And Abraham journeyed from there toward the land of the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur; and he sojourned in Gerar.
verse value 3112
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 45 letters. The shortest word is "from·there" (מִשָּׁ֤ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "between·Kadesh" (בֵּין־קָדֵ֖שׁ, 6 letters). The root בין appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·land" (root ארץ, 305x in Genesis); "from·there" (root שם, 180x in Genesis); "between·Kadesh" (root בין, 146x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Shur', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיִּסַּ֨ע [and·journeyed] (146) + מִשָּׁ֤ם [from·there] (380) + אַבְרָהָם֙ [Abraham] (248) + אַ֣רְצָה [to·the·land] (296) + הַנֶּ֔גֶב [the·Negeb] (60) + וַיֵּ֥שֶׁב [and·dwelt] (318) + בֵּין־קָדֵ֖שׁ [between·Kadesh] (466) + וּבֵ֣ין [and·between] (68) + שׁ֑וּר [Shur] (506) + וַיָּ֖גׇר [and·sojourned] (219) + בִּגְרָֽר [in·Gerar] (405) = 3112.
Onkelos
Abraham journeyed from there to the southern land, and he dwelt between Rekem and Hagra, and he sojourned in Gerar.
Rashi
ויסע משם אברהם AND ABRAHAM JOURNEYED FROM THENCE—When he observed that the cities had been destroyed and travellers ceased to pass to and fro, he went away from there. Another explanation is: he journeyed from there to get away from Lot who had gained an evil reputation because of his intercourse with his daughters (Genesis Rabbah 52:3-4).
Sforno
וישב בין קדש ובי שור, between 2 large cities, in order to have an opportunity to proclaim the holy name of G’d in both these cities, as he did later, the objective being to improve G’d’s image among mankind.
Chizkuni
ויסע משם, “he moved away from there.” He moved away from Eloney Mamre.
And Abraham said of Sarah his wife: "She is my sister." And Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.
verse value 4159
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 52 letters. The shortest word is "she" (הִ֑וא, 3 letters) and the longest is "Abimelech" (אֲבִימֶ֙לֶךְ֙, 6 letters). The root שרה appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 604x in Genesis); "his·wife" (root אשה, 148x in Genesis); "and·took" (root לקח, 142x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'she', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֧אמֶר [and·said] (257) + אַבְרָהָ֛ם [Abraham] (248) + אֶל־שָׂרָ֥ה [to·Sarah] (536) + אִשְׁתּ֖וֹ [his·wife] (707) + אֲחֹ֣תִי [my·sister] (419) + הִ֑וא [she] (12) + וַיִּשְׁלַ֗ח [and·sent] (354) + אֲבִימֶ֙לֶךְ֙ [Abimelech] (103) + מֶ֣לֶךְ [king] (90) + גְּרָ֔ר [Gerar] (403) + וַיִּקַּ֖ח [and·took] (124) + אֶת־שָׂרָֽה [Sarah] (906) = 4159.
Onkelos
Abraham said of Sarah his wife, "She is my sister." And Abimelech, king of Gerar, sent and took Sarah.
Rashi
ויאמר אברהם AND ABRAHAM SAID — This time he did not ask her consent but forcibly and against her inclination he stated that she was his sister, because she had already been taken once to Pharaoh’s house on account of this (Genesis Rabbah 52:4). אל שרה אשתו OF SARAH HIS WIFE — means in reference to (אֶל in sense of עַל) just as (1 Samuel 4:21) “in reference to (אל) the ark of God being taken, and in reference to (אל) her father-in-law”, where the word אל, in both cases, has the same meaning as על.
Ramban
AND ABRAHAM SAID OF SARAH HIS WIFE, SHE IS MY SISTER. This was not like what happened in Egypt. There, when they entered the land, it is said that the Egyptians saw that the woman was beautiful, and they praised her to the lords and to Pharaoh, -15. as they were an immoral people but this king was perfect and upright, and his people were likewise good. However Abraham suspected them, and he told everyone that she was his sister. AND ABIMELECH, KING OF GERAR, SENT AND TOOK SARAH. It is wondrous that Sarah, after being worn with age, was extremely beautiful, fit to be taken by kings. When she was taken to Pharaoh, though she was sixty-five Now Scripture states that when he left Haran, Abraham was seventy-five years old (12:4); Sarah who was ten years younger (17:17) was thus sixty-five. years old, it is possible that she still had her beautiful appearance, but after being worn with age and the manner of women had ceased with her, that is a wonder! Perhaps her youthfulness returned to her when the angel brought her the tidings, as our Rabbis have said. ”
Ibn Ezra
"About Sarah his wife" — [the preposition] אֶל here has the sense of עַל, 'concerning'; similarly: 'about this boy' (1 Samuel 1:27). The angel came to Abimelech in a dream on account of Abraham's honor. Here the text uses the word 'taking,' just as it did in the episode with Pharaoh. Yet upon Pharaoh He brought great plagues, upon him and his household, whereas the afflictions of Abimelech and his household were not of that kind, for he was more righteous than Pharaoh.
Or HaChaim
ויאמר אבוהם אל שרה. Abraham said about Sarah, etc. This time Abraham did not ask Sarah to be the first to announce that she was Abraham's sister as he had done when they travelled to Egypt. Then he had been motivated by the ugliness of the Egyptians and the contrast with Sarah's white skin which aroused the lust of the Egyptians. The people in Geror did not look different from Abraham and Sarah. Also, their general sexual mores were superior to that of the Egyptians. Avimelech himself felt justified in challenging Abraham's deception if it were based on such suspicions. Pharaoh had not dared to ask such a question. This is also the reason that Avimelech agreed that Abraham reside in his country, something the King of Egypt could not afford to do.
Chizkuni
ויאמר אברהם אל אשתו, “Avraham said to his wife:” when speaking in her presence he said that she was his sister, while she kept quiet. [the word is considered here as the same as “על,” about; Ed.]
