1 From there Abraham journeyed toward the territory of the Negeb and lived between Kadesh and Shur; and he sojourned in Gerar.
Abraham and his family go on the move again, although no clear reason is given for them doing so. Perhaps with the recent destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the land had become more desolate, and thus they was search for better grazing lands. They head southward toward Egypt, stopping just short of the border, in the land of Gerar
2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.
Although the text later suggests that was something Abraham and Sarah often did while they traveled, calling each other brother and sister. It seems odd that Abraham, even after everything he has gone through, is still hiding the fact that Sarah is his wife in order to save his own skin. Sarah is now older, the chances of someone killing Abraham in order to marry her is far less likely.
Some scholars have suggested that perhaps, as part of allowing Sarah to bear Isaac, her body was restored to a more youthful state. This would allow for Abraham to continue to fear people killing him in order to have Sarah. However the text does not suggest this, as no sexual advances are made on her by the king. It is far more likely that Abraham is allowing her to be offered as a gift to the king, in order to win the kings good graces.
Abimelech (a rather common name for the kings of the region), takes Sarah as a wife as an expression of wanting to become allies with Abraham who has become a very wealthy and powerful man in his own right. His interest in Sarah might not be a sexual one, as he does not consummate the marriage, as such this union seems to be one purely done out of cultural tradition.
3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by 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.” 4 Now Abimelech had not approached her. So he said, “Lord, will you kill an innocent people? 5 Did he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this.”
Abimelech sees a vision of God in a dream, and God is about to punish him for taking Sarah as his wife. Abimelech, unlike Pharaoh does not immediately repent, but argues his innocence. He has not touched Sarah, and he was deceived, not knowing that she was Abraham’s wife. This is a pretty good argument.
6 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. Therefore I did not let you touch her. 7 Now then, return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, so that he will pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not return her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.”
God responds to Abimelech’s plea of innocence, saying that He had kept Abimelech from sinning. However God is not interested in whether or not Abimelech slept with Sarah, and is still upset that Abimelech took her to be his wife at all. He tells Abimelech to return Sarah to Abraham otherwise God will kill him and all of his people.
God also calls Abraham a prophet. This is the first time that this word is used in Scripture. Usually prophets see visions and dreams, and while Abraham has seen both of these, his relationship with God seems closer than that of most prophets. However, by distinguishing Abraham as a prophet, Abimelech will attribute a generous amount of respect toward Abraham. In some ancient cultures, a prophet would have greater authority than a king. As such Abraham would not have been required to give a gift to the king.
8 So Abimelech rose early in the morning and called all his servants and told them all these things. And the men were very much afraid.
Perhaps unsure about what to make of the dream, Abimelech seeks out advice from his servants and advisors. They likely relay info to him about how no one has conceived since Abraham’s arrival (see verses 17 and 18)
9 Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me things that ought not to be done.” 10 And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you see, that you did this thing?”
Abimelech confronts Abraham, similar to how Pharaoh confronted Abraham years prior. Abimelech accuses Abraham of sinning against them, by not being honest, and by nearly causing them to sin in return. He is harsh with Abraham, and Abraham might very well be fearing for his life. Abimelech demands an explanation.
11 Abraham said, “I did it because I thought, ‘There is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’ 12 Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father though not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife. 13 And when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, I said to her, ‘This is the kindness you must do me: at every place to which we come, say of me, “He is my brother.” ’ ”
Abraham responds noting the lack of the fear of God among the people. Ironically it is their fear of God that is going to save his life. Here we find that Abraham and Sarah are indeed half siblings, and while that would give us pause today, in that culture it was common to marry a close relative. However since he is not used to the customs of the land, he didn’t wanted to be killed over his wife, so they made an agreement to call each other brother and sister, not a total lie, but not a complete truth.
Abraham also brings up the fact that God led him to these lands, and as such Abraham claims his relationship with God, confirming what Abimelech had already heard in his dream. This connection might be what Abimelech was really looking for.
14 Then Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and male servants and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and returned Sarah his wife to him. 15 And Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is before you; dwell where it pleases you.”
In what seems like an odd change in attitude, Abimelech offers land for Abraham to stay in free of charge, and gives him many gifts of servants as well. It is a peace offering, that their shouldn’t be bad blood between them. Whereas before Abraham, a traveler would have offered a gift to the king, now the king is offering a gift to a prophet. This will provide the basis for an alliance that lasts a couple generations between Abimelech and Abraham and his Children.
16 To Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is a sign of your innocence in the eyes of all who are with you, and before everyone you are vindicated.”
Abimelech’s gift to Sarah is specifically to prove her innocence. This is not only important in Abimelech publicly making known that he had not done anything wrong, but also so that it is clear that Sarah has only been with Abraham. This will help verify that Isaac is indeed Abraham’s son once he is born.
17 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, and also healed his wife and female slaves so that they bore children. 18 For the LORD had closed all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
The end of this chapter includes an aside saying that God had sealed off the wombs of everyone in Abimelech’s household, threatening their destruction by lack of children. This also suggests that several months had passed since Abraham and Sarah first arrived in Gerar, otherwise no one would have really known this was happening. This is alleviated by Abraham, the prophet, praying for the people.
Abraham comes out of this experience wealthier, more powerful than a king, with whom he has good relations, and with an heir on the way. God has continued to bless this man, even when it seems that he lacks faith.