Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maidservants, so that they could again bear children—
Parallel translations
- WEB Abraham prayed to God. God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his female servants, and they bore children.
- KJV So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children.
- NKJV So Abraham prayed to God; and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants. Then they bore children;
- NASB Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his female slaves, so that they gave birth to children.
- NLT Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants, so they could have children.
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 prays, and God heals Abimelech, his wife, and his servants so they can bear children. Abraham's intercession brings restoration.
Overview
Abraham fulfills his prophetic role by interceding, and God answers by healing the household's barrenness. This demonstrates the power of believing prayer and God's mercy toward the repentant. Abraham's mediation, securing life and fruitfulness for others, points forward to Christ, whose intercession brings true healing and life to all who trust Him.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Jas 5:16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail.
- Job 42:9–10So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the LORD had told them; and the LORD accepted Job’s request.
- Prov 15:8The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is His delight.
- Matt 21:22If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
- Phil 4:6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
- Gen 20:7Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet; he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not restore her, be aware that you will surely die—you and all who belong to you.”
- Gen 29:31When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.
- 1 Sam 5:11–12Then the Ekronites assembled all the rulers of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel. It must return to its place, so that it will not kill us and our people!” For a deadly confusion had pervaded the city; the hand of God was heavy upon it.
- Ezra 6:10Then they will be able to offer sacrifices of a sweet aroma to the God of heaven and to pray for the lives of the king and his sons.
- 1 Th 5:25Brothers, pray for us as well.
- Matt 7:7Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.
- Isa 45:11Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker: “How dare you question Me about My sons, or instruct Me in the work of My hands?
- Acts 3:24Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have proclaimed these days.
- Prov 15:29The LORD is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.
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 20:17 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.