Rabbeinu Bahya
וישלח אבימלך מלך גרר ויקח את שרה, “Avimelech the King of Geror sent (servants) and he abducted Sarah.” Seeing that Sarah had once before been abducted by Pharaoh in Egypt and G’d had performed great miracles punishing Pharaoh by means of afflictions so that he had returned her to Avraham, why did Avraham repeat the same mistake in Gerar which he had committed once before and which had resulted in Sarah’s almost being raped? Why did he again describe Sarah as his sister? Was he really entitled to assume that G’d would once again perform a miracle for him to extricate him from a situation which he had brought about by his own machinations? Rabbeinu Chananel wrote that this time Avraham divorced Sarah when he came to Geror because he was afraid that the local people might kill him if he were to admit that Sarah was his wife. Nonetheless, G’d did not allow her to be separated from Avraham. Neither did He allow the righteous woman Sarah to remain with the wicked Avimelech as it is not G’d’s way to “allow the scepter of the wicked to rest upon the land allotted to the righteous” (Psalms, 125,3). The divorce was considered invalid as it had been prompted only by Avraham fearing for his life. This is what the Torah meant when G’d described Sarah as בעולת בעל, a married woman,” in the dream in which He appeared to Avimelech. He made it plain to Avimelech that the technical status of Sarah as a divorced woman was caused only by circumstances over which Avraham had not had any control at the time. When Avimelech challenged G’d by saying: “will You kill people although they are innocent?” He referred to the status of Sarah as a divorced woman, claiming that he could not have known that her divorce was legally invalid. By using the expression הגוי, he implied that amongst the Gentiles there is no distinction between divorces which result from the free will of the husband and others which were the result of duress. Furthermore, he claimed that he was totally righteous not having violated her. So why would G’d threaten to kill him? Another factor in his favour was that her brother Avraham had personally told him that Sarah was his sister, something which Sarah herself had confirmed time after time so that he could claim he had taken her not only in innocence but that even his hands were clean seeing he had not forced his attentions upon her!
Tur HaArokh
ויאמר אברהם אל שרה אשתו אחותי היא, “Avraham said concerning his wife Sarah that she was his sister.” This was not like in Egypt. In Egypt he had not misrepresented his relationship until after the Egyptians had praised Sarah’s beauty to Pharaoh, and he had been aware that the Egyptians did not respect marital relations when it conflicted with their lust. Here in the land of the Philistines, Avimelech and his servants were civilized, and observed the Noachide laws, as a rule. Still, Avraham was suspicious, and that is why he himself told everyone that Sarah was his sister.
But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him: "Behold, you shall die, because of the woman whom you have taken; for she is a man's wife."
verse value 3285 — אֱלֹהִ֛ים = 86 (Elohim)
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 63 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֛ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֗וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·Abimelech" (אֶל־אֲבִימֶ֖לֶךְ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 86: God, in·a·dream. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "because·of·the·woman" (עַל־הָאִשָּׁ֣ה), "which·you·took" (אֲשֶׁר־לָקַ֔חְתָּ), "married" (בְּעֻ֥לַת). The root בעל appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 604x in Genesis); "God" (root אלה, 301x in Genesis); "to·Abimelech" (root אל, 242x in Genesis). First appearance of the root חלום ("in·a·dream") in Genesis. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'night', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 9 words. Full calculation: וַיָּבֹ֧א [and·came] (19) + אֱלֹהִ֛ים [God] (86) + אֶל־אֲבִימֶ֖לֶךְ [to·Abimelech] (134) + בַּחֲל֣וֹם [in·a·dream] (86) + הַלָּ֑יְלָה [night] (80) + וַיֹּ֣אמֶר [and·said] (257) + ל֗וֹ [to·him] (36) + הִנְּךָ֥ [behold·you] (75) + מֵת֙ [a·dead·man] (440) + עַל־הָאִשָּׁ֣ה [because·of·the·woman] (411) + אֲשֶׁר־לָקַ֔חְתָּ [which·you·took] (1039) + וְהִ֖וא [and·she] (18) + בְּעֻ֥לַת [married] (502) + בָּֽעַל [husband] (102) = 3285.
Onkelos
The Word from before Hashem came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, "Behold, you are to die on account of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man's wife."
Sforno
ויבא אלוקים אל אבימלך, this visitation was of a similar kind to that reported with Lavan (31,24) and Bileam (Numbers 22,24) respectively. The Torah refrains from speaking about a מחזה, “a vision,” in order not to place these wicked people on a pedestal similar to our patriarchs. The expression דבור to describe a verbal communication to these individuals is also absent, G’d having reserved such an expression for communications with prophets, as He pointed out to Miriam and Aaron in Numbers 12,6. Avimelech did not experience a visual image of G’d in his dream at all. He perceived a divine voice addressing him. הנך מת, the impotence which you experienced (verse 18) will result in your death.
Or HaChaim
הנך מת על האשה אשר לקחת. "Here you are going to die on account of the woman you have taken." The meaning is "after I reveal to you that she is married you will be guilty of death." Had G'd not informed Avimelech of Sarah's true status as a married woman, he would not have been guilty of death even if he had slept with her. Any Gentile who sleeps with a woman whom he has reason to believe to be single is innocent of adultery. Maimonides explains this in Hilchot Melachim 9,5. The verse may also be understood as telling Avimelech that he was guilty of death having taken Sarah while aware that she was married. However, it is more likely that at the time Avimelech had not known this.
Chizkuni
הנך מת, “you are about to die;” G-d’s dealings with Avimelech prove that gentiles do not have to be cautioned not to commit acts which they know to be punishable.
