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.
3. God came in a dream ] Scholars have noticed that E frequently describes Divine interposition by means of a dream. Cf. Gen 20:6, Gen 31:11; Gen 31:24, Gen 37:5; Gen 37:9, Gen 40:5 ff., Gen 41:1 ff., Gen 46:2.
art but a dead man ] i.e. “shalt die.” This sentence is not literally fulfilled. Cf. Gen 2:17.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 3. But God came to Abimelech] Thus we find that persons who were not of the family of Abraham had the knowledge of the true God. Indeed, all the Gerarites are termed goi tsaddik, a righteous nation, Ge 20:4.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
God then used to manifest his mind in dreams, not only to his people, but even to heathens for their sakes, or in things wherein they were concerned.
Thou art but a dead man, thou deservest a present and untimely death; and if thou proceedest in thy intended wickedness, it shall be inflicted upon thee, both for thy injustice in taking her away by force, and for thy intentions to abuse her, though not yet executed.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
3. But God came to Abimelech in adreamIn early times a dream was often made the medium ofcommunicating important truths; and this method was adopted for thepreservation of Sarah.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night,…. Put a dream into his mind, by which he cautioned him against taking Sarah to be his wife; so careful was the Lord that no wrong should be done to such a godly and virtuous person, to which she was exposed through the weakness of her husband. Aben Ezra wrongly interprets this of an angel, when it was God himself:
and said unto him, behold, thou [art but] a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; that is, God would punish him with death, unless he restored the woman, whom he had taken, to her husband; not for any uncleanness he had committed with her, but for taking her without her free and full consent, and without inquiring more strictly into her relation to Abraham, and connection with him, and for his impure and unlawful desires after her, if persisted in:
for she [is] a man’s wife, or “married to an husband” c; and therefore it was unlawful in him to take her to be his wife.
c “maritata marito”, Pagninus, Montanus, Piscator, Schmidt.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
3 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. 4 But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, LORD, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation? 5 Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this. 6 And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her. 7 Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.
It appears by this that God revealed himself by dreams (which evidenced themselves to be divine and supernatural) not only to his servants the prophets, but even to those who were out of the pale of the church and covenant; but then, usually, it was with some regard to God’s own people as in Pharaoh’s dream, to Joseph, in Nebuchadnezzar’s, to Daniel, and here, in Abimelech’s, to Abraham and Sarah, for he reproved this king for their sake, Psa 105:14; Psa 105:15.
I. God gives him notice of his danger (v. 3), his danger of sin, telling him that the woman is a man’s wife, so that if he take her he will wrong her husband; his danger of death for this sin: Thou art a dead man; and God’s saying so of a man makes him so. Note, Every wilful sinner ought to be told that he is a dead man, as the condemned malefactor, and the patient whose disease is mortal, are said to be so. If thou art a bad man, certainly thou art a dead man.
II. He pleads ignorance that Abraham and Sarah had agreed to impose upon him, and not to let him know that they were any more than brother and sister, v. 6. See what confidence a man may have towards God when his heart condemns him not, 1 John iii. 21. If our consciences witness to our integrity, and that, however we may have been cheated into a snare, we have not knowingly and wittingly sinned against God, it will be our rejoicing in the day of evil. He pleads with God as Abraham had done, ch. xviii. 23. Wilt thou slay a righteous nation? v. 4. Not such a nation as Sodom, which was indeed justly destroyed, but a nation which, in this matter, was innocent.
III. God gives a very full answer to what he had said.
1. He allows his plea, and admits that what he did he did in the integrity of his heart: Yea, I know it, v. 6. Note, It is matter of comfort to those that are honest that God knows their honesty, and will acknowledge it, though perhaps men that are prejudiced against them either cannot be convinced of it or will not own that they are.
2. He lets him know that he was kept from proceeding in the sin merely by the good hand of God upon him: I withheld thee from sinning against me. Abimelech was hereby kept from doing wrong, Abraham from suffering wrong, and Sarah from both. Note, (1.) There is a great deal of sin devised and designed that is never executed. As bad as things are in the world, they are not so bad as the devil and wicked men would have them. (2.) It is God that restrains men from doing the ill they would do. It is not from him that there is sin, but it is from him that there is not more sin, either by his influence upon men’s minds, checking their inclination to sin, or by his providence, taking away the opportunity to sin. (3.) It is a great mercy to be hindered from committing sin; of this God must have the glory, whoever is the instrument, 1Sa 25:32; 1Sa 25:33.
3. He charges him to make restitution: Now therefore, not that thou art better informed, restore the man his wife, v. 7. Note, Ignorance will excuse no longer than it continues. If we have entered upon a wrong course through ignorance this will not excuse our knowingly persisting in it, Lev. v. 3-5. The reasons why he must be just and kind to Abraham are, (1.) Because he is a prophet, near and dear to God, for whom God does in a particular manner concern himself. God highly resents the injuries done to his prophets, and takes them as done to himself. (2.) Being a prophet, he shall pray for thee; this is a prophet’s reward, and a good reward it is. It is intimated that there was great efficacy in the prayers of a prophet, and that good men should be ready to help those with their prayers that stand in need of them, and should make, at least, this return for the kindnesses that are done them. Abraham was accessory to Abimelech’s trouble, and therefore was obliged in justice to pray for him. (3.) It is at thy peril if thou do not restore her: Know thou that thou shalt surely die. Note, He that does wrong, whoever he is, prince or peasant, shall certainly receive for the wrong which he has done, unless he repent and make restitution, Col. iii. 25. No injustice can be made passable with God, no, not by Caesar’s image stamped upon it.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
3. But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night. Here Moses shows that the Lord acted with such gentleness, that in punishing his servant, he yet, as a father, forgave him: just as he deals with us, so that, while chastising us with his rod, his mercy and his goodness far exceed his severity. Hence also we infer, that he takes greater care of the pious than carnal sense can understand; since he watches over them while they sleep. This also is to be carefully noticed; that however we may be despised by the worlds we are yet precious to him, since for our sake he reproves even kings, as it is written in Psa 105:14. But as this subject was more fully discussed in the twelfth chapter, (Gen 12:1) let the readers there seek what I now purposely omit. Whereas, God is said to have come, this is to be applied to the perception of the king, to whom undoubtedly the majesty of God was manifested; so that he might clearly perceive himself to be divinely reproved and not deluded with a vain spectre.
Behold, thou art but a dead man. Although God reproved king Abimelech, for the sake of Abraham, whom he covered with his special protection; he yet intends to show, generally, his high displeasure against adultery. And, in truth, here is no express mention of Abraham; but rather a general announcement is made, for the purpose of maintaining conjugal fidelity. ‘Thou shalt die, because thou hast seized upon a women who was joined to a husband.’ Let us therefore learn, that a precept was given in these words, to mankind, which forbids any one to touch his neighbor’s wife. And, truly, since nothing in the life of man is more sacred than marriage, it is not to be wondered at, that the Lord should require mutual fidelity to be cherished between husbands and wives and should declare that he will be the Avenger of it, as often as it is violated. He now addresses himself, indeed, only to one man; but the warning ought to sound in the ears of all, that adulterers — although they may exult with impunity for a time — shall yet feel that God, who presides over marriage, will take vengeance on them. (Heb 13:4.)
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(3) God (Elohim) came . . . From the use of this title of the Deity it has been said that this narrative is an Elohistic form of the Jehovistic narrative inGen. 12:10-20. But we have seen that even in the History of the Fall, where the writer in so remarkable a manner styles the Deity Jehovah-Elohim, he nevertheless restricts Eve and the serpent in their conversation to the name Elohim. With the same care in the application of the names, it is necessarily Elohim who appears to a heathen king; and had the title Jehovah been used it would have been a violation of the narrators rule. Moreover, the sole reason for calling that narrative Jehovistic is that in Gen. 12:17 it is Jehovah who plagues Pharaoh for Sarahs sake. But equally here, Gen. 20:18, it is Jehovah who protects Sarah from Abimelech; in both cases it being the covenant- God, who saves his people from injury.
