Genesis-Chap-20-1-18
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Colour coded details of our
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been corrected like it once was pre the “Masoretic Text”.
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Remember the following
truth from our beloved Torah!
“Ye shall NOT ADD TO THE WORD which I command you, NEITHER
SHALL YE DIMINISH FROM IT, that ye may keep
the commandments of יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloleichem, which I command you”. Davarim -
Deuteronomy 4:2. (JPS-1917).
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“Genesis Chapter 20:1-18”
With
Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
This passage
recounts a tense episode in Avraham’s life during his sojourn in Gerar. It raises themes of ‘fear’ and ‘faith’, ‘moral ambiguity’, ‘Divine
protection’, and ‘ethical responsibility’. The narrative shows how human
weakness and Divine providence interact: Avraham’s strategy to protect himself by concealing Sarah’s full status, Abimelech’s unwitting
transgression, אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s direct intervention, and the restoration that follows. Read slowly,
noting the interplay of speech, dream, and covenantal concern.
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Let
us read Genesis Chapter
20, verses 1 to 18: (JPS-1917 version of the Torah). Explanations are located directly below
this chapter.
1. “And
Avraham journeyed from thence toward the land of the South, and dwelt
between Kadesh and Shur; and he sojourned in Gerar. 2. And Avraham said of Sarah his wife: ‘She is my sister’.
And Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah. 3. But אֱלֹהִים - Elohim 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’. 4. Now Abimelech had not come near her; and he said: ‘יְהוָה - LORD, wilt Thou slay even a righteous
nation? 5. Said he not himself unto me: She is my
sister? and she, even she herself said: He is my brother.
In the simplicity of my heart and the innocency of
my hands have I done this’. 6. And אֱלֹהִים - Elohim said unto him in the dream: ‘Yea, I know that in the simplicity of
thy heart thou hast done this, and I also withheld thee from sinning
against Me. Therefore suffered I thee not to touch her. 7. Now therefore restore the man's 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’. 8. And Abimelech rose
early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in
their ears; and the men were sore afraid. 9. Then Abimelech called Avraham, and said unto him: ‘What hast thou done unto
us? and wherein have I sinned against thee,
that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done’. 10. And
Abimelech said unto Avraham: ‘What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?’ 11. And
Avraham said ‘Because I thought: Surely
the fear of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife’s sake. 12. And moreover she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my
father, but not the daughter of my mother; and so she became my wife. 13. And it came to pass, when אֱלֹהִים - Elohim caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said unto her:
This is thy kindness which thou shalt show unto me; at every place whither we
shall come, say of me: He is my brother’. 14. And Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and men-servants and women-servants, and gave
them unto Avraham, and restored him Sarah his wife. 15. And Abimelech said: ‘Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee’. 16. And unto Sarah he said: ‘Behold,
I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver; behold, it is for thee a
covering of the eyes to all that are with thee; and before all men thou art
righted’. 17. And Avraham prayed unto אֱלֹהִים - Elohim; and אֱלֹהִים - Elohim healed Abimelech,
and his wife, and his maid-servants; and they bore children. 18. For
the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Avraham’s wife”.
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Explanations:
Of Genesis Chapter
20:
Setting
and Avraham’s Strategy (verses 1-2):
Verse 1: Places
Avraham in Gerar, a foreign Royal court.
Verse 2: Repeats
the familiar motif: Avraham presents Sarah as his sister. This strategy appears
in earlier episodes and reflects Avraham’s fear for his life when a foreign
ruler might desire his wife. The phrase “my sister” is technically true in a
limited genealogical sense, but it is also a deliberate concealment that places
Sarah at risk and raises ethical questions about Avraham’s trust in אֱלֹהִים - Elohim versus self-preservation.
Divine
Intervention and Abimelech’s Innocence (verses 3-7):
Verses 3-4: אֱלֹהִים - Elohim appears to Abimelech in
a dream, warning him that he is a dead man because he has taken a married
woman. Abimelech’s immediate protest
“I have sinned not” and his claim of innocence emphasize his moral integrity.
Verses
5-6: Record Abimelech’s defense and אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s confirmation that Abimelech acted
in good faith; אֱלֹהִים - Elohim prevented the sin by keeping Abimelech from
approaching Sarah.
Verse
7: Identifies Avraham as “a prophet”, a
significant title that explains why Abimelech should
restore Sarah and seek Avraham’s intercession for life. The text thus balances
Divine sovereignty with human conscience.
Public
Disclosure and Confrontation (verses 8-13):
Verse
8: shows Abimelech’s responsible
leadership: he informs his household, and fear spreads.
Verses
9-10: are Abimelech’s direct
confrontation with Avraham, accusing him of bringing a grave sin upon the king
and kingdom.
Avraham’s reply
in verses 11-13 reveals his motive fear that the people lacked
“the fear of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim” and his admission that Sarah was his half‑sister and that he
instructed her to say he was her brother. The narrative does not fully
exonerate Avraham; it records his fear-driven deception without explicit moral
approval.
Restoration,
Compensation, and Social Repair (verses 14-16):
Verse
14: Abimelech restores
Sarah and compensates Avraham with livestock and servants, actions that repair the
wrong and restore Avraham’s honour.
Verse
15: Offers Avraham freedom to settle in the
land, an act of hospitality and political amends.
Verse
16: Abimelech gives
“a thousand pieces of silver” to Sarah as a public token, “a covering of the eyes”
intended to vindicate her reputation before the community. The phrase suggests
a formal apology and social protection, acknowledging that Sarah’s honour had
been compromised.
Healing
and theological consequence (verses 17-18):
Verse
17: Avraham prays, and אֱלֹהִים - Elohim heals Abimelech’s household;
they bear children.
Verse
18: Explains the cause: אֱלֹהִים - Elohim had closed the wombs of Abimelech’s household
because of Sarah. This detail underscores the seriousness with which אֱלֹהִים - Elohim treats the sanctity of marriage and the protection of the covenantal
line. It also shows that Divine discipline can be remedial leading to
confession, restitution, and restoration.
Themes
and Lessons:
Fear versus faith: Avraham’s repeated tactic of concealment reveals a tension between
trust in אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s promise and human fear. The narrative invites reflection on when
prudence becomes compromise.
Innocence and responsibility: Abimelech is portrayed as morally upright
despite his error; leaders are accountable for the welfare of their people and
must respond when warned.
Prophetic role: Avraham’s
designation as “a prophet” highlights that patriarchal figures can intercede and mediate Divine mercy.
Restoration as justice: The gifts and the silver function as social remedies, public acts
that restore honour and repair relationships.
Divine protection of covenantal integrity: אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s intervention preserves Sarah and the line through which the promise will
be fulfilled.
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My
Concluding Message:
This chapter
invites us to hold together ‘honesty’, ‘courage’, and ‘trust. Avraham’s human
failing is recorded without gloss, yet אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s providence and Abimelech’s integrity
bring about reconciliation. The story teaches that even when fear leads us
astray, אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s concern for covenantal faithfulness and human dignity can restore what
was endangered. May we learn to choose ‘faith’ over ‘fear’, to act with
integrity when confronted with moral dilemmas, and to pursue repair and
restitution when harm has been done.
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שָׁלוֹם
עֲלֵיכֶם - Shalom Aleichem - Peace be with you!
Rabbi,
Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
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