

There is sarcasm in the words.

Per tradition, it is proper to give a great gift to the brother of a bride. In Genesis 24:53, we read Eliazar gave precious gifts to Rebecca’s brother and her mother.

So Abimelech’s statement, “your brother,” is meant to nod to the tradition, even though he knows it’s not true.

In that context, “a covering of the eyes” is like “turning a blind eye.”

The word “rebuked” at the end is also difficult to translate, as it can mean both “rebuked” but also “cleared” or “shown to be right.” Perhaps it’s both, as the matter is dropped after Abraham prays for healing.

You are my Brother

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So when God made me wander from my father’s house, I said to her, ‘Let this be the kindness that you shall do me: whatever place we come to, say there of me: He is my brother.’”
Genesis 20:13 (The Contemporary Torah, JPS, 2006)

I don’t typically take single verses and disconnect them from their context, but I can’t help but notice the sweetness in this thing Abraham says.

To shield me from harm, your kindness is to call me “brother.”

May we all hold this notion close to our heart. May we love one another.

Wandering

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And it came about, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said to her, ‘This is the kindness which you will show to me: everywhere we go, say of me, “He is my brother.”’
Genesis 20:13 (NASB)

Wandering may feel aimless, isolating, and hopeless. Lonely. But at this time in the story, Abraham has been wandering for 24 years, never settling. But look at who causes this wandering. It is God, who made a promise to bless Abraham and lead him to a land he would show him.

So when you read that God drove Adam and Eve out of the garden, understand: He caused them to wander, too.

But not alone.

Erasing Iscah

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Some theological disagreements are fun, as they demonstrate creative but faithful interpretations. For example, in the Jewish teachings, there is talk about the kind of fruit that was on the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Perhaps it was a fig, tied to the fig leaves that Adam and Eve used to cover themselves. Perhaps it was more like wheat, because a child only gains reasoning and the capacity to defy their parents when they’re old enough to eat wheat. Again – creative, but not consequential. (In any event, the fruit wasn’t an apple).

But some disagreements are hard.

What do you think of Abraham? Is he generally good with some dark stains, or is he generally flawed with some bright spots? Where you land on this opinion shapes how you interpret what happens in Genesis 20.

Besides, she actually is my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.
Genesis 20:12 (NASB)

Is he telling the truth here, or is he still being deceptive with Abimelech? Is this a right explanation, or is it clear that he was simply covering his lie?

What is the consequence of your conclusion? Who does it impact?

I’ll tell you.

How you answer “is Abraham telling the truth” impacts a woman named Iscah.

Now these are the records of the generations of Terah. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran fathered Lot. Haran died [a]during the lifetime of his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans. Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and Iscah. Sarai was unable to conceive; she did not have a child.

Now Terah took his son Abram, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they departed together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; and they went as far as Haran and settled there. The days of Terah were 205 years; and Terah died in Haran.
Genesis 11:27-32 (NASB)

Iscah (which is where we get the name Jessica) is mentioned once in all of scripture. According to Genesis 11, she is Milcah’s sister, and Haran’s daughter. This would make her Abraham’s niece.

The sages looked this passage with intense curiosity, because verse 29 is written so strangely. It’s worded in such a confusing way, it’s almost fitting that the passage is given to us right after the Tower of Babel. It’s hard to follow. But Iscah is sitting there, looking into the future. Her name means “one who looks forth,” and some wonder if she was a prophetess.

And so a rabbi makes a statement that some disagree with, but it’s recorded in the commentaries as something to ponder:

“Iscah is Sarai.”

This statement holds true if Abraham is deceiving Abimelech. But if Abraham is actually being fully truthful (she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father), Iscah vanishes, because Iscah is not the daugther of Abraham’s father Terah, but the daughter of Abraham’s brother Haran.

Iscah simply disappears with no explanation. She dies without a word. But if Abraham is deceiving Abimelech, Iscah can be Sarah, and she lives on.

In the same way our perceptions shape our reality, our theologies do the same.

In this case, they can erase entire lives.

Caught in a Lie

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Besides, she actually is my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife;
Genesis 20:12 (NASB)

When you read this plainly, it appears that Abraham and Sarah are half-siblings. However, the Hebrew is full of people using familial words to describe both close and more-distant relationships.

Much later, we’ll see that Jacob refers to his “father Abraham,” but he is talking about his grandfather, so this feels legitimate.

Then Jacob said, “God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, Lord, who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your relatives, and I will make you prosper,’
Genesis 32:9 (NASB)

So is Abraham really being honest here?

