New English Translation
Genesis 12:18
18So Pharaoh summoned Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why didn’t you tell me that she was your wife?
Genesis 12:18 in other versions
- King James Version (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?
- New International Version (NIV)So Pharaoh summoned Abram. “What have you done to me?” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife?
- English Standard Version (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?
- New King James Version (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?
Context of Genesis 12:18
16and he did treat Abram well on account of her. Abram received sheep and cattle, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels. 17But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his household with severe diseases because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. So Pharaoh summoned Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why didn’t you tell me that she was your wife? 19Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Here is your wife! Take her and go!” 20Pharaoh gave his men orders about Abram, and so they expelled him, along with his wife and all his possessions.
Read all of Genesis 12Genesis 12:18 word by word
וַיִּקְרָ֤א פַרְעֹה֙ לְאַבְרָ֔ם וַיֹּ֕אמֶר מַה־זֹּ֖את עָשִׂ֣יתָ לִּ֑י לָ֚מָּה לֹא־הִגַּ֣דְתָּ לִּ֔י כִּ֥י אִשְׁתְּךָ֖ הִֽוא׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Genesis 12:18
- Genesis 3:13So the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman replied, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.”
- Genesis 4:10But the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground!
- Genesis 20:9Abimelech summoned Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? What sin did I commit against you that would cause you to bring such great guilt on me and my kingdom? You have done things to me that should not be done!”
- Genesis 26:9So Abimelech summoned Isaac and said, “She is really your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac replied, “Because I thought someone might kill me to get her.”
- Genesis 31:26“What have you done?” Laban demanded of Jacob. “You’ve deceived me and carried away my daughters as if they were captives of war!
- Genesis 44:15Joseph said to them, “What did you think you were doing? Don’t you know that a man like me can find out things like this by divination?”
- Exodus 32:21Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you, that you have brought on them so great a sin?”
- Joshua 7:19So Joshua said to Achan, “My son, honor the Lord God of Israel and give him praise! Tell me what you did; don’t hide anything from me!”
- 1 Samuel 14:43So Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done.” Jonathan told him, “I used the end of the staff that was in my hand to taste a little honey. I must die!”
- Proverbs 21:1The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord like channels of water; he turns it wherever he wants.
Commentaries on Genesis 12:18
- 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. 17-19God intervened to rescue Sarai and to preserve her marriage to Abram so that the covenant promise could be fulfilled. When Sarai was returned to Abram, Pharaoh rebuked him because of what had happened (12:18–19).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 18-2018-20. Here is a most humiliating rebuke, and Abram deserved it. Had not God interfered, he might have been tempted to stay in Egypt and forget the promise (Psa 105:13, 15). Often still does God rebuke His people and remind them through enemies that this world is not their rest.Read the comment
Topics related to Genesis 12:18
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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