Genesis 12:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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?

NIV: So Pharaoh summoned Abram. 'What have you done to me?' he said. 'Why didn't you tell me she was your wife?

NASB: Then Pharaoh called Abram and said, 'What is this that you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?

CSB: So Pharaoh sent for Abram and said, "What have you done to me? Why didn't you tell me she was your wife?

NLT: So Pharaoh summoned Abram and accused him sharply. 'What have you done to me?' he demanded. 'Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife?

KJV: And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife?

NKJV: And Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?

Believing Sarai to be Abram's sister and not his wife, Pharaoh took her as his own wife. In response, the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his household with plagues, leading to the revelation that Sarai was indeed already married.

Pharaoh is understandably upset with Abram. Not only did Abram withhold the truth that Sarai was his wife, he had received from Pharaoh great gifts of livestock, work animals, and human servants—all while remaining silent about the truth. Pharaoh summons Abram into his presence and begins to question him harshly. The questions continue in the following verse. Abram, apparently, remains silent once again.

The irony of the situation is enormous. Abram's half-truth-and-whole-lie actually caused the very outcome he was trying to avoid. Apparently, even the pagan Pharaoh had enough respect for marriage that he recognized taking a married woman to be a moral crime. Had he known Sarai was Abram's spouse, or so Pharaoh says in verses 18 and 19, he would not have taken her.

We must notice here that Abram does not act honorably in any way in this episode. The Lord, though, remains faithful to His promise. God intends to accomplish His plan through Abram and Sarai no matter what trouble their foolishness leads them into. We should, however, take note that later in life, Abram—then called Abraham—will demonstrate exactly the kind of brave, obedient faith which God expects (Genesis 22; Hebrews 11:17–19).

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.