Genesis 20:3

Translation
King James Version
¶ 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.
Ask
KJV (with Strong's)
But God H430 came H935 to Abimelech H40 in a dream H2472 by night H3915, and said H559 to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man H4191, for the woman H802 which thou hast taken H3947; for she is a man's H1167 wife H1166.
Ask
Complete Jewish Bible
But God came to Avimelekh in a dream one night and said to him, "You are about to die because of the woman you have taken, since she is someone's wife."
Ask
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.”
Ask
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.
Ask
World English Bible Messianic
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.”
Ask
Geneva Bible (1599)
But God came to Abimelech in a dreame by night, and said to him, Beholde, thou art but dead, because of the woman, which thou hast taken: for she is a mans wife.
Ask
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.'
Ask
See also
Matthew 27:19Genesis 20:7Job 33:15Psalms 105:14Genesis 28:12Matthew 1:20Jonah 3:4
See on the biblical-era map
All Genesis Sites (Canaan)
All Genesis Sites (Canaan) View full PDF
All Genesis Sites (Middle East)
All Genesis Sites (Middle East) View full PDF
Genesis 20:1-17
Genesis 20:1-17 View full PDF

Map © Biblica Open Bible Maps · CC BY-SA 4.0

In the KJVVerse 499 of 31,102

Study This Verse

SUMMARY

Genesis 20:3 records God's dramatic and direct intervention in a dream to Abimelech, the king of Gerar, issuing a severe warning that he is "a dead man" for having taken Sarah into his household. This divine confrontation underscores the profound sanctity of the marital covenant, God's active and vigilant protection of His chosen people and the promises made to them, and the grave consequences, even if unintended, of violating divine moral law.

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: This incident in Gerar immediately follows Abraham's journey to the Negev and his settling near Gerar. It strikingly echoes Abraham's earlier deception in Egypt in Genesis 12 where he similarly presented Sarah as his sister to protect himself from potential harm. The repetition of this narrative motif highlights Abraham's recurring struggle with faith and fear, yet it simultaneously magnifies God's unwavering faithfulness and protective sovereignty over His covenant promises. The divine intervention in Genesis 20:3 is a direct response to Abimelech's unwitting action, preventing a catastrophic violation that would have jeopardized the lineage through which the Abrahamic covenant, particularly the promise of a son, was to be fulfilled.
  • Historical & Cultural Context: In the ancient Near East, the practice of a king taking a woman into his harem was common, often for political alliances or to secure an heir. Kings held significant power, and a man's fear for his life if his wife was desired by a powerful ruler was a legitimate concern, as seen in Abraham's repeated actions. However, the sanctity of marriage, though sometimes overridden by royal prerogative, was generally recognized. God's intervention here transcends typical human customs, asserting a higher divine law. Gerar was a Philistine city-state, and Abimelech, as its king, would have been seen as a powerful figure. The fact that God communicates with a pagan king through a dream, a common medium for divine revelation in the ancient world (Joseph's dreams in Genesis), underscores the universality of God's sovereignty and His ability to interact with those outside the covenant community for His purposes.
  • Key Themes: The passage contributes significantly to several overarching themes in Genesis. It powerfully reinforces the theme of God's faithfulness to His covenant promises, demonstrating His active preservation of Sarah, the matriarch through whom the promised seed (Isaac) would come, despite Abraham's repeated failures of faith. It also emphasizes the sanctity of marriage as a divinely ordained institution, demonstrating God's fierce protection of its integrity. Furthermore, it highlights the theme of divine justice and grace, as God, in His mercy, warns Abimelech before irreparable harm or judgment occurs, providing an opportunity for repentance and rectification, even for unwitting sin. This divine intervention also serves as a reminder of God's sovereignty over all nations and rulers, even those who do not explicitly acknowledge Him.

