Now it came about, when Abram entered Egypt, that the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful.
Parallel translations
- WEB When Abram had come into Egypt, Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful.
- KJV And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair.
- BSB So when Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful.
- NKJV So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful.
- NLT And sure enough, when Abram arrived in Egypt, everyone noticed Sarai’s beauty.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
On arrival the Egyptians saw that Sarai was very beautiful. Abram's feared scenario begins to unfold.
Overview
Sarai's beauty draws immediate attention in Egypt, setting Abram's scheme in motion. The narrative tension rises as the promised mother is exposed to danger. God's quiet oversight, soon to be revealed, will guard the covenant line even amid Abram's compromise.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Gen 3:6When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took some of its fruit, and ate; and she gave some to her husband with her, and he ate it, too.
- Gen 39:7After these things, his master’s wife set her eyes on Joseph; and she said, “Lie with me.”
- Gen 6:2God’s sons saw that men’s daughters were beautiful, and they took any that they wanted for themselves as wives.
- Matt 5:28but I tell you that everyone who gazes at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 12:14 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.