In a previous post, I said Sarah is described oddly at the top of the chapter; we can link the Abraham->Sarah relationship with Israel->Ark, where the ark is merely being used for victory. A stolen blessing.

Look closely at this next instance of misrepresentation to gain a blessing…

Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn; I have done as you told me. Come now, sit and eat of my game, so that you may bless me.”
Genesis 20:19 (NASB)

Motivated by Fear

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And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What have you encountered, that you have done this thing?” Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely there is no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.
Genesis 20:10-11 (NASB)

In Hebrew, Abimelech actually asks “מָ֣ה רָאִ֔יתָ,” which means “What did you see?”

Abraham’s response is often written as “I thought,” but it is אָמַ֗רְתִּי, which actually means “I said,” which means he told his people.

Notice that Abraham never actually answers Abimelech’s question. Perhaps he didn’t actually see anything. He was simply afraid.

Rebuke

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Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me things that ought not to be done.” And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What have you encountered, that you have done this thing?”
Genesis 20:9-10 (NASB)

One of the most important lessons I had to learn as a Christian is that being “a believer” did not mean that I had the moral high ground.

It meant that I had to understand that I was morally accountable for my actions towards everyone.

Abraham is rightly rebuked.

The Men were Afraid

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So Abimelech rose early in the morning, called all his servants, and told all these things in their hearing; and the men were very much afraid.
Genesis 20:8 (NKJV)

Why does the text tell us that Abemelech’s men were afraid?

In this chapter, we read that God appeared to Abimelech by dream and threatened his life unless he returned Sarah to Abraham. Abimelech tells his servants, and then the text says that “the men” were afraid.

There are speculations about the precise locations of Gerar (likely near the Negev region in Southen Israel) and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (near the Dead Sea), but it’s assumed that the places were about 40 to 50 miles from one another.

The rabbis note that by the time Abraham arrives, the people of Gerar could still see the smoke from the burning cities.

Perhaps the arrival of a prophet of the God who destroyed the cities was enough to terrify everyone. But the text doesn’t say “everyone” was afraid. It doesn’t give a vague pronoun here, even though it could have.

It said “and the MEN” were very afraid.

While the commentaries don’t say this, I wonder if “the men” are mentioned here to tie us back to the cities that were destroyed. There were wicked men in Sodom and Gomorrah, and perhaps the men here considered their own life choices and wondered if they were next.

One Jewish commentary says that perhaps the men were afraid that Abraham would not intercede for them and shield them from doom.

The men were very frightened. They were afraid that Avraham would refuse to pray for them.
Haamek Davar on Genesis 20:8:1

We already know that Abraham is a man who pleads on behalf of others. Perhaps here, God is teaching him to pray not just for his own people, but for the well-being and protection of others as well.

The Prophet’s Role

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Now therefore, restore the man’s wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.”
Genesis 20:7 (NKJV)

When “prophet” is first introduced, we are shown the prophet’s role:

1. To restore relationship
2. To plead on behalf of someone:
– a) So they may live
– b) So they may avoid destruction

The word “restore” is שׁוּב (shuv), and it’s the same as “repent” or “turn back.” It is a word that means to return to origin and start again. It is a word of healing and repair.

But restore back to what?

The phrase “man’s wife” is אֵשֶׁת־הָאִישׁ (ishet ha’ish). Literally “the wife of the husband.” These words bring us back to Genesis 2, when Adam first meets his wife, who is just like him, as though she’s made in his image and likeness.

And this points us back to Genesis 1: “Let us create mankind in our image.”

The prophet’s role is firstly one of restoration. To restore us to one anther, and to God. To bring us into oneness and wholeness and peace with God, like it was in the Garden.

And this is done through intercession, through praying on behalf of others.

Look at the words of life and death. God doesn’t say “if you don’t, I will kill you.” He says “if you do not שׁוּב (shuv), you will die.

In the hebrew, it is מוֹת תָּמוּת (mot tamut). “You will surely die.” (lit. dying-die)

Yes. The same words from the Garden.

In the first story of death, we were told if we ate from the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil, we would mot tamut. But here: if we do not restore, we will mot tamot.

Can you see it? Can you see God’s desire? God wants the restoration of relationships: Ish and Ishah, God and humanity, we and our neighbors… as it was in the garden. As it is in heaven.

This is the prophet’s prayer.

Because everything else is death, chaos, destruction, hopelessness, emptiness, loneliness.