Now Abimelech had not come near her; and he said: "Lord, will You slay even a righteous nation?
verse value 1689
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 39 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·Abimelech" (וַאֲבִימֶ֕לֶךְ, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "came·near" (קָרַ֖ב), "will·a·nation" (הֲג֥וֹי), "even·innocent" (גַּם־צַדִּ֖יק). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 604x in Genesis); "to·her" (root אל, 242x in Genesis); "not" (root לא, 127x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·her', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַאֲבִימֶ֕לֶךְ [and·Abimelech] (109) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + קָרַ֖ב [came·near] (302) + אֵלֶ֑יהָ [to·her] (46) + וַיֹּאמַ֕ר [and·said] (257) + אֲדֹנָ֕י [my·Sovereign] (65) + הֲג֥וֹי [will·a·nation] (24) + גַּם־צַדִּ֖יק [even·innocent] (247) + תַּהֲרֹֽג [will·You·slay] (608) = 1689.
Onkelos
Now Abimelech had not drawn near to her, and he said, "Hashem, will You slay even a righteous nation?"
Rashi
לא קרב אליה HE HAD NOT COME NEAR HER — The Angel prevented him, as it is said (v. 6) “I have not permitted thee to touch her” (cf. Genesis Rabbah 52). הגוי גם צדיק תהרוג WILT THOU SLAY ALSO A RIGHTEOUS NATION? — Even though it be righteous will you slay it? Is such perhaps Your usual way— to destroy nations without cause? That is what you did to the generation of the Flood and to the generation of the Dispersal. I may indeed say that you slew them without proper cause, just as you think to kill me without cause (Genesis Rabbah 52:6).
Ibn Ezra
The sense of "Will You slay a nation even though it is righteous?" — [the reference is] on behalf of himself, his household, and his kingdom, as the text goes on to state. Do not heed the words of that dreamer who swaps word for word, who explained 'nation' (גּוֹי) as meaning 'a man.' I will elaborate somewhat on the word 'to a foreign people' (לְעַם נָכְרִי) in Exodus 21:8.
Sforno
הגוי גם צדיק, is it fair that You would kill a nation by killing its king, especially when this king is not even guilty of a mortal offence?
Or HaChaim
ואבימלך לא קרב אליה. Avimelech had not been intimate with her. According to Maimonides Hilchot Melachim 9,7 a Gentile who engages in sexual inercourse with someone else's wife is only guilty of death if the act was performed in the normative manner. If such a Gentile indulges in intercourse with a Jewish woman however, he is guilty of death regardless of the manner in which the sexual act is performed. The Torah indicates that Avimelech was aware of this distinction and that he refrained from touching Sarah because he was afraid she might be married to Abraham the Jew. הגוי גם צדיק תהרוג "Are You killing nations even when they are righteous?" Why did Avimelech use the word גוי when he spoke about himself? Why did he say גם צדיק, "also the righteous?" The term תהרוג seems inappropriate seeing G'd gave him the option to return Sarah to Abraham untouched. The matter will become clear in conjunction with Berachot 64 on Kings I 22,17: "they will each return to his house in peace." The prophet Michayu uses the word בשלום instead of לשלום. The former is used when one speaks of the dead. Even though only king Achav died in that battle, the euphemism for death is applied to the entire nation. This teaches that when the king is in distress the whole nation is considered as being in distress. Here too Avimelech's statement reflects the same sentiment. His own problem becomes a national problem. By the same token Avimelech felt that if he personally was righteous this reflected on his entire people; it follows that if G'd were to kill him for a crime he had not committed, G'd would, in effect, kill a whole nation that was innocent. Moreover, he was afraid that G'd would kill him for having taken Sarah even without having slept with her. He added that even if he had slept with her while unaware that she was married, he would not have to face the death penalty, seeing Abraham himself had described her as "my sister." Alternatively, Avimelech thought that G'd had accused him of taking Sarah knowing she was married. He denied this vehemently.
Chizkuni
ואבימלך לא קרב אליה, “while Avimelech had not become intimate with her.” [but he had kidnapped her, Ed.] The reason why the Torah had to emphasise this latter point, i.e. that Avimelech had not violated Sarah sexually, is the fact that her being kidnapped occurred so close to her becoming pregnant with Yitzchok. ויאמר א־דני, He said: ”My Lord,” i.e. this word is treated as the holy name of G-d.?הגוי גם צדיק תהרוג, “Are You killing people even if they are innocent?” The verse appears as an abbreviated version of Avimelech’s thoughts. The full version would be: הגם גוי צדיק תהרוג?, “Are You also going to kill an innocent nation?” The word גם appears in the Torah quite often as part of such an abbreviated formulation. An alternate exegesis of this verse: the word, “also,” is treated as someone or something additional i.e. “if You kill me (Avimelech describes himself as if only one of the common people) then you must also kill Avraham the righteous person for having misled me. Had he not described her as his sister I would not have abducted her.
Rabbeinu Bahya
הגוי גם צדיק תהרוג,“are You going to kill also innocent people?” It is entirely possible that Avimelech referred to himself when he said: “are You going to kill a “people?” He meant that as a result of killing him, G’d would cause the death of the צדיק, the righteous Avraham, seeing that the king’s servants would then kill Avraham.
