New Living Translation
Genesis 20:3
3But 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!”
Genesis 20:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)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.
- New International Version (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.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, "Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man's wife."
- New King James Version (NKJV)But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, “Indeed you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.”
Context of Genesis 20:3
1Abraham moved south to the Negev and lived for a while between Kadesh and Shur, and then he moved on to Gerar. While living there as a foreigner, 2Abraham introduced his wife, Sarah, by saying, “She is my sister.” So King Abimelech of Gerar sent for Sarah and had her brought to him at his palace. 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!” 4But Abimelech had not slept with her yet, so he said, “Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation? 5Didn’t Abraham tell me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘Yes, he is my brother.’ I acted in complete innocence! My hands are clean.”
Read all of Genesis 20Genesis 20:3 word by word
וַיָּבֹ֧א אֱלֹהִ֛ים אֶל־אֲבִימֶ֖לֶךְ בַּחֲל֣וֹם הַלָּ֑יְלָה וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ל֗וֹ הִנְּךָ֥ מֵת֙ עַל־הָאִשָּׁ֣ה אֲשֶׁר־לָקַ֔חְתָּ וְהִ֖וא בְּעֻ֥לַת בָּֽעַל׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- But Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- cameבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
- to Abimelechאֲבִימֶ֫לֶךְ'ăbîymelek · AbimelechH40
- in a dreamחֲלוֹםchălôm chălôm · dreamH2472
- by nightלַ֫יְלָהlayil lêyl layelâh · nightH3915
- and saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- a dead manמוּתmûth · to dieH4191
- for the womanאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · womanH802
- which thou hast takenלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
- a man’sבַּעַלba‛al · master: menH1167
- wifeבָּעַלbâ‛al · rule: to marryH1166
Cross-references for Genesis 20:3
- Genesis 28:12As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from the earth up to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down the stairway.
- Genesis 31:24But the previous night God had appeared to Laban the Aramean in a dream and told him, “I’m warning you—leave Jacob alone!”
- Genesis 37:5One night Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him more than ever.
- Genesis 40:8And they replied, “We both had dreams last night, but no one can tell us what they mean.” “Interpreting dreams is God’s business,” Joseph replied. “Go ahead and tell me your dreams.”
- Genesis 41:1Two full years later, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing on the bank of the Nile River.
- Job 4:12“This truth was given to me in secret, as though whispered in my ear.
- Job 33:15He speaks in dreams, in visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they lie in their beds.
- Matthew 1:20As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.
- Matthew 2:12When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.
- Matthew 27:19Just then, as Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Leave that innocent man alone. I suffered through a terrible nightmare about him last night.”
- Genesis 20:7Now return the woman to her husband, and he will pray for you, for he is a prophet. Then you will live. But if you don’t return her to him, you can be sure that you and all your people will die.”
- Psalms 105:14Yet he did not let anyone oppress them. He warned kings on their behalf:
- Ezekiel 33:14And suppose I tell some wicked people that they will surely die, but then they turn from their sins and do what is just and right.
- Jonah 3:4On the day Jonah entered the city, he shouted to the crowds: “Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!”
Commentaries on Genesis 20:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3But God came to Abimelech - Thus we find that persons who were not of the family of Abraham had the knowledge of the true God. Indeed, all the Gerarites are termed צדיק גוי goi tsaddik, a righteous nation, Genesis 20:4.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-18Verses 1-18 - Abraham in Gerar 2. אבימלך .2 'ǎbı̂ymelek Abimelekh, “father of the king.” 7. נביא nābı̂y' “prophet,” he who speaks by God, of God, and to God, who declares to people not merely things future, but also things past and present, that are not obvious to the sense or the reason; related: “flow, go forth.” 13. התעוּ hı̂t‛û is plural in punctuation, agreeing grammatically with אלהים 'ĕlohı̂ym ו (w), however, may be regarded as the third…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3One night … God came … in a dream: God urgently intervened to stop Abimelech from harming Sarah's purity right before fulfilling his promise (18:10; 21:1–3).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. But God came to Abimelech in a dream--In early times a dream was often made the medium of communicating important truths; and this method was adopted for the preservation of Sarah.Read the comment
Topics related to Genesis 20:3
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Genesis 20
- 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
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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