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

  • chălôwm (Hebrew, chălôwm', H2472): From the root meaning "to dream," this word signifies a dream. In biblical contexts, dreams often serve as a significant medium for divine revelation, warnings, and communication, especially when God intends to convey a message directly and urgently, as seen here with Abimelech. It bypasses conventional human interaction and underscores God's ability to communicate directly with individuals, even those outside the covenant, for His specific purposes.
  • mûwth (Hebrew, mûwth', H4191): A primitive root meaning "to die" (literally or figuratively); causatively, "to kill." In the phrase "thou art but a dead man," the word signifies a state of being under divine condemnation or a sentence of death. It is not merely a future threat but a declaration that Abimelech's actions have already placed him in a perilous, life-forfeiting position. This strong declaration emphasizes the gravity of the offense and the imminent danger Abimelech faced, from which only divine intervention or immediate rectification could deliver him.
  • bâʻal (Hebrew, bâʻal', H1166): A primitive root meaning "to be master," and by extension, "to marry" or "to be husband/wife." In the context of "she is a man's wife," this word, along with its related noun baʻal (husband/master), emphatically defines Sarah's marital status. It highlights the legal and covenantal bond of marriage, underscoring that Sarah is not an unattached woman but is under the authority and protection of her husband. The use of this term reinforces the inviolability of the marital covenant in God's eyes.

Verse Breakdown

  • "But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night,": This clause immediately establishes the divine initiative and the extraordinary nature of the communication. God is not a passive observer but actively intervenes in human affairs. The specific medium, "in a dream by night," highlights the direct, personal, and urgent nature of this divine revelation, often used by God to communicate warnings or guidance to individuals, including non-believers, as seen in other biblical narratives.
  • "and said to him,": This simple phrase introduces the direct speech of God, emphasizing the authority and clarity of the message that follows. It is a divine pronouncement, not a mere suggestion or vague impression.
  • "Behold, thou [art but] a dead man,": This is a powerful and shocking declaration. The Hebrew phrase (hinnəkā mēt) signifies that Abimelech is already under a sentence of death or in a state of being condemned. It's an emphatic statement of his perilous spiritual and physical condition due to his actions, indicating that his life is forfeit unless divine grace or immediate repentance intervenes. It conveys the absolute seriousness with which God views the impending violation.
  • "for the woman which thou hast taken;": This clause provides the immediate reason for the dire warning. Abimelech's action of "taking" Sarah into his household, though perhaps with honorable intentions for marriage, is the direct cause of his perilous state. This highlights the objective nature of sin against God's law, regardless of subjective intent.
  • "for she [is] a man's wife.": This final clause provides the ultimate justification for God's judgment. Sarah's marital status is the critical factor. The phrase "a man's wife" (Hebrew: bə‘alat ba‘al, literally "owner of a husband") emphatically declares her established, sacred marital bond, making Abimelech's action, however unwitting, an affront to the divine institution of marriage.

Literary Devices

The passage employs several potent literary devices. Divine Intervention is central, as God directly steps into the human narrative through a dream, demonstrating His active sovereignty and concern for His covenant purposes. The phrase "Behold, thou art but a dead man" functions as a stark Hyperbole or a strong declaration of Divine Judgment, emphasizing the severe consequences of Abimelech's actions. It is a powerful warning, not necessarily a literal immediate death sentence, but a declaration of a state of condemnation. The Repetition of the causal conjunction "for" ("for the woman... for she is a man's wife") serves to emphatically state the precise reasons for God's severe warning, building a clear logical connection between Abimelech's action and its dire consequences. This directness creates a sense of urgency and gravity.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

This passage profoundly illustrates God's active involvement in human history, demonstrating His unwavering commitment to His covenant promises and His zealous protection of the sacred institution of marriage. Despite Abraham's repeated failures of faith and his deceptive actions, God remains faithful, ensuring the preservation of Sarah, the matriarch through whom the promised seed would come. This highlights a crucial theological truth: God's plans are not contingent on human perfection but on His own steadfast character. The severity of the warning to Abimelech underscores the inviolability of the marital bond in God's eyes, revealing that even unwitting violations of foundational moral laws carry serious consequences, though God's grace may provide a warning and opportunity for repentance before full judgment.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

Genesis 20:3 serves as a powerful reminder of God's vigilant sovereignty and His profound concern for moral purity, especially within the sacred covenant of marriage. For believers, this passage challenges us to cultivate an unwavering trust in God's protective hand, even when faced with fear or uncertainty, rather than resorting to deceptive or self-serving strategies that compromise our integrity. It underscores the critical importance of discerning and adhering to God's moral laws, recognizing that ignorance, while perhaps mitigating culpability, does not negate the inherent gravity of sin or its potential consequences. God's gracious warning to Abimelech also highlights His desire for repentance and restoration, inviting us to respond promptly and humbly to divine correction in our own lives, trusting in His mercy to avert judgment and guide us back to righteousness.