Did he not himself say to me: She is my sister? and she, even she herself said: He is my brother. In the simplicity of my heart and the innocency of my hands have I done this."
verse value 3126 — הֲלֹ֨א = 36 (double-Chai)
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 61 letters. Notable word values: "is·it·not" (הֲלֹ֨א) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "is·it·not" (הֲלֹ֨א, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·she·even·she" (וְהִֽיא־גַם־הִ֥וא, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 12: he, she, he. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "said·to·me" (אָֽמַר־לִי֙), "and·she·even·she" (וְהִֽיא־גַם־הִ֥וא), "in·the·integrity·of·my·heart" (בְּתׇם־לְבָבִ֛י). The root הוא appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "said·to·me" (root אמר, 604x in Genesis); "my·brother" (root אח, 164x in Genesis); "I·did" (root עשה, 152x in Genesis). First appearance of the root לבב ("in·the·integrity·of·my·heart") in Genesis. First appearance of the root כף ("my·hands") in Genesis. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'he', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 5 words. Full calculation: הֲלֹ֨א [is·it·not] (36) + ה֤וּא [he] (12) + אָֽמַר־לִי֙ [said·to·me] (281) + אֲחֹ֣תִי [my·sister] (419) + הִ֔וא [she] (12) + וְהִֽיא־גַם־הִ֥וא [and·she·even·she] (77) + אָֽמְרָ֖ה [said] (246) + אָחִ֣י [my·brother] (19) + ה֑וּא [he] (12) + בְּתׇם־לְבָבִ֛י [in·the·integrity·of·my·heart] (486) + וּבְנִקְיֹ֥ן [and·with·the·cleanness·of] (218) + כַּפַּ֖י [my·hands] (110) + עָשִׂ֥יתִי [I·did] (790) + זֹֽאת [this] (408) = 3126.
Onkelos
Did he not himself say to me, 'She is my sister'? And she also — she said, 'He is my brother.' With the sincerity of my heart and with the innocence of my hands I have done this."
Rashi
גם הוא ALSO SHE HERSELF — The word “also” presupposes that others also said the same: it serves to include her servants, cameldrivers and assdrivers — all these I asked and they told me, “He is her brother” (Genesis Rabbah 52:6). בתם לבבי IN THE INTEGRITY OF MY HEART —I did not intend to sin. ובנקיון כפי AND IN THE INNOCENCY OF MY HANDS —I am innocent of this sin because I have not touched her.
Or HaChaim
בתם לבבי ובנקיון כפי "I acted with innocence and integrity." Avimelech said these words in the event Sarah was married, but not to Abraham. He claimed that if that were so what would Abraham have gained by declaring that she was his sister? This exonerated him from the death penalty, i.e. בתם לבבי. When he added בנקיון כפי, he pleaded that he was not guilty of the death penalty for robbery either, though we have a ruling both in Sanhedrin 57 and in Maimonides (the chapter quoted above) that a Gentile who commits robbery is guilty of the death penalty. It does not matter that the robbery is an act of kidnapping as distinct from stealing. The Talmud deduces this when it discusses the status of a prisoner of war who is considered as the victim of robbery or stealing. Accordingly, from the moment Avimelech took Sarah against her will he became guilty of the death penalty. Avimelech claimed that he thought both Abraham and Sarah were pleased at his taking Sarah for a wife. After all, he was the king and it meant social climbing for them both.
Chizkuni
והיא גם היא, the word היא is spelled with the letter י. והיא גם היא, “and she also referred to Avraham as her brother not only in public but also when they were alone. עשיתי זאת, “have I done this.” This refers to his having kidnapped Sarah. According to a different interpretation, G-d was content with warning Avimelech because he had taken the trouble to investigate Sarah’s marital status. Pharaoh who had not bothered to do so, was struck with a plague immediately. (Compare B’chor shor on end of verse 16.)
And God said to him in the dream: "Yea, I know that in the simplicity of your heart you have done this, and I also withheld you from sinning against Me. Therefore I did not allow you to touch her.
verse value 5076
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 86 letters. Verse gematria: 5076 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "even" (גַּ֣ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·the·integrity·of·your·heart" (בְתׇם־לְבָבְךָ֙, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "in·the·integrity·of·your·heart" (בְתׇם־לְבָבְךָ֙), "and·I·restrained" (וָאֶחְשֹׂ֧ךְ), "from·sinning·against·Me" (מֵחֲטוֹ־לִ֑י). The root אל appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 604x in Genesis); "the·God" (root אלה, 301x in Genesis); "to·him" (root אל, 242x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·sinning·against·Me', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 4 words.
Onkelos
And the Word from before Hashem said to him in the dream, "It is also revealed before Me that with the sincerity of your heart you have done this, and I also held you back from sinning before Me; therefore I did not allow you to draw near to her."
Rashi
'ידעתי כי בתם לבבך וגו I KNOW THAT IN THE INTEGRITY OF THY HEART etc. — It is true that at first you had no intention of sinning, but you cannot claim innocency of hands (Genesis Rabbah 52:6) — because לא נתתיך I PERMITTED THEE NOT — It was not of your own will that you did not touch her, but it was “I” who withheld you from sinning, and “I” did not permit you the possibility to touch her (Genesis Rabbah 52:7). Similar examples of נתן in sense of permitting are, (31:7) “God permitted him not (לא נתנו)” and (Judges 15:1) “But her father did not permit him (ולא נתנו) to go in”.
Ibn Ezra
לִנְגּוֹעַ and לָגַעַת are [two forms of] the same word, just as לִנְטוֹעַ (Isaiah 51:16) and לִטְּעַת (Ecclesiastes 3:2) are [two forms]. All of these are infinitives [שְׁמוֹת פֹּעַל, 'names of the verb'].
Or HaChaim
ויאמר אליו האלוקים. G'd said to him (Avimelech). He agreed that Avimelech had not yet become guilty of death considering he had been convinced that Sarah was not married. As to his integrity, however, this was another matter. Whereas he might not have literally "robbed" Sarah [i.e. she did not belong to Abraham. Ed.], nonetheless he had employed the authority of being the king which is a kind of violence. At the very least "his hands were not clean in the matter." ואחשוך גם אנכי אותך, "I too saved you from sinning." G'd made it plain that when He said that Avimelech was going to die, He meant that if he did not restore Sarah to Abraham but would sleep with her. He had told him of Sarah's status now and thus given him a chance to save himself from sinning. מחטוא לי, from committing a sin against Me. Although Avimelech would not have been guilty of death had he slept with Sarah before becoming aware of her status as a married woman, nonetheless he would have sinned against G'd inasmuch as G'd was especially fond of both Abraham and Sarah and any offence against them would have been an offence against G'd Himself. This is why G'd added the word לי, "against Me." על כן לא נתתיך, "this is why I did not give you a chance, etc." Because of the special circumstances involved, I prevented you from sleeping with her; had you known she was married you would by now have been guilty of death. G'd judges the Gentiles even for a sin that has been planned but not yet carried out merely due to circumstances beyond the control of the sinner. According to Bereshit Rabbah 52,13 that an angel pushed Avimelech away when he tried to sleep with Sarah, the words: "I did not allow you to sin against me" make perfect sense.
