EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Genesis 12:13
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.’
Genesis 12:13 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.
- New International Version (NIV)Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake."
- New King James Version (NKJV)Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you.”
Context of Genesis 12:13
11When Abram came near to Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, ‘Listen to me. I know that you are a very beautiful woman. 12When the Egyptians see you they will say, “This is Abram's wife.” Then they will kill me, but they will let you live. So 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. 15The king's officers saw her. They told Pharaoh that she was very beautiful. They took her to the king's palace.
Read all of Genesis 12Genesis 12:13 word by word
אִמְרִי־נָ֖א אֲחֹ֣תִי אָ֑תְּ לְמַ֙עַן֙ יִֽיטַב־לִ֣י בַעֲבוּרֵ֔ךְ וְחָיְתָ֥ה נַפְשִׁ֖י בִּגְלָלֵֽךְ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- I pray theeנָאnâ' · pleaseH4994
- my sisterאָחוֹת'âchôth · sisterH269
- thatמַ֫עַןma‛an · becauseH4616
- it may be wellיָטַבyâţab · be goodH3190
- with me for thy sake; and my soulנֶ֫פֶשׁnephesh · soul: lifeH5315
- shall liveחָיָהchâyâh · to liveH2421
- because of theeגָּלָלgâlâl · because ofH1558
Cross-references for Genesis 12:13
- John 8:44You belong to your father, the Devil, and you want to do the things that he wants. From the beginning, he has been someone who murders people. He refuses to accept the truth, because there is nothing true in him. When he tells lies, he is showing what he is really like. He always tells lies. He is the father of all lies.
- Romans 3:6That is not true! God always decides what is right and fair. That is why he is able to judge everyone in the world.
- Romans 6:23If you serve sin as your master, it will pay you with death. But if you belong to our Lord Jesus Christ, God gives you a gift! That gift is life with God for ever.
- Colossians 3:6God will certainly punish people who do those kinds of bad things.
- Genesis 11:29Abram married Sarai. Nahor married Milcah. Milcah was Haran's daughter. Haran was the father of Milcah and Iscah.
- Genesis 20:2While he was there, Abraham told people that his wife, Sarah, was his sister. Because of this, the king of Gerar took Sarah so that she would become his wife. The king's name was Abimelech.
- 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.
- Isaiah 57:11What idol are you so afraid of, that you choose to deceive me? You seem to have forgotten about me. You do not think about me at all. Have I been silent for too long? Is that why you no longer respect me?
- Matthew 26:69While all these things were happening, Peter was sitting outside in the yard. One of the girls who worked there went to him and she said, ‘You were also a friend of Jesus, the man from Galilee.’
- Galatians 2:12When he first arrived in Antioch, Peter had been eating meals with the Gentile believers there. Then James sent some Jewish believers from Jerusalem to Antioch. After those men had arrived, Peter started to keep himself separate from the Gentiles. He stopped eating meals with them. He was afraid of those Jews who wanted to circumcise the Gentile believers.
- Psalms 146:3Do not trust in human leaders. No human can save you.
- Jeremiah 17:5The Lord says, ‘I will curse those who only trust people to help them. They think that human strength will save them, and they turn away from me, the Lord.
- Ezekiel 18:4Everyone who lives belong to me. I have authority over the life of the father and over the life of the son. It is the people who do wrong things who will die because of their sins.
Commentaries on Genesis 12:13
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 13Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister - Abram did not wish his wife to tell a falsehood, but he wished her to suppress a part of the truth. From Genesis 20:12, it is evident she was his step-sister, i.e., his sister by his father, but by a different mother. Some suppose Sarai was the daughter of Haran, and consequently the grand-daughter of Terah: this opinion seems to be founded on Genesis 11:29, where Iscah is thought to be the same with Sarai, but the…Read the comment
- 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. 13Please say you are my sister: This request appears three times in Genesis (see also 20:2; 26:7). The text explains that this was Abram’s usual strategy (20:13), and his son Isaac did the same thing. The first time this happened was outside the land, and the second time within it (chapter 20). This shows that God protected his promise in both regions.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 12:13
In the dictionaries
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
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