The name “Isaac” is based on the Hebrew verb translated “caressing,” whose primary meaning is “to laugh” (Genesis 17:19). . Yet, despite her old age, Genesis 20 makes clear that Abimelech, king of Gerar, was quite interested in Sarah—so much so that he “took” her from Abraham, whom he thought was merely Sarah’s brother. Did Sarah sleep with Pharaoh? The additional factor that led to the trouble here was most likely the intention of Abimelech to use the marriage device as a means of political and military strengthening of his little kingdom. Verse 7 doesn’t say that Sarah was old, but that Abraham was old. Abimelech reproves Sarah–whether for her own actions, or those she has with her (and is responsible for how they behave) . Are We to Believe That a King Was Attracted to Sarah When She was 90. Reply. Abraham then prayed for Abimelech and his family. 8 Now it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out of a window, and saw, and there was Isaac, showing endearment to Rebekah his wife. Genesis 20: Abraham and Sarah in Gerar. It all started when Abraham and Sarah set foot upon the king’s land. So he said, “Lord, will you kill an innocent people? See more Bible lessons at http://www.makingchristknown.comBible study of Genesis shows how Abraham Tricks Abimelech with Sa... Abraham Tricks Abimelech with Sarah. Even if these verses are from E, however, neither actually says that Sarah was old. First, we are not informed of the age of Abimelech. Abraham lived to be 175 (Genesis 25:7). “Then God said to him in the dream, ‘Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against me. King Abimelech told Sarah that this money was a gift made to her “brother” to cover her in the eyes of everybody who became informed of this affair, to show that she was innocent in the matter and that she was cleared by the king himself of all reproach against her as a moral woman. 1 Peter 3:15) in light of the overall historical and biblical context—which we must recognize was often very different than life on Earth today. Though Abraham, Sarah, and Abimelech did not live as old as people in Noah’s generation (Noah lived to be 950, Genesis 9:29), Abraham was only separated from Noah by 10 generations (Genesis 11:10-26). And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. And, there are still plenty of 45-55+ year-old women today that kings and other world leaders find very attractive. Although she lived in a world of danger and confusion, Sarah … The point is: Sarah, at age 89, may have looked similar to a 45-55-year-old woman today. She endured much to try to provide an heir for her husband and to keep her husband safe in dangerous lands. See south edge of Canaan map. 16 WESTMINSTER THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL since the stars can be seen well (v. 5). In the sojourn to Gerar (Gen 20), Sarah was about 90 years old. Again, who is to say that thousands of years earlier Gerar did not have a more aged leader who was attracted to a woman who may have been closer to his age. Genesis 17:1,17; 21:1-5). When Abimelech takes Sarah with Abraham’s permission, God abruptly enters into the situation to protect her, speaking to Abimelech in a dream (20:6-7). (Genesis 20: 1–7) [From there Abraham journeyed toward the territory of the Negeb and lived between Kadesh and Shur; and he sojourned in Gerar. Exp. She is born in Ur of the Chaldees, moves to Haran and then to Canaan (Gen 11:31-12:5).Abraham takes her to Egypt where she is taken into Pharaoh’s house ().God plagues Pharaoh’s house because of Sarah (Gen 12:17-19), which is what leads Pharaoh to return Sarah to Abraham, freeing her (). Abraham defends his choice, saying there is no fear of God in Abimelech’s land. After Abraham tells Abimelech that Sarah is his sister, hiding that she is his wife, Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah (20:2). Abimelech was kind enough to give Abraham rights to graze his cattle to any place in the land that he wanted. One can as-sume that from Abraham's perspective a terrible violation of justice was oc-curring. So would it be fair to write off Genesis 20 as merely a fairytale? King of Gerar of the Philistines, who took Sarah into his harem; but being warned of God in a dream, he restored her to Abraham, and gave him 1,000 pieces of silver as a "covering of the eyes" for Sarah, that is, as an atoning present, and to be a testimony of her innocence in the eyes of all. Seemingly unaware of the situation, when Abimelech … Second, and more important, ages of men and women in the Bible must be interpreted in light of the life spans that people were still living at a particular time in history. 22.2. Abimelech (/ ə ˈ b ɪ m ə ˌ l ɛ k /; אֲבִימֶלֶךְ ’Ǎḇîmeleḵ) was the king of Shechem and a son of biblical judge Gideon.His name can best be interpreted as "my father is king", claiming the inherited right to rule. It could be that he was around the age of 90 himself. The mighty King of Gerar, who was named Abimelech, had an important role in the life of Abraham. Abraham prayed for Abimelech, and God spared Abimelech’s life and healed the affliction of his household. What’s more, we rarely, if ever, hear of local or national leaders around the world seeking to marry 90-year-olds in the 21st century. Abimelech restores Sarah. However, by human standards, it is also dif ficult to understand Sarah… He also kept Abimelech … Such unions were later explicitly banned in Leviticus 18:9.. The Bible does not reveal why Abimelech desired Sarah’s inclusion into his harem, and destructive critics do not find it credible that a Philistine king would romantica lly desire an old woman. Though Abraham, Sarah, and Abimelech did not live as old as people in Noah’s generation (Noah lived to be 950, Genesis 9:29), Abraham was only separated from Noah by 10 generations (Genesis 11:10-26). I’m curious about the idea that Sarah was around 90 years old when Abimelech wanted her. Subsequently, a dispute erupted over a certain well of water that Abraham had originally dug but Abimelech’s servants later seized (Gen. 21:25). God Comes to Abimelech. No entries with all terms, 2022 entries with some. She had been taken in as a wife, by Abimelech, who was deceived by a lie told by Sarah and Abraham (Genesis 20:2–3). Finally, the Bible describes Sarah as “a woman of beautiful countenance” (Genesis 12:11). The narrative mostly repeats, but with the difference that the second version appears after we learn that Abraham has changed his name from Abram at age 99, and Sarah is age 90. Menu. Hagar & Ishmael Sent Away. Abimelech returns Sarah and confronts Abraham for his deception. “he [Abraham, thy brother] is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other” (Genesis 20:16). The barrier God put between Abimelech and Sarah (Gen. 20:6) long before Moses’ day taught the Israelites that Yahweh would watch over them just as He had protected Abraham’s wife. The night Abimelech brings Sarah into his home the Lord appears to him and says, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife” (Genesis 20:3). Abraham again calls Sarah his "sister" and the king "sent for Sarah and took her" -- that is, he abducted her. He would live there for some 20 years. This time the King of Gerar took Sarah into his palace. By faith He left Ur, following the call of a God he had never known before, travelled hundred of miles to settle in Palestine. Abimelech was kind enough to give Abraham rights to graze his cattle to any place in the land that he wanted. We see that sin was still sin in the … (Much… Skip to content. . Abraham had forgotten that God was his shield (15:1). Bible Study Online. Recently a gentleman inquired about these recorded events, saying, “She [Sarah] is 90 years old and the hard part to believe is that a king would be that impressed with a 90 year old woman. Notice God's forbearance. Once again, God intervened on Abraham and Sarah’s behalf. The point is: Sarah, at age 89, may have looked similar to a 45-55-year-old woman today. Abimelech was the second of two oratorio librettos written by Smart, the first being Hannah written in 1764. Isaac resided as a foreigner in the Philistine territory and around the city of Gerar for a long time and would have had to meet King Abimelech many times. A long time passed with Abraham and Sarah dwelling in the Philistine land when Abimelech and Phicol confronted Abraham with a violent disagreement at a well. In Genesis 16, we read that Hagar mocked Sarah. The punishment showed that Abraham was in league with Almighty God. Sarah's Death and Burial 1Sarah lived one hundred twenty-seven years; this was the length of Sarah's life.2And Sarah died at Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in t ... View more Gen 24:67 God gives Abimelech notice of his danger of sin, and his danger of death for his sin. 1 Larry Copeland (2014), “Life Expectancy in the USA Hits a Record High,” USA Today, October 9, http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/10/08/us-life-expectancy-hits-record-high/16874039/. At first glance, one is inclined to judge that this “must have been a very popular story in ancient Israel,” as John Skinner wrote in his commentary. After all, the average life expectancy at birth for females in the United States is 81 years1—nearly 10 years less than when the Bible indicates that Sarah was pursued by a king. If 90-year-olds can still be attracted to, and marry, each other today, they certainly could have 4,000 years ago. And Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is before you; dwell where it pleases you.” To Sarah he said, “Behold, I … At least a couple months. From this earlier encounter with Abraham, Abimelech had his own special insight into God’s blessing Abraham in everything that Abraham did. God told Abimelech, “Yes, I know…” but that didn’t leave him off the hook. They are again able to bear children. Then Abimelech king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her." Abimelech ("my father is king") is either the title applied to Philistine rulers or the name assumed by the ruler of this city-state, since both Abraham and Isaac encountered a king named Abimelech there many years apart. Every wilful sinner is a dead man, but Abimelech pleads ignorance. After God informs him that Sarah is really Abraham’s wife, Abimelech confronts Abraham (20:9-10). God came to the King in a dream and told him that Sarah was married. How is it that Abraham feared for his life if Sarah was old? Therefore I did not let you touch her’” (Gen. 20:6). In front of everyone he also gave Abraham 1000 pieces of silver showing that Sarah was completely vindicated. Sarah conceived and gave birth to the long-awaited son of the promise – Isaac. The women became infertile too, couldn’t conceive. Family. In a dream, the Lord told Abimelech the truth about Sarah, and that He had prevented Abimelech from having sexual relations with her. So finally God stepped in, giving Abimelech a dream that told him he was keeping His prophet's wife, and he had better give her back. He speaks directly to Sarah, saying that he has given Abraham 1000 pieces of silver for her exoneration and vindication. He told Abraham he could settle wherever he chose. In fact, when Abraham and Sarah traveled to Egypt