Chizkuni
גם אנכי ידעתי כי בתם לבבך וגו׳, “also I am aware that you have acted innocently, etc;” G-d, by saying: גם, includes that not only does He know that Avimelech had not raped Sarah in his heart but that his hands had remained clean also. על כן, this is why it was I Who prevented you from “getting your hands dirty;” I prevented you from touching her immodestly.
Now therefore restore the man's wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for you, and you shall live; and if you restore her not, know that you shall surely die, you, and all that are yours."
verse value 5480
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 70 letters. The shortest word is "know" (דַּ֚ע, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·all·that·are·yours" (וְכׇל־אֲשֶׁר־לָֽךְ, 8 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "wife·of·the·man" (אֵֽשֶׁת־הָאִישׁ֙), "for·a·prophet" (כִּֽי־נָבִ֣יא), "for·you" (בַּֽעַדְךָ֖). The root שוב appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "wife·of·the·man" (root אשה, 148x in Genesis); "he" (root הוא, 133x in Genesis); "and·all·that·are·yours" (root כל, 127x in Genesis). First appearance of the root פלל ("and·he·will·intercede") in Genesis. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·live', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 7 words.
Onkelos
And now, return the man's wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, know that you shall surely die — you and all that is yours."
Rashi
השב אשת האיש RESTORE THE MAN’S WIFE and do not think that she will be repulsive in his eyes and that he will not take her back or that he will hate you and will not pray for you כי נביא הוא FOR HE IS A PROPHET and he knows that you have not touched her (Genesis Rabbah 52:8); therefore—ויתפלל בעדך HE WILL PRAY FOR THEE.
Sforno
ועתה השב את אשת האיש, before you perish from the sickness. וחיה, and be healed and stay alive; we find a similar construction in Joshua 5,8 עד חיותם, “until they have been healed.” אתה וכל אשר לך, all the fetuses whose progress had been arrested within their mothers’ wombs.
Or HaChaim
ועתה השב אשת האיש בי נביא הוא. "Now restore the wife to the man for he is a prophet!" Until now Avimelech did not know who Sarah was married to. By mentioning that her husband was a prophet it became clear to Avimelech that it must be Abraham seeing he was the only prophet in that age. Another reason that G'd mentioned that Abraham was a prophet was to reassure Avimelech that Sarah's husband would know he had not defiled her because he had prophetic powers.
Rashbam
כי נביא הוא, the expression נביא, is based on ניב שפתים, (Isaiah 57,19) “words of comfort, heartening words.” He is familiar to Me, he speaks My language, and I love to listen to his prayer. ויתפלל בעדך, and he will pray on your behalf. Avimelech and entourage were in need of G’d’s mercy, as we know from verse 18.
And Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears; and the men were sore afraid.
verse value 3046
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 69 letters. The shortest word is "very" (מְאֹֽד, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·the·words" (אֶת־כׇּל־הַדְּבָרִ֥ים, 10 letters). The root דבר appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "these" (root אלה, 301x in Genesis); "the·men" (root איש, 153x in Genesis); "and·spoke" (root דבר, 133x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·their·ears', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיַּשְׁכֵּ֨ם [and·rose·early] (376) + אֲבִימֶ֜לֶךְ [Abimelech] (103) + בַּבֹּ֗קֶר [morning] (304) + וַיִּקְרָא֙ [and·called] (317) + לְכׇל־עֲבָדָ֔יו [to·all·his·servants] (172) + וַיְדַבֵּ֛ר [and·spoke] (222) + אֶת־כׇּל־הַדְּבָרִ֥ים [all·the·words] (712) + הָאֵ֖לֶּה [these] (41) + בְּאׇזְנֵיהֶ֑ם [in·their·ears] (115) + וַיִּֽירְא֥וּ [and·feared] (233) + הָאֲנָשִׁ֖ים [the·men] (406) + מְאֹֽד [very] (45) = 3046.
Onkelos
Abimelech rose early in the morning and called all his servants, and he spoke all these matters before them, and the men were exceedingly afraid.
Chizkuni
וייראו האנשים, according to Rabbi Abba, the people of Gror still saw smoke rising from the valley where Sodom once used to be situated, and that frightened them very much. They were afraid that the angels who had wrought that havoc would show up near them at any moment.
Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said to him: "What have you done to us? and how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? you have done deeds to me that ought not to be done."
verse value 5972 — ל֜וֹ = 36 (double-Chai)
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 91 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֜וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֜וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·upon·my·kingdom" (וְעַל־מַמְלַכְתִּ֖י, 9 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "what·have·you·done" (מֶֽה־עָשִׂ֤יתָ), "and·what·have·I·sinned" (וּמֶֽה־חָטָ֣אתִי), "that·you·have·brought" (כִּֽי־הֵבֵ֧אתָ). The root עשה appears 3 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 604x in Genesis); "which" (root אשר, 313x in Genesis); "that·you·have·brought" (root בוא, 213x in Genesis). First appearance of the root לנו ("to·us") in Genesis. First appearance of the root חטאה ("and·what·have·I·sinned") in Genesis. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'great', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 5 words.