Questions for Reflection

  • How does God's intervention in this passage challenge our understanding of His sovereignty in human affairs, especially when His people falter?
  • In what ways might we, like Abraham, be tempted to compromise truth or integrity out of fear, and what does this passage teach us about trusting God instead?
  • What does God's severe warning to Abimelech reveal about the sanctity of marriage in God's eyes, and how does this inform our view of marital fidelity today?
  • How does God's mercy in warning Abimelech, despite his unwitting sin, encourage us to seek God's grace and repent when we recognize our own failings?

FAQ

Why did God call Abimelech a "dead man" if he did not immediately die?

Answer: The phrase "thou art but a dead man" (Hebrew: hinnəkā mēt) is a strong declaration of being under divine judgment or condemnation. It signifies that Abimelech's actions had already placed him in a state deserving of death, implying that his life was forfeit unless God intervened or he repented. God's warning was a merciful intervention, giving him the opportunity to avert the impending judgment by returning Sarah. It was a statement of what would happen if he proceeded, not necessarily what had already happened in a final sense. This divine warning allowed Abimelech to avoid the full, immediate consequence of his unwitting sin, demonstrating God's grace even in judgment.

Does this passage imply that God condones Abraham's deception?

Answer: No, the passage does not condone Abraham's deception. While God protects Sarah and His covenant promises despite Abraham's actions, Abraham's fear and deceit are not presented as righteous. The narrative implicitly critiques Abraham's lack of faith and his repeated failure to trust God fully, even after experiencing God's faithfulness in Genesis 12. Instead, God's intervention highlights His unwavering faithfulness to His covenant (as seen in 2 Timothy 2:13), even when His human partners fail, and His protection of the lineage through which the Messiah would ultimately come. God's actions are for the sake of His own promises, not an endorsement of Abraham's sin.

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

Genesis 20:3, with its profound emphasis on God's protection of the covenant lineage and the sanctity of marriage, powerfully foreshadows and finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ. The preservation of Sarah, through whom the promised seed (Isaac) would come, is a testament to God's unwavering commitment to His redemptive plan, a plan that culminates in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the true "Seed of Abraham" (Galatians 3:16). Christ Himself upholds and elevates the sanctity of marriage, restoring it to its original divine design and condemning adultery as a sin of the heart (Matthew 5:28, Matthew 19:4-6). Furthermore, just as God mercifully intervened to warn Abimelech, offering him a path away from spiritual and physical death, Christ's coming is the ultimate act of divine intervention, offering grace and repentance to a humanity that is spiritually "dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1). He is the faithful Bridegroom who protects His church, His bride (Ephesians 5:25-27), and ensures the ultimate triumph of God's covenant, delivering all who believe from the condemnation of death into eternal life.

Copy as

Commentary on Genesis 20 verses 3–7

I. II. Main points1. 2. Sub-points

It appears by this that God revealed himself by dreams (which evidenced themselves to be divine and supernatural) not only to his servants the prophets, but even to those who were out of the pale of the church and covenant; but then, usually, it was with some regard to God's own people as in Pharaoh's dream, to Joseph, in Nebuchadnezzar's, to Daniel, and here, in Abimelech's, to Abraham and Sarah, for he reproved this king for their sake, Psa 105:14, Psa 105:15.

I. God gives him notice of his danger (Gen 20:3), his danger of sin, telling him that the woman is a man's wife, so that if he take her he will wrong her husband; his danger of death for this sin: Thou art a dead man; and God's saying so of a man makes him so. Note, Every wilful sinner ought to be told that he is a dead man, as the condemned malefactor, and the patient whose disease is mortal, are said to be so. If thou art a bad man, certainly thou art a dead man.

