Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his female slaves, so that they gave birth to 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.
- BSB Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maidservants, so that they could again bear children—
- NKJV So Abraham prayed to God; and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants. Then they bore 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 5:16Confess your offenses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The insistent prayer of a righteous person is powerfully effective.
- Job 42:9–10So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went, and did what Yahweh commanded them, and Yahweh accepted Job.
- Prov 15:8The sacrifice made by the wicked is an abomination to Yahweh, but the prayer of the upright is his delight.
- Matt 21:22All things, whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
- Phil 4:6In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
- Gen 20:7Now therefore, restore the man’s wife. For he is a prophet, and he will pray for you, and you will live. If you don’t restore her, know for sure that you will die, you, and all who are yours.”
- Gen 29:31Yahweh saw that Leah was hated, and he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.
- 1 Sam 5:11–12They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and they said, “Send the ark of the God of Israel away, and let it go again to its own place, that it not kill us and our people.” For there was a deadly confusion throughout all the city. The hand of God was very heavy there.
- Ezra 6:10that they may offer sacrifices of pleasant aroma to the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king, and of his sons.
- 1 Th 5:25Brothers, pray for us.
- Matt 7:7“Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you.
- Isa 45:11Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker says: “You ask me about the things that are to come, concerning my sons, and you command me concerning the work of my hands!
- Acts 3:24Yes, and all the prophets from Samuel and those who followed after, as many as have spoken, they also told of these days.
- Prov 15:29Yahweh 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.