Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Genesis 20:14

And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave [them] unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife.

14. And Abimelech took ] Abimelech’s gift is intended to compensate Abraham for injury to his honour. The head of the household is regarded as embodying the rights of all who belong to him. The LXX and Heb. Sam. insert “a thousand pieces of silver and” before “sheep and oxen.” This is due to a misunderstanding of Gen 20:16.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave [them] unto Abraham,…. In a good measure satisfied with what Abraham had said to excuse himself; and these gifts he gave unto him, that he might, as Jarchi observes, pray and intercede for him, that he and his family might be healed, having understood by the divine oracle that he was a prophet, and if he prayed for him he would be restored to health: and these were not given to bribe him to give his consent that Sarah might be continued with him, since it follows,

and restored him Sarah his wife; untouched by him, as he was directed by God to do.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

Abimelech then gave him back his wife with a liberal present of cattle and slaves, and gave him leave to dwell wherever he pleased in his land. To Sarah he said, “ Behold, I have given a thousand shekele of silver to thy brother; behold, it is to thee a covering of the eyes (i.e., an expiatory gift) with regard to all that are with thee (“because in a mistress the whole family is disgraced,” Del.), and with all – so art thou justified.” The thousand shekels (about 131) were not a special present made to Sarah, but indicate the value of the present made to Abraham, the amount of which may be estimated by this standard, that at a later date (Exo 21:32) a slave was reckoned at 30 shekels. By the “covering of the eyes” we are not to understand a veil, which Sarah was to procure for 1000 shekels; but it is a figurative expression for an atoning gift, and is to be explained by the analogy of the phrase “to cover any one’s face,” so that he may forget a wrong done (cf. Gen 32:21; and Job 9:24, “he covereth the faces of the judges,” i.e., he bribes them). can only be the 2 pers. fem. sing. perf. Niphal, although the Dagesh lene is wanting in the ; for the rules of syntax will hardly allow us to regard this form as a participle, unless we imagine the extremely harsh ellipsis of for . The literal meaning is “so thou art judged,” i.e., justice has been done thee.

Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament

14 And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife. 15 And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee. 16 And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved. 17 So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children. 18 For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham’s wife.

Here is, I. The kindness of a prince which Abimelech showed to Abraham. See how unjust Abraham’s jealousies were. He fancied that if they knew that Sarah was his wife they would kill him; but, when they did know it, instead of killing him they were kind to him, frightened at least to be so by the divine rebukes they were under. 1. He gives him his royal licence to dwell where he pleased in his country, courting his stay because he gives him his royal gifts (v. 14), sheep and oxen, and (v. 16) a thousand pieces of silver. This he gave when he restored Sarah, either, [1.] By way of satisfaction for the wrong he had offered to do, in taking her to his house: when the Philistines restored the ark, being plagued for detaining it, they sent a present with it. The law appointed that when restitution was made something should be added to it, Lev. vi. 5. Or, [2.] To engage Abraham’s prayers for him; not as if prayers should be bought and sold, but we should endeavour to be kind to those of whose spiritual things we reap, 1 Cor. ix. 11. Note, It is our wisdom to get and keep an interest with those that have an interest in heaven, and to make those our friends who are the friends of God. [3.] He gives to Sarah good instruction, tells her that her husband (her brother he calls him, to upbraid her with calling him so) must be to her for a covering of the eyes, that is, she must look at no other, nor desire to be looked at by any other. Note, Yoke-fellows must be to each other for a covering of the eyes. The marriage-covenant is a covenant with the eyes, like Job’s, ch. xxxi. 1.

II. The kindness of a prophet which Abraham showed to Abimelech: he prayed for him,Gen 20:17; Gen 20:18. This honour God would put upon Abraham that, though Abimelech had restored Sarah, yet the judgment he was under should be removed upon the prayer of Abraham, and not before. Thus God healed Miriam, when Moses, whom she had most affronted, prayed for her (Num. xii. 13), and was reconciled to Job’s friends when Job, whom they had grieved, prayed for them (Job xlii. 8-10), and so did, as it were, give it under his hand that he was reconciled to them. Note, The prayers of good men may be a kindness to great men, and ought to be valued.

Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary

14. And Abimelech took sheep. Abraham had before received possessions and gifts in Egypt; but with this difference, that whereas Pharaoh had commanded him to depart elsewhere; Abimelech offers him a home in his kingdom. It therefore appears that both kings were stricken with no common degree of fear. For when they perceived that they were reproved by the Lord, because they had been troublesome to Abraham; they found no method of appeasing God, except that of compensating, by acts of kindness, for the injury they had brought on the holy man. The latter difference alluded to flowed hence; that Pharaohs being more severely censured, was so terrified, that he could scarcely bear the sight of Abraham: whereas Abimelech, although alarmed, was yet soon composed by an added word of consolation, when the Lord said to him, He is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee. For there is no other remedy for the removal of fear, than the Lord’s declaration that he will be propitious. It is indeed of little advantage for the sinner to present to God only what fear extorts. But it is a true sign of penitence, when, with a composed mind and quiet conscience, he yields himself, as obedient and docile, to God. And seeing that Abimelech allowed Abraham a habitation in his realm, a blessing of no trivial kind followed this act of humanity; because Isaac was born there, as we shall see in the next chapter (Gen 20:1.)

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

(14) Abimelech. . . . gave them unto Abraham.Pharaohs presents were given when he took Sarah, and though he did not exact them back, yet he bade Abraham go his way in displeasure. More generously, the Philistine gives presents on restoring Sarah, and grants her husband permission to dwell in his land wherever it pleased him. He also acknowledges thereby that he had done Abraham a wrong.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

14. Took sheep and oxen Compare the similar present of the king of Egypt, Gen 12:16.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

The Plague Removed from Abimelech

v. 14. And Abimelech took sheep and oxen and men-servants and women-servants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah, his wife. The restoration of Sarah with her honor unspotted followed as a matter of course, but the giving of presents in such rich measure was an act of magnanimity on Abimelech’s part, showing that he felt no false resentment.

v. 15. And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee; dwell where it pleaseth thee. To offer to Abraham the choice of pasturage in his land in the circumstances was certainly heaping coals of fire on his head.

v. 16. But unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver; behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes unto all that are with thee and with all other. Thus she was reproved. The goods which Abimelech had given to Abraham were estimated at this sum. Now Sarah was to know that this (or he) was to her a covering of the eyes and to her entire household and to all men; that is, according to some explanations, she was to look upon the gifts as presents of atonement, also with respect to such people in whose eyes she might be covered with dishonor. Or, if the reference is to Abraham, it means that he had willfully blinded the eyes of Abimelech and all his people in this transaction, and that Sarah should now be reminded, through this present, never again to agree to such a subterfuge. In that way she stood reproved.

v. 17. So Abraham prayed unto God; and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maid-servants; and they bare children.

v. 18. For the Lord had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife. That was the manner in which God’s punishment upon Abimelech had begun, by denying offspring to his entire household, for it is in His hands, as the Creator of the universe, to grant the blessing of children. The entire story shows that the Lord holds His protecting hand over His children in the midst of all the temptations of the world, Psa 105:14-15.

Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann

Gen 20:14. Gave them to Abraham, &c. It is manifest, from this transaction, and the similar one recorded in ch. 12: that Abraham was desirous to pass for Sarah’s brother, from the single motive of preserving his life; they will slay me for my wife’s sake: and to preserve my life, said he, this is the kindness which thou shalt shew me, &c. So that the infidel objections of those who would insinuate, that the patriarch acted upon mercenary views, are of no weight. The presents, which Pharaoh and Abimelech gave him, were voluntary acknowledgments of their unintentional offence against him, and of his interceding with God for them: oblations of gratitude for their recovery from the sore plagues wherewith God had afflicted them, and a kind of commutation of the injury and affront which they had shewn to persons so highly favoured of God, that, at what time they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to another people, he suffered no man to do them wrong, but reproved even kings for their sakes. Psa 105:13-14.

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

Gen 20:14 And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave [them] unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife.

Ver. 14. And Ablmelech took sheep and oxen. ] Great men should be bountiful to good men. Aeneas Sylvius was wont to say of learning – how much more may it be said of grace? – popular men should esteem it as silver, noblemen as gold, princes prize it as pearls. Arcadius the emperor gave his schoolmaster Arsenes, a holy man, the revenues of all Egypt, desiring him to pray for him. Arsenes promised him his prayers, but refused his rich offer; saying, that he wanted no money, as being long since dead to the world. a

a Pecunia non egere, quod mundo iampridem mortuus esset . – Parei Hist. Profan. Medul., p. 495.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

and. Figure of speech Polysyndeton. App-6.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

took: Gen 20:11, Gen 12:16

restored: Gen 20:2, Gen 20:7, Gen 12:19, Gen 12:20

Reciprocal: Gen 21:23 – I have