Thou art but a dead man.Heb., thou diest, or art dying. Abimelech was already suffering from the malady spoken of in Gen. 20:17, when Elohim appeared to him and warned him that death would be the result of perseverance in retaining Sarah. It was this malady which was the cause of the abstention spoken of in Gen. 20:4; Gen. 20:6.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
3. God came to Abimelech in a dream It is interesting to note the use in this chapter of the divine names . Here it is God ( Elohim without the article) who comes to him in a dream, and in Gen 20:4 he calls him Lord ( Adonai .) Then in Gen 20:6, it is the God ( Elohim with the article) who continues to speak with the Philistine king . In Gen 20:11 Abraham speaks timidly of the fear of God, ( Elohim without the article,) and uses the same indefinite name again in Gen 20:13, as if accommodating himself to the notions of a heathen king . But in Gen 20:17 it is said that Abraham prayed unto the God, ( Elohim with the article,) and God (Elohim without the article) healed Abimelech, etc . ; and then, in Gen 20:18, it is finally declared that it was Jehovah, the covenant God of Abraham, who had interposed to preserve and honour the mother of the promised seed .
Behold, thou art but a dead man Hebrews, behold thee dead! Probably first of all an allusion to the deadness of the “wombs of the house of Abimelech,” (Gen 20:18, note,) and also prospective of the certain death before him if he restored not the wife of Abraham, Gen 20:7.
For she is a man’s wife Hebrews, and she mistress of a lord. Kalisch calls it “a pleonastic expression, the wife of a husband.”
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Gen 20:3. But God came to Abimelech, &c. It is hence evident, as well as from other instances, that the Canaanites, in Abraham’s time, were not all corrupted in religion. Abimelech and his servants appear to have been worshippers of the true God, see Gen 20:8 as they were evidently regarded by God, who thus interposed for their welfare. God never left himself without witnesses; nor, though peculiarly kind to Abraham, was he a stranger to other nations. He spake to them in dreams and in visions, see Job 4:13; Job 33:14-15. and by other means manifested his power and Godhead; so that they who forsook his worship were without excuse.
Thou art but a dead man That is, if thou perform not what I enjoin, if thou restore not the wife to her husband. It is obvious hence to remark (and from ch. 12:) how detestable and destructive the sin of adultery has been ever judged from the beginning of time, and indeed in all nations. Thou art but a dead manfor she is a man’s wife!
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Gen 20:3 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.
Ver. 3. But God came to Abimelech in a dream. ] Dreams are either natural or supernatural. Natural dreams are not much to be regarded. Ecc 5:7 Diviners and dreamers we are forbid to hearken to. Jer 27:9 Cicero confutes them that do, in his book De Divinatione. a What use there is of them is in physic, to discern our temperatures, – in divinity, our beloved sins. Supernatural dreams are sent by God and his angels; and that either to comfort us, as, Mat 2:19 or to chasten us. Job 7:13-14 And these are, first, usually repeated till they are regarded; as Pharaoh’s and young Samuel’s dreams: secondly, they do much affect us, and leave a certain persuasion, an inward sense of God’s presence in the soul; as Daniel’s, Joseph’s, and Pareus’s dreams. In the Calends of April, – saith he, in his domestical Diary, or Day Book, 1618, – I had a terrible dream at four of the clock in the morning. For I thought, I saw all Heidelberg in a thick smoke, but the prince’s palace all on a light fire. O Deus clementissime, averte sinistrum omen, et serva Sareptam tuam a vastatione hostium intus et foris . b Thus that good man dreamed, and thus he prayed: but the decree was passed, and shortly after executed, according to his dream. There are also dreams diabolical. Eusebius tells us, that Simon Magus had his dream-haunting devils, , his familiars by whom he deluded men in their dreams, and drew them into the admiration of himself. These devilish dreams are either mere illusions, as that of Eliphaz is thought c to be no better. Job 4:12 ; Job 4:16-17 Or else they tend to sin, as nocturnal pollutions, and other evil dreams; whereby the devil sometimes fasteneth that sin upon the saints when asleep, that he cannot prevail with them to commit while awake. As for Pilate’s wife’s dream, some divines think it was from the devil, seeking thereby to hinder the work of our redemption.
