Genesis 12:17 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But the LORD afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.

NIV: But the LORD inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram's wife Sarai.

NASB: But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.

CSB: But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Abram's wife, Sarai.

NLT: But the Lord sent terrible plagues upon Pharaoh and his household because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.

KJV: And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife.

NKJV: But the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.

After Abram's plan to use deception to protect himself fails, the Lord steps in. God had made promises to Abram, and God would not allow Abram's faithless choice keep Him from keeping those promise. This, along with the fact that Pharaoh almost certainly had multiple wives, suggests that he never had an opportunity to consummate his marriage to Sarai.

To prevent catastrophe, and to rescue Abram from his own stupid scheming, the Lord afflicts Pharaoh's household with great plagues or diseases. Some scholars understand these plagues to be diseases of the skin. The Egyptians, though superstitious people, would have understood correctly that such plagues were a punishment for sin.

Apparently, through this affliction, Pharaoh comes to understand that Sarai is actually Abram's wife and not merely his sister. The Bible does not say what process of investigation led to that knowledge. His response to that revelation is found in the following verses.

Genesis 12:10–20 tells a story of Abram's fearfulness and God's faithful intervention to keep His promises. A famine forces Abram's large company to enter the land of Egypt in search of food. Pharaoh's sons quickly notice Sarai's great beauty, and Pharaoh takes her for one of his wives. This occurs because Abram, fearful for his life, has claimed that Sarai is his sister. In spite of Abram's lie and failure to trust Him, God afflicts Pharaoh's household for this dishonor, bringing the truth to light. Pharaoh, angry and fearful, sends Abram, Sarai, and the company back to the land of Canaan.

Genesis 12 contains one of the key moments in the history of the world. God chooses Abram as the first step in building His people Israel. Abram obeys God's call, and heads into the land of Canaan, territory which God promises to Abram's offspring. Quickly, though, Abram fails a test of faith in the land of Egypt while seeking food in a famine. God does not fail, however, to step in to save Abram's family and protect His agenda for Abram's life.

The end of Genesis 11 tells the story of Terah, Abram's father, and the family's journey to a new home in Haran. Genesis 12 shifts the story to Abram and his journey on into the land of Canaan. God promises to make Abram the father of a great nation, and to give Abram's descendants that very land. Abram begins to worship the Lord, but quickly fails a test of his faith in Egypt. God shows Himself faithful in a miraculous way, preparing Abram for what's to come in chapter 13.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.

Accessed 5/2/2024 8:41:10 AM