Why saidst thou, She [is] my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take [her], and go thy way.
19. take her, and go thy way ] Pharaoh, justly incensed with Abram, dismisses him with sternness and abruptness.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
I might have taken her to me to wife; though he had another before; polygamy being then commonly practised.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
Why saidst thou, she is my sister?…. He could not imagine what could be the reason of it, what could induce him to give out such a story as this; for he knew not the fears that Abram was possessed with, which led him to it, and which might be in a good measure groundless, or else Pharaoh might have guessed at the reason; or this he said as being willing to be satisfied of the true one;
so I might have taken her to me to wife; ignorantly, and without any scruple, supposing her to have been free; and so should have been guilty of taking another man’s wife, and of depriving him of her; which with him were crimes he did not choose to commit, though polygamy was not accounted any by him, for no doubt he had a wife or wives when about to take Sarai for one:
now therefore, behold thy wife, take [her], and go thy way; Sarai it seems was present at this interview, who was delivered to her husband untouched, as his own property, and is ordered to depart the country, that so neither the king, nor any of his courtiers or subjects, might be under any temptation to do him an injury, by violating the chastity of his wife. The whole of this affair is related by Eupolemus l, an Heathen historian, in a few words, in great agreement with this account; only he represents Sarai as married to the king of Egypt; he says, that Abram, on account of a famine, went to Egypt, with all his family, and there dwelt, and that the king of the Egyptians married his wife, he saying she was his sister: he goes on to relate more at large, says Alexander Polyhistor that quotes him, that the king could not enjoy her, and that his people and family were infected with a plague, upon which he called his diviners or prophets together, who told him that the woman was not a widow; and when the king of the Egyptians so understood it, that she was the wife of Abram, he restored her to her husband.
l Apud Euseb. ut supra. (Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 18. p. 420.)
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(19) So I might have taken her to me to wife.The Hebrew is, and I took her to me to wife: that is, I took her with the intention of making her my wife. During the interval before the marriage Pharaoh and his household were visited with such marked troubles that he became alarmed, and possibly Sarai then revealed to him her true relationship to Abram. We find in Est. 2:12 that in the case of maidens there was a probation of twelve months duration before the marriage took place, and Sarai was probably saved by some such formality. The conduct of Pharaoh is upright and dignified; nor ought we to disbelieve his assurance that he had acted upon the supposition that Sarai might lawfully be his. The silence of Abram seems to indicate his consciousness that Pharaoh had acted more righteously than himself, and yet his repetition of the offence (Genesis 20) shows that he did not feel much self-reproach at what he had done; nor, possibly, ought we to judge his conduct from the high standpoint of Christian morality. When, however, commentators speak of it as Abrams fall, they forget that he arranged this matter with Sarai at the very time when he was quitting Haran (Gen. 20:13).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way.
Observe how God provides for his people’s safety. Psa 105:13-15 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Gen 12:19 Why saidst thou, She [is] my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take [her], and go thy way.
Ver. 19. Why saidst thou, She is my sister? ] He might have answered, Because I was afraid. His fear it was that put him upon this exploit. So it did David when he changed his behaviour, and Peter when he denied his Master, &c. Men should rather die than lie. Nec prodam, nec mentiar , said that good bishop a in St Augustine. And that was a brave woman in St Jerome, that being on the rack resolved, and answered the tormentor, Non ideo negare volo ne peream, sed ideo mentiri nolo ne peccem . The chameleon, saith Pliny, is the most fearful of all creatures, and doth therefore turn into all colours, to save itself. So will timorous persons. See Zep 3:13 . Let us fortify our hearts against this cowardly passion.
a Firmus Episc. Togastensis.
Reciprocal: Gen 20:14 – restored Gen 26:10 – General Pro 6:29 – he that Ecc 9:7 – Go Mat 19:9 – doth
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge