Genesis 12:12

Genesis 12:12 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive.
• New International Version (NIV)When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live.
• English Standard Version (ESV)and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife.' Then they will kill me, but they will let you live.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live.

Context of Genesis 12:12

10There was a famine in the land of Canaan. So Abram went to live in Egypt for some time, because the famine was very bad. 11When Abram came near to Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, ‘Listen to me. I know that you are a very beautiful woman. When the Egyptians see you they will say, “This is Abram's wife.” Then they will kill me, but they will let you live. 13So tell them that you are my sister. Then they will do good things to me, because they want to please you. They will not kill me because they will think that you are my sister.’ 14When Abram arrived in Egypt, the people saw that Sarai was a very beautiful woman.

Genesis 12:12 word by word

וְהָיָ֗ה כִּֽי־יִרְא֤וּ אֹתָךְ֙ הַמִּצְרִ֔ים וְאָמְר֖וּ אִשְׁתּ֣וֹ זֹ֑את וְהָרְג֥וּ אֹתִ֖י וְאֹתָ֥ךְ יְחַיּֽוּ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptiansמִצְרִיmitsrîy · EgyptianH4713
• shall seeרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• thee, that they shall sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• his wifeאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · woman: wifeH802
• and they will killהָרַגhârag · to killH2026
• me, but they will save thee aliveחָיָהchâyâh · to liveH2421

Cross-references for Genesis 12:12

• Genesis 20:11Abraham replied, ‘I did it because I was afraid. I thought, “The people here do not respect God. They will kill me so that they can take my wife from me.”
• Genesis 26:7The men of Gerar asked Isaac about his wife. He told them, ‘She is my sister.’ He was afraid to say, ‘She is my wife.’ He thought that the men of Gerar might kill him because Rebekah was very beautiful.
• 1 Samuel 27:1Then David thought, ‘I am sure that Saul will catch me one day. Then he will kill me. I must go to the country of the Philistines so that I will be safe from Saul. That is the best thing that I can do. When I am no longer in the land of Israel, Saul will stop looking for me here. I will escape from him.’
• Proverbs 29:25If you are afraid of what people think about you, you will never feel safe. But if you trust in the Lord, he will keep you safe.
• Matthew 10:28Do not be afraid of those people who can kill only your body. These people cannot kill your soul. No, it is God that you should be afraid of. He can kill your body, and then he can also destroy your soul in hell.
• 1 John 1:8If we say that we never do any wrong thing, we are deceiving ourselves. Even though we may think it is true, it is a lie.

Commentaries on Genesis 12:12

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 10-20Verses 10-20 - XXXVIII. Abram in Egypt 15. פרעה par‛oh Paroh, “ouro.” Coptic for “king,” with the masculine article pi. or p. P-ouro, “the king.” If we separate the article p. from the Hebrew form, we have רעה re‛oh for king, which may be compared with רעה ro‛eh “pastor, leader,” and the Latin rex, king. This is the common title of the Egyptian sovereigns, to which we have the personal name occasionally added, as Pharaoh-Necho, Pharaoh-Hophrah. Genesis…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 10-20Verses 10-20 There is no state on earth free from trials, nor any character free from blemishes. There was famine in Canaan, the glory of all lands, and unbelief, with the evils it ever brings, in Abram the father of the faithful. Perfect happiness and perfect purity dwell only in heaven. Abram, when he must for a time quit Canaan, goes to Egypt, that he might not seem to look back, and meaning to tarry there no longer than needful. There Abram dissembled…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 10-13Abram's scheme came from fear, putting his family and God's promises at risk. He lacked faith when he went to Egypt. He stopped building altars, and deception became the main pattern of his behavior. Deception would trouble his family throughout Genesis (26:1–11; 27:1–29; 29:15–30; 30:34–36; 31:6–11; 37:18–35; 39:7–20). Abram's plan probably followed a custom where a brother arranged his sister's marriage (compare 24:29–61). Abram may have thought that…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 11-1311-13. Sarai's complexion, coming from a mountainous country, would be fresh and fair compared with the faces of Egyptian women which were sallow. The counsel of Abram to her was true in words, but it was a deception, intended to give an impression that she was no more than his sister. His conduct was culpable and inconsistent with his character as a servant of God: it showed a reliance on worldly policy more than a trust in the promise; and he not only…Read the comment

Topics related to Genesis 12:12

• Abraham
• Cowardice
• Doubting
• Egypt
• Egyptians
• Falsehood
• Ignorance
• Sarah

In the dictionaries

• Abraham
• Appear
• Fair
• Grievous
• Journey
• Lie
• Noah
• Pharaoh
• Sojourn
• Tell

Commentaries on Genesis 12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings