Abram’s Lie – Genesis 12:10-20

Both Abram and the Egyptians thought Sarai, Abram’s wife, was beautiful.  The Bible describes beautiful people in several places: Isaac’s wife Rebekah (Genesis 24:16), Jacob’s wife Rachel (29:17), David’s wives Abigail and Bathsheba (1 Sa 25:3 and 2 Sa 11:2), David’s daughter Tamar (2 Sa 13:1) and Absalom’s daughter Tamar (2 Sa 14:27), Job’s daughters (Job 42:15), and Esther (Esther 2:2).  Interestingly, it does not describe Ruth in this way, yet Boaz desired her as his wife.  The bible does not describe what defines beauty, though a “lovely figure” is occasionally mentioned (Genesis 29:17, Esther 2:7).  Standards of beauty differ from generation to generation and people to people, but righteousness is always beautiful.

[10] Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. [11] When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance, [12] and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me, but they will let you live. [13] Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake.” [14] When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. [15] And when the princes of Pharaoh saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. [16] And for her sake he dealt well with Abram; and he had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.

[17] But the LORD afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. [18] So Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? [19] Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife; take her, and go.” [20] And Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him, and they sent him away with his wife and all that he had. (Genesis 12:10–20, ESV)

We see no indication that Abram consulted Yahweh about going to Egypt during a famine in Canaan (but everybody did it).  Could not Yahweh have taken care of him in Canaan?  And Abram’s choice to go to Egypt also scared him because he feared people would desire his wife and kill him to get her.  So he used the half-truth that she was his sister because she was born to his father by a different mother and left out that she was also his wife.  This led the Pharaoh to seek Sarai as his wife and to reward Abram with great wealth because of it.

But this was a threat to the “seed of the woman” (Genesis 3:15) that was supposed to come through Sarai, so Yahweh afflicted Pharaoh and his household with some illness making Pharaoh realize somehow that he had been duped.  He gave Sarai back to Abram and told him to leave Egypt, keeping the wealth he had acquired.  Egypt has been cursed because it inadvertently cursed Israel.

As the NIV Study Bible notes, “Abram’s experience in this episode foreshadows Israel’s later experience in Egypt, as the author of Genesis, writing after the exodus, was very much aware. The parallels are striking: a famine in the land (here; 47:4); affliction at the hands of the Egyptians (vv. 12–15; Ex 1:11–14); God’s plagues on the Egyptians (v. 17; Ex 8–11); the Egyptians sending the people away as a result (vv. 19–20; Ex 12:31–32); the Egyptians letting them take with them all their possessions (v. 20; Ex 12:32); the people obtaining wealth from the Egyptians (v. 16; Ex 12:36); return to Canaan by stages through the wilderness (13:1–3; Exodus; Numbers; Deuteronomy; Joshua); arrival back in Canaan, where they worship the Lord (13:4; Jos 5:10; 8:30–35; 24:1–27).”

Abram was supposed to be a blessing to the nations.  In this case he failed and was a curse.  His chance to be a witness to the glory of Yahweh was sullied by his lie.  He should have been someone whom Pharaoh could trust.  This would have empowered him to give a witness to Pharaoh about Yahweh.

Did Pharaoh sleep with Sarai?  See my answer in AskthePastors.wordpress.com.