Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father—though not the daughter of my mother—and she became my wife.
Parallel translations
- WEB Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.
- KJV And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.
- NKJV But indeed she is truly my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.
- NASB Besides, she actually is my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife;
- NLT And she really is my sister, for we both have the same father, but different mothers. And I married her.
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
Abraham notes Sarah is truly his half-sister, sharing a father but not a mother. He defends the statement as a technical truth used to deceive.
Overview
Abraham explains the factual basis of his claim, that Sarah was indeed a close relative, yet this half-truth was used precisely to mislead. A statement partly true but intended to deceive remains a failure of faith and honesty. The episode teaches that technically accurate words can still be deceptive, and that God's people are called to transparent integrity rather than clever evasion.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Gen 11:29And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. Abram’s wife was named Sarai, and Nahor’s wife was named Milcah; she was the daughter of Haran, who was the father of both Milcah and Iscah.
- Gen 12:13Please say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake, and on account of you my life will be spared.”
- 1 Th 5:22Abstain from every form of evil.
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 20:12 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.