Genesis 20 – When Good People Make Bad Choices
What’s this chapter about?
Abraham lies about Sarah being his sister (again!), putting her in danger with King Abimelech. But God intervenes in dreams, revealing how even righteous people can make disastrous choices when fear overrides faith.
The Full Context
Genesis 20 unfolds during Abraham’s journey through the Negev, likely around 2000 BCE. Fresh from witnessing God’s judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah and receiving the promise that Sarah would bear a son within the year, Abraham inexplicably repeats the same deceptive strategy he used in Egypt twenty-five years earlier. This isn’t just a random moral failure – it’s a crisis of faith at the most crucial moment of his life, when Sarah is presumably pregnant or about to conceive Isaac, the child of promise.
The narrative serves multiple purposes within Genesis’s larger structure. It’s the final test of Abraham’s character before Isaac’s birth, revealing how even a “friend of God” can stumble spectacularly when fear clouds judgment. The chapter also introduces Abimelech, whose moral integrity ironically surpasses Abraham’s in this moment, setting up themes about righteousness that transcend ethnic boundaries. Most critically, it demonstrates God’s protective intervention not just for Abraham’s sake, but to preserve the covenant line through which all nations would be blessed.
What the Ancient Words Tell Us
The Hebrew vocabulary in this chapter is loaded with irony. When Abraham calls Sarah his ’achot (sister), he’s technically using a word that can mean “female relative,” but in this context, it’s clearly deceptive. The text emphasizes this by immediately clarifying their actual relationship as husband and wife.
Grammar Geeks
The Hebrew phrase lo yada’ah (“he had not known her”) in verse 4 uses the same root word for “knowing” that describes intimate marital relations. It’s a delicate way of saying Abimelech hadn’t slept with Sarah, but it also hints at a deeper truth – sometimes we don’t really “know” what we’re doing when we act in ignorance.
What’s fascinating is how God speaks to Abimelech in the dream. The Hebrew hineka met (“you are a dead man”) isn’t just a threat – it’s presented as an inevitable consequence, like saying “you’re already dead” because of what you’ve unknowingly stumbled into. This reveals something profound about how sin works in God’s economy – sometimes the consequences exist regardless of our intentions.
The word tsaddiq (righteous) appears three times in this chapter, creating a stunning reversal. Abimelech calls himself righteous, Abraham is called a prophet (navi), but it’s the pagan king who acts with integrity while the covenant bearer resorts to deception.
What Would the Original Audience Have Heard?
Ancient Near Eastern readers would have immediately recognized the gravity of Abraham’s situation. In that world, taking another man’s wife – especially unknowingly – could trigger blood feuds, divine curses, or political catastrophes. Royal courts were particularly dangerous places for such deceptions because kings had absolute power and fierce protection of their honor.
But here’s what would have shocked ancient audiences: a pagan king receiving direct revelation from the Hebrew God. In their worldview, deities typically communicated only with their own people. Yet here’s Elohim (notably, not the covenant name YHWH) speaking to Abimelech in dreams, treating him as morally accountable and even protecting him from sin.
Did You Know?
Archaeological evidence from ancient Gerar shows it was a significant Philistine city-state around 2000 BCE, positioned strategically along trade routes between Egypt and Mesopotamia. Kings like Abimelech would have been cosmopolitan rulers familiar with various peoples and their customs – which makes his moral integrity even more remarkable.
The concept of intercession that appears at the chapter’s end would have been familiar but significant. In ancient cultures, holy men often served as mediators between the divine and human realms. But the irony here is palpable – Abraham must intercede for the very people he endangered through his deception.
But Wait… Why Did Abraham Do This Again?
This is genuinely puzzling. Abraham had learned this lesson in Egypt decades earlier (Genesis 12). He’d seen God’s faithfulness through countless challenges. Sarah was about ninety years old – hardly the typical target of royal interest. And most bewildering of all, this happens right after God’s explicit promise that Sarah would bear Isaac within the year.
The Hebrew text offers a clue in Genesis 20:11: Abraham says, “I thought, ‘Surely there is no fear of God in this place.’” The word yir’ah (fear/reverence) is the same term used throughout Scripture for proper relationship with God. Abraham assumed that without this reverence, people would be capable of anything – including murder for a woman.
Wait, That’s Strange…
Abraham’s explanation in verses 12-13 reveals this wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision but a long-standing strategy: “Besides, she really is my sister… This is the kindness she showed me: at every place to which we came, say of me, ‘He is my brother.’” This was their standard operating procedure for decades!
But there’s something deeper happening here. Fear has a way of making us forget God’s character and promises. Abraham’s great faith coexisted with areas of persistent doubt – specifically about whether God could protect him in hostile environments. It’s a reminder that spiritual maturity doesn’t automatically eliminate our capacity for spectacularly bad judgment.
Wrestling with the Text
The moral complexities in this chapter are staggering. Abraham, called “friend of God” and “father of faith,” lies and endangers his wife. Abimelech, a pagan king, shows remarkable moral sensitivity and integrity. God protects the deceiver while warning the deceived. How do we make sense of this?
First, the text doesn’t excuse Abraham’s behavior – it exposes it. The narrative structure makes Abraham’s moral failure impossible to miss. When Abimelech can legitimately claim moral high ground over the covenant bearer, something has gone seriously wrong.
Second, this chapter reveals God’s commitment to His promises regardless of human failure. Notice that God doesn’t appear to Abraham in this story – He works around Abraham’s failure, protecting Sarah and preserving the covenant line through direct intervention with Abimelech.
“Sometimes God’s greatest protection comes not through our faith, but despite our failures.”
Third, the chapter shows how sin affects innocent people. Abimelech and his household suffer because of Abraham’s deception. The text emphasizes that God “closed every womb” in Abimelech’s house – a direct threat to the kingdom’s future. Abraham’s personal fear created a national crisis.
Yet there’s grace woven throughout. God reveals truth through dreams, provides a way out, and ultimately uses Abraham (despite his failure) to bring healing through intercession. It’s a preview of how God will work through flawed people to bring blessing to the nations.
How This Changes Everything
This chapter demolishes any notion that biblical heroes were spiritually superior beings who never struggled with basic human fears and failures. Abraham – the man who left everything to follow God’s call, who interceded for Sodom, who was willing to sacrifice Isaac – also repeatedly chose deception over trust when he felt threatened.
The implications are profound for how we understand faith. Biblical faith isn’t the absence of fear or doubt; it’s choosing to trust God despite our fears. Abraham’s failure doesn’t disqualify him from being a model of faith – it makes his faith more accessible and ultimately more encouraging.
For ancient Israel, this story served as both warning and comfort. Warning: even the greatest spiritual leaders can fall spectacularly when they rely on human wisdom instead of divine promises. Comfort: God’s covenant faithfulness doesn’t depend on human perfection.
Key Takeaway
God’s purposes prevail not because His people are flawless, but because His character is unchanging. Even our worst failures can’t derail His redemptive plan.
For us today, Genesis 20 offers profound hope. If God could work through Abraham despite this failure, He can work through our failures too. It also provides a crucial reminder that spiritual maturity doesn’t automatically eliminate blind spots or areas of persistent struggle. The key is returning to faith and allowing God to work through our weaknesses.
Further Reading
Internal Links:
External Scholarly Resources:
- The Ancient Near Eastern Context of Genesis
- Abraham: The Friend of God
- https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-near-eastern-world/philistines-in-the-time-of-abraham/