Onkelos
Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, "What have you done to us? And what wrong have I done to you, that you have brought upon me and upon my kingdom a great guilt? Deeds that ought not to be done you have done with me."
Rashi
מעשים אשר לא יעשו THINGS THAT OUGHT NOT TO BE DONE — A plague such as does not ordinarily fall upon human beings has come upon us through you, viz, the closing up of all the secretory channels — those of semen, urine, excrement, of the ears and the nose (cf. Bava Kamma 92a).
Ibn Ezra
"What have you done to us" — the word מַה is vocalized with a segol [a reduced form of patah] on account of the guttural letter that follows it; and such is the grammatical rule [in such cases].
Sforno
Deeds that ought not to be done. You brought harm to a stranger with whom you had no prior relationship of enmity, and without profit to yourself.
Or HaChaim
ויאמר לו מה עשית? He said to him: "What did you do to me?" What did Avimelech mean by the word: עשית? What did Abraham do? If Avimelech referred to the evil deed, i.e. the lie, he should have prefaced his remarks by referring to the sin! Perhaps the very absence of the initial מה חטאתי לך at the beginning of his complaint is the key here. It means that the words מה עשית לנו mean: "what did you do ever do for us, and how did we repay you with ingratitude that you saw fit to treat us with such suspicions!" Avimelech hinted that there is no greater evil one can do to someone than to repay kindness with evil. Abraham's conduct had almost resulted in Avimelech's death! The entire verse is to be viewed as a rebuke.
And Abimelech said to Abraham: "What did you see, that you have done this thing?"
verse value 2734
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 39 letters. The shortest word is "what" (מָ֣ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·Abraham" (אֶל־אַבְרָהָ֑ם, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "did·you·see" (רָאִ֔יתָ). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 604x in Genesis); "that" (root כי, 167x in Genesis); "did" (root עשה, 152x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Abraham', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֥אמֶר [and·said] (257) + אֲבִימֶ֖לֶךְ [Abimelech] (103) + אֶל־אַבְרָהָ֑ם [to·Abraham] (279) + מָ֣ה [what] (45) + רָאִ֔יתָ [did·you·see] (611) + כִּ֥י [that] (30) + עָשִׂ֖יתָ [did] (780) + אֶת־הַדָּבָ֥ר [word] (612) + הַזֶּֽה [this] (17) = 2734.
Onkelos
And Abimelech said to Abraham, "What did you perceive, that you did this thing?"
Or HaChaim
ויאמר אבימלך. Avimelech said. Seeing that the previous verse had been a rebuke only, he now switched to a question. This is why the sentence had to begin once more with the words: "Avimelech said," though Abraham had not yet responded to the accusation. Avimelech now conceded that he did not consider Abraham capable of wanting to harm him intentionally.
And Abraham said: "Because I thought: Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife's sake.
verse value 3746 — אֱלֹהִ֔ים = 86 (Elohim)
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 55 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֔ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "there·is·no·fear·of" (אֵין־יִרְאַ֣ת, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "there·is·no·fear·of" (אֵין־יִרְאַ֣ת), "and·they·will·kill·me" (וַהֲרָג֖וּנִי). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 604x in Genesis); "God" (root אלה, 301x in Genesis); "for" (root כי, 167x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'this', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ [and·said] (257) + אַבְרָהָ֔ם [Abraham] (248) + כִּ֣י [for] (30) + אָמַ֗רְתִּי [I·said] (651) + רַ֚ק [only] (300) + אֵין־יִרְאַ֣ת [there·is·no·fear·of] (672) + אֱלֹהִ֔ים [God] (86) + בַּמָּק֖וֹם [in·the·place] (188) + הַזֶּ֑ה [this] (17) + וַהֲרָג֖וּנִי [and·they·will·kill·me] (280) + עַל־דְּבַ֥ר [because·of] (306) + אִשְׁתִּֽי [my·wife] (711) = 3746.
Onkelos
And Abraham said, "Because I thought: surely there is no fear of Hashem in this place, and they will kill me on account of my wife."
Rashi
רק אין יראת אלהים SURELY THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD — When a stranger arrives in a city do people ask him about what he would like to eat or to drink, or do they ask him about his wife—“Is this your wife?” or “Is this your sister?” (Bava Kamma 92a) (Surely if they ask at all, it is about his needs; if they ask regarding his relationship to the lady accompanying him, it is evidence that they are not God-fearing people!)
Sforno
רק אין יראת אלוקים במקום הזה, there is no respect for the government’s authority. The Philistines did not have kings, but their political leaders were known as סרנים, as we know from the story of Goliath, who was a law unto himself due to his personal strength and was not subject to the authority of such סרנים. Compare Goliath’s boast הלא אנכי הפלשתי ואתם עבדים לשאול, “am I not the Philistine, whereas you are slaves of Sha-ul.” (Samuel I 17,8)
Or HaChaim
בי אמרתי…אין יראת אלוקים במקום הזה. "For I said (to myself) that there is no fear of the Lord in this place." This is the answer to the question: "what did you see?" Abraham prefaced his answer with the word רק, "only." He wanted to forestall Avimelech saying to him that if he, Abraham, considered the men as lacking in basic fear of the Lord, why did he worry more about their murdering him and then taking his wife? He should have worried more about the latter! Abraham said: רק, i.e. "I reasoned that they would try and minimise their culpability. As long as I would be alive every man sleeping with my wife would commit a capital offence every time, and would accordingly face many punishments. If they killed me first, they would only be guilty of murder once, whereas they would not become culpable for sleeping with my widow. If a number of them would conspire to kill me, each one causing a single injury not in itself fatal, they would claim that they were not even guilty of murder." Abraham said that this was why he decided to describe Sarah as his sister.
