Genesis 20:3

Genesis 20:3

But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife.

a. NLT: But that night God came to Abimelech in a dream and told him, “You are a dead man, for that woman you have taken is already married!”

b. NIV: But God came to Abimelek in a dream one night and said to him, “You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman.”

c. YLT: And God cometh in unto Abimelech in a dream of the night, and saith to him, 'Lo, thou art a dead man, because of the woman whom thou hast taken -- and she married to a husband.'

d. Amplified Bible:  But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said, Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken [as your own], for she is a man’s wife.

e. Septuagint: And God came to Abimelech by night in sleep, and said, Behold, thou diest for the woman, whom thou hast taken, whereas she has lived with a husband.

f. Stone Edition Chumash: And God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, “Behold you are to die because of the woman you have taken; moreover she is a married woman.”

1. “But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him…”

a. God [430 * ‘elohiym] [Strong: plural of 433; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative:--angels, X exceeding, God (gods)(-dess, -ly), X (very) great, judges, X mighty.]

b. came [935 * bow’] [Strong: a primitive root; to go or come (in a wide variety of applications):--abide, apply, attain, X be, befall, + besiege, bring (forth, in, into, to pass), call, carry, X certainly, (cause, let, thing for) to come (against, in, out, upon, to pass), depart, X doubtless again, + eat, + employ, (cause to) enter (in, into, -tering, -trance, -try), be fallen, fetch, + follow, get, give, go (down, in, to war), grant, + have, X indeed, (in-)vade, lead, lift (up), mention, pull in, put, resort, run (down), send, set, X (well) stricken (in age), X surely, take (in), way.]

c. Abimelech [40 * ‘Abiymelek] [Strong: from 1 and 4428; father of (the) king; Abimelek, the name of two Philistine kings and of two Israelites:--Abimelech.]

d. dream [2472 * chalowm] [Strong: from 2492; a dream:--dream(-er).]

e. by night [3915 * layil] [Strong: from the same as 3883; properly, a twist (away of the light), i.e. night; figuratively, adversity:--((mid-))night (season).]

f. and said [559 * ‘amar] [Strong: a primitive root; to say (used with great latitude):--answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, + (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, X desire, determine, X expressly, X indeed, X intend, name, X plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), X still, X suppose, talk, tell, term, X that is, X think, use (speech), utter, X verily, X yet.]

2. “…Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife.”

a. thou art but a dead man [1491 * gazah] [Strong: a primitive root (akin to 1468); to cut off, i.e. portion out:--take.]

1). The phrase “You’re a dead man!” is a threat thrown around in numerous movies, books, and even among kids in schools and neighborhoods. The point being the person at the end of the threat knows its going to be bad. When God says it to someone, it cannot get any worse. Later on in the exchange God warns Abimelech that if he does not restore Sarah to Abraham, not only would he die but everyone considered to be his would die also, perhaps meaning the whole nation.

a). Genesis 20:7 Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he 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.

b. the woman [802 * ‘ishshah] [Strong: feminine of 376 or 582; irregular plural, nashiym {naw-sheem'}; a woman (used in the same wide sense as 582):--(adulter)ess, each, every, female, X many, + none, one, + together, wife, woman. Often unexpressed in English.]

c. which thou hast taken [3947 * laqach] [Strong: a primitive root; to take (in the widest variety of applications):--accept, bring, buy, carry away, drawn, fetch, get, infold, X many, mingle, place, receive(-ing), reserve, seize, send for, take (away, -ing, up), use, win.]

d. man’s [1167 * ba’al] [Strong: from 1166; a master; hence, a husband, or (figuratively) owner (often used with another noun in modifications of this latter sense):--+ archer, + babbler, + bird, captain, chief man, + confederate, + have to do, + dreamer, those to whom it is due, + furious, those that are given to it, great, + hairy, he that hath it, have, + horseman, husband, lord, man, + married, master, person, + sworn, they of.]

e. wife [1166 * ba’al] [Strong: a primitive root; to be master; hence, (as denominative from 1167) to marry:--have dominion (over), be husband, marry(-ried, X wife).]

1). The reason for this extremely strong threat from God, is the whole Covenant regarding Isaac, the seed of Abraham and including the birth of the Messiah over a thousand years later was in jeopardy. The whole covenant would have been thrown into confusion if Abimelech would have gotten Sarah pregnant and not Abraham. This is exactly the reason for God’s strong threat to Abimelech. Later in the passage he tells Abimelech that if he does not restore Sarah to Abraham, he will die. Although it is not in the text, all the translations add his whole family would be killed also. Probably because of Abimelech’s question in the next verse, “…wilt thou slay also a righteous nation?’ Looking at the context, it was only days or a week or two previous to this God had told Abraham and Sarah that he would return to them “according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son.” Most of the translations read that it would be “about a year later” that Isaac would be born. Subtracting 9 months of pregnancy leaves 3 months for God to do a creative miracle in Sarah and heal Abraham’s impotence to ensure a conception. The day after God visited Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 18 was the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Shortly after the destruction of the vale of Sidim, Abraham and Sarah move to Gerar. This is the time context of God visiting Abimelech in a dream. What is interesting to me is we see God threatening Abimelech with death but nothing that we know of is said to Abraham and Sarah by God.

2). What is fascinating is that if we look closely at the time context, the three months before Sarah’s conception of Isaac, it is also exactly the same time period of Romans 4:17-21. The three chapters of Genesis 17-20 all occur during this period.