when she was in her late 60s, the Egyptians saw her as being so “very beautiful” that they commended her to Pharaoh (12:14-15). Thus, Sarah could be understood as expressing that people will feel shocked that such an elderly man like Abraham just had a son in his old age. From this earlier encounter with Abraham, Abimelech had his own special insight into God’s blessing Abraham in everything that Abraham did. Abraham’s dad died at 205 (Genesis 11:32). God did not strike him down for his lie. This incident may have made Abimelech respect and fear Abraham’s God. This experience was not unique … He took Sarah and brought her to his palace. After the destruction of Sodom, Abraham decides to move farther south into the town of Gerar, located about halfway between Gaza and Beersheba. It was meant to change the situation, not to harm Abimelech. By Mary Jane Chaignot. He was a witness for the true God and the move would allow the light to shine in a new place. [3] A few passages earlier Sarah had laughed about having a child at such an old age. of Abraham and Sarah to Gerar, and their encounter with its ruler, Abime-lech. And Abimelech tooke sheepe and oxen, and men-seruants, and women seruants, and gaue them vnto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife. 10:19), it appears that Sarah was 89 years old (cf. 1. Nevertheless, even if either of these explanations satisfy one in chapter 12, this answer runs into problems later on. 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. Abraham lived to be 175 (Genesis 25:7). Abraham was 100 years old, Sarah 90. (20:1-2) Gerar is a Philistine city at the edge of the Negev desert. A Bible Study site; the Old Testament in 2014. In addition, the story clarifies the difference in an undisputable lie and what we may call a “half-truth”. 40 "According to Ran, Abimelech took Sarah, not because of her beauty, but because she was Abraham's 'sister' and he wished to marry into so distinguished a family" (Zlotowitz, Bereishis, 722. I wonder how long Sarah was with Abimelech. She had to be there long enough for it to become apparent that the women of the household could … God afflicted Abimelech’s household for taking Sarah into his harem, even though he had done it in ignorance. While in Gerar, history repeats itself. It led to the miraculous birth of the long-awaited Son of the promise – Jesus Christ. Though Abraham, Sarah, and Abimelech did not live as old as people in Noah’s generation (Noah lived to be 950, Genesis 9:29), Abraham was only separated from Noah by 10 generations (Genesis 11:10-26). Was Abimelech denied freedom of his will? It is … Abimelech. Abraham as usual introduced Sarah as his sister, at which Abimelech the king of Gerar began to have ideas. We aren't told why Abraham was staying in Gerar, but Isaac went there once due to famine, so that seems like a good possiblity in Abraham's case, too. Admittedly, when interpreting this account from strictly a 21st-century American’s perspective, Sarah’s age might seem quite strange. Abraham defends his choice, saying there is no fear of God in Abimelech’s land. The Bible does not reveal why Abimelech desired Sarah’s inclusion into his harem, and destructive critics do not find it credible that a Philistine king would romantica lly desire an old woman. Verse 6 could be understood as offering a popular etymology of Isaac’s name, with Sarah merely expressing that people “will be joyous with her” when they hear she has had a son. 1 - Abraham journeyed He had been near Hebron ge1318, ge1413, ge1801.See south edge of Canaan map.He was a witness for the true God … thimblefulloftheology. The use of the concept “fear of God”, which generally appears in E or D texts. He also explains that she is a blood relative, and thus it is only a lie of omission to call her his sister. The point is: Sarah, at age 89, may have looked similar to a 45-55-year-old woman today. Although an extraordinarily beautiful woman even at 90 years of age, Abimelech used the situation to create an alliance with Abraham, who was a wealthy and powerful prince. Showing up to 25. How is it that God prevented Abimelech from having sexual relations with Sarah? GENESIS 20:14-18 14 Then Abimelech took sheep, oxen, and male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham; and he restored Sarah his wife to him. In the end, she had faith enough to believe that she and her husband, at the ages of 90 and 100, would produce the promised heir, Isaac. King Abimelech told Sarah that this money was a gift made to her “brother” to cover her in the eyes of everybody who became informed of this affair, to show that she was innocent in the matter and that she was cleared by the king himself of all reproach against her as a moral woman. Join Facebook to connect with Sarah Abimelech and others you may know. God will lead you out of sin if you are truly seeking to avoid it. Genesis 20:6 "And God said to him (pharaoh, Abimelech) in a dream, “Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. In v. 12, however, the sun has not yet set, and in v. 17 it is dark again.41 What has happened, then, seems to be that in … This would make Sarah the daughter of Terah and the half-sister of not only Abraham but Haran and Nahor. After this reparation, God healed Abimelech at Abraham's intercession; also his wife and maids, so that they could bear again, for Jehovah had closed up every womb in Abimelech's house on Sarah's account. After Abraham had given the … Abimelech, the king of the Philistines, lived in the city of Gerar and he reigned as king for a long time.
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