For she is a man’s wife.] Adultery, even in kings, is punishable by death. Emperors and Popes d have been cut off by the just hand of God, in, and for this filthy sin. Society, and the purity of posterity, could not otherwise continue among men, if this crime were not capital. At Geneva they punish fornication with nine days’ fasting; adultery with death. God appointed that such should be stoned. He stoneth them, howsoever, with the stone in the heart. Hos 4:11 Pro 7:22 Hetfer the Anabaptist was put to death for this sin at Constance. e He being a learned man, and a preacher, insinuated himsef into the familiarity of many women of good rank and repute, and defiled them; when he came to execution, he confessed that he would many times have repented of that foul sin, but could not; so fast was he held in the devil’s bonds: and that now he was willing to die, and accept of the chastisement of his iniquity. Howbeit, it is an opinion held and maintained by the Anabaptists, that adultery is not to be punished by men, because the Scripture saith, “whoremongers and adulterers God will judge”. Heb 13:4 Others would prove the same from those words of our Saviour, to the woman taken in adultery, “Neither do I condemn thee”. Joh 8:11 But they may as well say, that inheritances are not to be divided between brethren, because Christ would not divide them, when required thereto. Luk 12:14
a Somnia ne cures, nam mens humana quid optat ,& c.
b Vidi Heidelbergam totam occulto incendio undiquaque fumigantem ,& c. – Philip. Par. in Vita Davidis Parei, operibus eius praefixa.
c Marbury Of Repent.
d Moritur Paulus IV nimio veneris usu ,& c. – Valentinian, Imp. – Heyl., Geog.
e Joh. Manlii, loc. com., pp. 322, 487.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
dream. 20 recorded in Scripture (see App-10). Gen 20:3; Gen 28:12; Gen 31:10, Gen 31:24; Gen 37:5, Gen 37:9; Gen 40:5, Gen 40:6; Gen 41:1, Gen 41:5, Gen 41:5. Jdg 7:13. 1Ki 3:5. Dan 2:3; Dan 4:5; Dan 7:1. Mat 1:20; Mat 2:12, Mat 2:13, Mat 2:19; Mat 27:19.
man . . . for. Figure of speech Aposiopesis, or “sudden silence”. We must supply “If thou dost not restore her”; or “I will slay thee”. See verses: Gen 20:4 and Gen 20:7.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
a dream: Gen 28:12, Gen 31:24, Gen 37:5, Gen 37:9, Gen 40:8, Gen 41:1-36, Job 4:12, Job 4:13, Job 33:15, Mat 1:20, Mat 2:12, Mat 2:13, Mat 27:19
a dead: Gen 20:7, Psa 105:14, Eze 33:14, Eze 33:15, Jon 3:4
a man’s wife: Heb. married to an husband
Reciprocal: Gen 26:26 – Abimelech Gen 38:24 – let her Gen 39:9 – how then Gen 40:5 – General Gen 41:7 – a dream Exo 12:33 – We be all Num 22:9 – God 2Sa 12:10 – hast taken 1Ch 16:21 – he reproved Zec 1:8 – by night Mat 19:9 – doth Joh 4:18 – is not
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Gen 20:3. But God came to Abimelech in a dream It appears by this that God revealed himself by dreams, which evidenced themselves to be divine and supernatural, not only to his servants the prophets, but even to those that were out of the pale of the church; but then usually it was with some regard to Gods own people.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
20:3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, {c} thou [art but] a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she [is] a man’s wife.
(c) So greatly God detests the breach of marriage.