Chizkuni
רק אין יראת, “there is only no awe of the Lord, etc;” Avraham could have said that there was no fear of any retribution for criminal acts from a deity. There are three diminutives in this verse, i.e. the words:, רק, אך and מן. We have a rule that one diminutive is designed to exclude something from the rule discussed, whereas two such diminutives are a signal that something additional is to be added. It follows that when there are tree diminutives, it again is meant to exclude something. In this instance Avraham acknowledged that there were things in the universe which the Philistines feared, but it was not judgment by an invisible G-d. Rabbi Chavell refers the reader to the comment on this verse cited in Torah Shleymah #54. by an invisible G-d.
And moreover she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and so she became my wife.
verse value 2293
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 38 letters. The shortest word is "only" (אַ֖ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·besides·in·truth" (וְגַם־אׇמְנָ֗ה, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "and·besides·in·truth" (וְגַם־אׇמְנָ֗ה), "the·daughter·of·my·father" (בַת־אָבִי֙), "the·daughter·of·my·mother" (בַת־אִמִּ֑י). The root בת appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·she·became·to·me" (root היה, 313x in Genesis); "as·a·wife" (root אשה, 148x in Genesis); "not" (root לא, 127x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·daughter·of·my·mother', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 2 words. Full calculation: וְגַם־אׇמְנָ֗ה [and·besides·in·truth] (145) + אֲחֹתִ֤י [my·sister] (419) + בַת־אָבִי֙ [the·daughter·of·my·father] (415) + הִ֔וא [she] (12) + אַ֖ךְ [only] (21) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + בַת־אִמִּ֑י [the·daughter·of·my·mother] (453) + וַתְּהִי־לִ֖י [and·she·became·to·me] (461) + לְאִשָּֽׁה [as·a·wife] (336) = 2293.
Onkelos
And indeed, in truth she is my sister — the daughter of my father, though not the daughter of my mother — and she became my wife.
Rashi
אחותי בת אבי היא SHE IS MY SISTER, THE DAUGHTER OF MY FATHER — And the daughter of the same father is permitted to be married to a descendant of Noah, for the paternal relationship is not taken into consideration in the case of the marriages between idolators (i.e. the “Sons of Noah”). He answered them in this way in order to bear out his former statement that she was his sister. If, however, you ask, “But was she not his brother’s daughter? (see chapter 11:29, and so she was granddaughter of Terah, Abraham’s father), then I reply, one’s children’s children are considered as one’s own children. Thus, too, did he say to Lot, (13:8) “For we are brethren” (although the relationship was that of uncle and nephew, as here it was that of uncle and niece). אך לא בת אמי BUT NOT THE DAUGHTER OF MY MOTHER — For Haran (her father was born of a different mother than Abraham (Bava Kamma 92a).
Ramban
AND YET SHE IS MY SISTER, THE DAUGHTER OF MY FATHER. I know not the sense of this apology. Even if it were true that she was his sister and his wife, nevertheless when they wanted to take her as a wife and he told them, She is my sister, here. in order to lead them astray, he already committed a sin towards them by bringing upon them a great sin, here. and it no longer mattered at all whether the thing was true or false! Perhaps it was because Abimelech said, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing? here. meaning “What sin or wickedness have you seen in me that caused you to do this out of fear? I have never attempted to take women away from their husbands.” Then Abraham answered: “I did not know you, but I thought, perhaps the fear of G-d is not in this place, here. for in most places in the world there is no fear of G-d. Therefore, from the time I left my country and aimlessly wandered among the nations not knowing to which place we would come, I made this condition with her that she say thus in all places. For the matter is true, and I thought that by doing this, human life would be saved. I did not begin this practice upon entering your country for I did not see that you had committed any sin.” And yet she is my sister, the daughter of my father. This expression represents a different argument. Abraham said: “According to my custom, I said so for it is true, and I further thought that in case they will want her they will ask me if she is also my wife. Since your servants took her and they did not ask me any questions, I said, ‘The fear of G-d is also not in this place’ and I remained quiet.”It is possible that he established this condition with her when they came to Egypt even though he said that he did it when G-d caused me to wander from my father’s house. here. It may be that he again warned her there in Egypt at the time of the event, as I have explained. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra’s opinion is that all these words were to put off Abimelech.
Ibn Ezra
"My sister, the daughter of my father" — some say this is analogous to 'the God of my father Abraham' (Genesis 32:10), [i.e., a loose or figurative use]. But what seems correct to me is that Abraham deflected Abimelech with words as the situation demanded. In the verse 'I am Esau your firstborn' (Genesis 27:19) I will bring parallels.
Sforno
וגם אמנה, also you, the king himself, have sinned in taking the woman because I said she is my sister for you should have asked me if she was also my wife. The fact is that she is both my sister and my wife.
Or HaChaim
וגם אמנה אחותי היא, "Moreover, she is in fact my sister." Here Abraham accuses Avimelech by exonerating himself also from the accusation of having lied. He implied that he never said that Sarah was not his wife! He had not deliberately misled G'd-fearing people. He had said that Sarah was his sister which did not preclude her from also being his wife. It was up to the Philistines to ascertain that she was not his wife if they were really G'd-fearing people. Perhaps Avimelech gave Abraham generous gifts because he accepted Abraham's rebuke. He may have wanted to demonstrate to one and all that Abraham had not lied. Righteous people are wont to worry that one should not even think they had done something improper.
Rabbeinu Bahya
וגם אמנם, “and besides, indeed, etc.” The word אמנם is equivalent to אמונה בפי, “I spoke truthfully; she is my sister seeing that she is the daughter of my father.” Actually this was not quite so seeing Sarah was a daughter of Haran, Avraham’s brother, a son of Terach, as we know from Genesis 11,29 “the daughter of Haran, father of both Yiskah (Sarai) and Milkah.” We learn from here that grandchildren may be described as children. The words “daughter of my father” therefore meant “daughter of my father’s son.”