II. He pleads ignorance that Abraham and Sarah had agreed to impose upon him, and not to let him know that they were any more than brother and sister, Gen 20:6. See what confidence a man may have towards God when his heart condemns him not, Jo1 3:21. If our consciences witness to our integrity, and that, however we may have been cheated into a snare, we have not knowingly and wittingly sinned against God, it will be our rejoicing in the day of evil. He pleads with God as Abraham had done, Gen 18:23. Wilt thou slay a righteous nation? Gen 20:4. Not such a nation as Sodom, which was indeed justly destroyed, but a nation which, in this matter, was innocent.

III. God gives a very full answer to what he had said.

1.He allows his plea, and admits that what he did he did in the integrity of his heart: Yea, I know it, Gen 20:6. Note, It is matter of comfort to those that are honest that God knows their honesty, and will acknowledge it, though perhaps men that are prejudiced against them either cannot be convinced of it or will not own that they are.

2.He lets him know that he was kept from proceeding in the sin merely by the good hand of God upon him: I withheld thee from sinning against me. Abimelech was hereby kept from doing wrong, Abraham from suffering wrong, and Sarah from both. Note, (1.) There is a great deal of sin devised and designed that is never executed. As bad as things are in the world, they are not so bad as the devil and wicked men would have them. (2.) It is God that restrains men from doing the ill they would do. It is not from him that there is sin, but it is from him that there is not more sin, either by his influence upon men's minds, checking their inclination to sin, or by his providence, taking away the opportunity to sin. (3.) It is a great mercy to be hindered from committing sin; of this God must have the glory, whoever is the instrument, Sa1 25:32, Sa1 25:33.

3.He charges him to make restitution: Now therefore, not that thou art better informed, restore the man his wife, Gen 20:7. Note, Ignorance will excuse no longer than it continues. If we have entered upon a wrong course through ignorance this will not excuse our knowingly persisting in it, Lev 5:3-5. The reasons why he must be just and kind to Abraham are, (1.) Because he is a prophet, near and dear to God, for whom God does in a particular manner concern himself. God highly resents the injuries done to his prophets, and takes them as done to himself. (2.) Being a prophet, he shall pray for thee; this is a prophet's reward, and a good reward it is. It is intimated that there was great efficacy in the prayers of a prophet, and that good men should be ready to help those with their prayers that stand in need of them, and should make, at least, this return for the kindnesses that are done them. Abraham was accessory to Abimelech's trouble, and therefore was obliged in justice to pray for him. (3.) It is at thy peril if thou do not restore her: Know thou that thou shalt surely die. Note, He that does wrong, whoever he is, prince or peasant, shall certainly receive for the wrong which he has done, unless he repent and make restitution, Col 3:25. No injustice can be made passable with God, no, not by Caesar's image stamped upon it.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 3–7. Public domain.
Copy as
BedeAD 735
Commentary on Genesis (Hexaemeron)
But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him: Behold, you are about to die because of the woman you have taken, for she has a husband; but Abimelech had not touched her and said: Lord, will you kill an innocent and righteous nation? And the rest of this reading. It seems that Abimelech was diligent in practicing the worship of the true religion and knew it with all his people; for how would a man, ignorant of the knowledge and fear of God, deserve to be rebuked by God for his sin, or receive God's rebuking words with such humility; for he demonstrated his people's innocence when he said: Will you kill an innocent and righteous nation? And he showed his own purity of heart and action when he added: In the simplicity of my heart and the cleanliness of my hands, I did this. Hence also, because he prudently and humbly answered the Lord, he soon merited to be praised and consoled by the second voice of the Lord saying:
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
Copy as

Continue studying Genesis 20:3 across the web’s major study libraries — every link below opens this exact verse, chapter, or book on the destination site.

Read & Compare

Commentaries

Original Language & Research

Sermons, Hymns & Audio

TrulyRandomVerse is not affiliated with these sites and doesn’t control their content. They’re linked because they’re genuinely useful.