Genesis 20:3

But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man, because of the woman whom you have taken. For she is a man’s wife.”

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Other translations

WEBBE

But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man, because of the woman whom you have taken; for she is a man’s wife.”

BSB

One night, however, God came to Abimelech in a dream and told him, “You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken, for she is a married woman.”

KJV

But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man’s wife.

ASV

But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, because of the woman whom thou hast taken; for she is a man’s wife.

BBE

But God came to Abimelech in a dream in the night, and said to him, Truly you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken; for she is a man's wife.

Original Hebrew

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וַיָּבֹא vai·ya·vo' and he came H935 אֱלֹהִים 'e·lo·him God H430 אֶל־ 'el- to H413 אֲבִימֶלֶךְ 'a·vi·me·lekh Abimelech H40 בַּחֲלוֹם ba·cha·lom in a dream H2472 הַלָּיְלָה ha·la·ye·lah the night H3915 וַיֹּאמֶר vai·yo·mer and he said H559 לוֹ lo to (the) him H9033 הִנְּךָ hi·ne·kha here you H2009 מֵת met [are] about to die H4191 עַל־ 'al- on H5921 הָאִשָּׁה ha·'i·shah the woman H802 אֲשֶׁר־ 'a·sher- whom H834 לָקַחְתָּ la·kach·ta you have taken H3947 וְהִוא ve·hiv' and she H1931 בְּעֻלַת be·'u·lat [is] married of H1166 בָּעַל ba·'al a husband H1167

Commentary

Matthew Henry · Verses 1–8

Crooked policy will not prosper: it brings ourselves and others into danger. God gives Abimelech notice of his danger of sin, and his danger of death for his sin. Every wilful sinner is a dead man, but Abimelech pleads ignorance. If our consciences witness, that, however we may have been cheated into a snare, we have not knowingly sinned against God, it will be our rejoicing in the day of evil. It is matter of comfort to those who are honest, that God knows their honesty, and will acknowledge it. It is a great mercy to be hindered from committing sin; of this God must have the glory. But if we have ignorantly done wrong, that will not excuse us, if we knowingly persist in it. He that does wrong, whoever he is, prince or peasant, shall certainly receive for the wrong which he has done, unless he repent, and, if possible, make restitution.

Read Matthew Henry on Genesis 20 →

Cross-references

19

People & places

Abimelech

Topics

GodAdulteryMarriageDreamHeathenCondescension Of God

Cross-references: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. Hebrew and Greek data from STEPBible.org (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0. Library: sources.