20:1 And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country,
and dwelled between Kadesh and a Shur, and sojourned in
Gerar.
(a) Which was toward Egypt.
20:2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, b She [is] my sister:
and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.
(b) Abraham had now twice fallen into this sin: such is
man's frailty.
20:3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to
him, Behold, c thou [art but] a dead man, for the woman
which thou hast taken; for she [is] a man's wife.
(c) So greatly God detests the breach of marriage.
20:4 But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord,
wilt thou slay also d a righteous nation?
(d) The infidels confessed that God would not punish but
for just occasion: therefore, when he punishes, the
occasion is just.
20:5 Said he not unto me, She [is] my sister? and she, even she
herself said, He [is] my brother: in the integrity of my
e heart and f innocency of my hands have I done this.
(e) As one falling by ignorance, and not doing evil on
purpose.
(f) Not thinking to do any man harm.
20:6 And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou
didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also g
withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I
thee not to touch her.
(g) God by his holy Spirit restrains those who offend in
ignorance, that they not fall into greater offence..
20:7 Now therefore restore the man [his] wife; for he [is] a h
prophet, and he i 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.
(h) That is, one to whom God reveals himself familiarly.
(i) For the prayer of the godly is of force towards God.
20:9 Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast
thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou
hast brought on me and on my k kingdom a great sin? thou
hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.
(k) The wickedness of the king brings God's wrath on the
whole realm.
20:11 And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the l fear
of God [is] not in this place; and they will slay me for
my wife's sake.
(l) He shows that no honesty can be hoped for, where there
is no fear of God.
20:12 And yet indeed [she is] my m sister; she [is] the
daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother;
and she became my wife.
(m) By sister, he means his full cousin, and by daughter
Abraham's niece, (Ge 11:29) for so the Hebrews use
these words.
20:16 And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a
thousand [pieces] of silver: behold, he [is] to thee a n
covering of the eyes, unto all that [are] with thee, and
with all [other]: o thus she was reproved.
(n) Such a head as with whom you may be preserved from all
dangers.
(o) God caused this heathen king to reprove her because
she concealed her identity, seeing that God had given
her a husband as her veil and defence.
20:18 For the LORD p had fast closed up all the wombs of the
house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham's wife.
(p) Had taken away from them the gift of conceiving.
