Genesis 12:13

13 Sage doch, du seist meine Schwester, auf daß mir's wohl gehe um deinetwillen und meine Seele am Leben bleibe um deinetwillen.

Genesis 12:13 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 12:13

Say, I pray thee, that thou art my sister
Which though it was not putting a direct lie into her mouth, she being his sister in some sense, as appears from ( Genesis 20:12 ) yet it was done to conceal truth, and to deceive the Egyptians, and tended to endanger his wife's chastity, as well as showed great timorousness in him, and distrust of the divine care and protection of him; and upon the whole it must be criminal in him, and shows that the best of men are liable to sin, and the strongest believer to fall, and that a saint may fail in the exercise of that grace for which he is most eminent, as Abram was for his faith, and yet fell into unbelief, and through that into other sins; this he said to his wife, and desired her to say on occasion, when she found it necessary:

that it may be well with me for thy sake;
his life spared, as follows:

and my soul shall live because of thee;
his life be safe and secure for her sake, being reckoned her brother, whereas he feared it would be in the utmost danger should it be known she was his wife.

Genesis 12:13 In-Context

11 Und da er nahe an Ägypten kam, sprach er zu seinem Weib Sarai: Siehe, ich weiß, daß du ein schönes Weib von Angesicht bist.

12 Wenn dich nun die Ägypter sehen werden, so werden sie sagen: Das ist sein Weib, und werden mich erwürgen, und dich leben lassen.

13 Sage doch, du seist meine Schwester, auf daß mir's wohl gehe um deinetwillen und meine Seele am Leben bleibe um deinetwillen.

14 Als nun Abram nach Ägypten kam, sahen die Ägypter das Weib, daß sie sehr schön war.

15 Und die Fürsten des Pharao sahen sie und priesen sie vor ihm. Da ward sie in des Pharao Haus gebracht.