Now Abimelech had not gone near her, so he replied, “Lord, would You destroy a nation even though it is innocent?
Parallel translations
- WEB Now Abimelech had not come near her. He said, “Lord, will you kill even a righteous nation?
- KJV But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, LORD, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation?
- NKJV But Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, “Lord, will You slay a righteous nation also?
- NASB Now Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, “Lord, will You kill a nation, even though blameless?
- NLT But Abimelech had not slept with her yet, so he said, “Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation?
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
Abimelech, who had not touched Sarah, pleads that God would not destroy an innocent nation. He appeals to God's justice over the matter.
Overview
Abimelech's protest reveals he acted in ignorance, deceived by Abraham's words, and he appeals to God as a righteous judge. His question assumes God will not condemn the genuinely innocent, an assumption Scripture affirms of God's just character. The episode shows even a Gentile king possessing a conscience and a sense of God's righteousness.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- 2 Sam 4:11How much more, when wicked men kill a righteous man in his own house and on his own bed, shall I not now require his blood from your hands and remove you from the earth!”
- Gen 18:23–25Abraham stepped forward and said, “Will You really sweep away the righteous with the wicked?
- 1 Chr 21:17And David said to God, “Was it not I who gave the order to count the people? I am the one who has sinned and acted wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? O LORD my God, please let Your hand fall upon me and my father’s house, but do not let this plague remain upon Your people.”
- Gen 19:24Then the LORD rained down sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens.
- Gen 20:17–18Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maidservants, so that they could again bear children—
- Gen 20:6Then God said to Abimelech in the dream, “Yes, I know that you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against Me. That is why I did not let you touch her.
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 20:4 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.