Tur HaArokh
וגם אמנה אחותי בת אבי היא אך לא בת אמי. “and she is indeed my sister, daughter of my father, though she is not the daughter of my mother.” Nachmanides writes that he does not know the point of Avraham’s apology if indeed Sarah was his half-sister and his wife at one and the same time, and when the people from the palace came to take her to the palace he revealed that she was also his sister in order to deceive them about the relationship. He had thereby caused them to commit a sin if he had not previously revealed that Sarah was his wife. It makes no difference whether this claim was true or false, as he had caused them to sin the moment he claimed that Sarah was his sister. Perhaps Avraham felt the need to respond to Avimelech’s accusation: “what did you see so terrible in this place that you felt the need to be devious and to bring guilt upon us?” He felt the need to justify himself vis-à-vis Avimelech personally, who had steadfastly claimed that he had never taken women for himself whom he knew to be married to other husbands. Avraham’s point was that he had no prior knowledge of the moral ethical standards prevailing among the Philistines, and had feared that they did not observe the 7 universal laws given by G’d to Noach. He cited his ample experience during previous sojourns in different countries in all of which no fear of the Lord was customary, and in all of which he conducted himself according to this assumption. Hence his caution was not a reflection on Avimelech, personally. He had been prompted by the sole motive of saving his own life. In addition, he explained that passing his wife off as his sister had not even been a lie, as indeed she was his sister by his father. According to Ibn Ezra, all Avraham’s explanations served only to confound Avimelech, his argument was basically similar to Yaakov, when challenged as to his identity, claiming in the presence of Yitzchok: אנכי, עשו בכורך, “it is I, Esau is your firstborn.”
And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said to her: This is your kindness which you shall show to me; at every place where we shall come, say of me: He is my brother."
verse value 5285 — אֱלֹהִים֮ = 86 (Elohim)
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 81 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִים֮) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "to·her" (לָ֔הּ, 2 letters) and the longest is "every·place" (כׇּל־הַמָּקוֹם֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: which, which. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "made·wander" (הִתְע֣וּ), "shall·do" (תַּעֲשִׂ֖י), "every·place" (כׇּל־הַמָּקוֹם֙). The root אשר appears 3 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·I·said" (root אמר, 604x in Genesis); "and·it·was" (root היה, 313x in Genesis); "as" (root אשר, 313x in Genesis). First appearance of the root תעה ("made·wander") in Genesis. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'with·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 8 words.
Onkelos
And it came to pass, when the nations strayed after the works of their hands, Hashem drew me near to His fear from my father's house, and I said to her: this is the kindness you shall do for me — in every place where we go, say of me, 'He is my brother.'"
Rashi
'ויהי כאשר התעו אותי וגו AND IT CAME TO PASS WHEN GOD CAUSED ME TO WANDER etc. — Onkelos translates it in his own way, but it can be explained in another manner that is also appropriate: When the Holy One, blessed be He, brought me forth from my father’s house to be a nomad, wandering from place to place, I knew that I would traverse places where there are wicked people ואמר לה זה חסדך AND so I SAID UNTO HER THIS IS THY LOVINGKINDNESS [WHICH THOU SHALT SHOW UNTO ME]. כאשר התעו WHEN GOD (CAUSED ME TO WANDER — The verb is in the plural. Do not be surprised at this for in many passages words denoting Godship or denoting Authority are grammatically treated as plural, e. g., (2 Samuel 7:23) “Whom God went (הלכו plural) to redeem”; (Deuteronomy 5:23) “the living (חיים adjective, plural) God”; (Joshua 24:19) “a Holy (קדושים adjective, plural) God”. So, too, the idea of Authority is expressed by the plural form, as (39:20) “And the master of (אדני construct plural) Joseph took him” and as (Deuteronomy 10:17) “Lord of (אדני) lords (האדנים)”, and (42:30) “the lord of (אדני) the land”; as well as (Exodus 22:14) “if its owner (בעליו) be with it”, and (Exodus 21:19) “and warning has been given to its master (בעליו)”. If you ask why does it here use the term התעו, I reply, anyone who is exiled from his home and has no settled abode may be styled תועה a wanderer (or “one moving about aimlessly”), as (21:14) “And she, Hagar, went and strayed about (ותתע) in the wilderness”; (Psalms 119:176) “I have gone astray (תעיתי) like a lost sheep”, and (Job 38:41) “they wander (יתעו) through lack of food”, i.e. they go out and wander about to seek their food. אמרי לי means say regarding me (the ל of לי signifies על); similar are: (26:7) “And the men of the place asked לאשתו” where לאשתו is the same as על אשתו regarding his wife; (Exodus 14:3) “And Pharaoh will say לבני ישראל” where לבני is the same as על בני ישראל; (Judges 9:54) “That men say not (לי) regarding me, a woman slew him”.
Ibn Ezra
"God caused me to wander" (הִתְעוּ אֹתִי אֱלֹהִים) — [this is the] sacred tongue [i.e., Hebrew idiom]. The meaning is that he was traveling from place to place and did not know where he would go — thus: 'and behold he was wandering in the field' (Genesis 37:15); and this is not a wandering of the heart [i.e., moral straying]. Similarly it is written: 'Why do You cause us to stray, Hashem' (Isaiah 63:17). "Say of me" — [the word לִי here means] 'on my behalf'; similarly: 'And Pharaoh said concerning the children of Israel' (Exodus 14:3).
Sforno
התעו אותי אלוקים, on account of the various alien gods which I despise I have been forced to leave my father’s house and to travel to areas I did not know, not to places of my own choice. This is why he described himself as תועה, someone who wanders, does not have a fixed destination.
Or HaChaim
ויהי כאשר התעו אותי אלוקים, "Ever since G'd caused me to wander, etc." Now Abraham explained the background to his behaviour from the start. It had been based on the premise that there was lack of fear of the Lord in the place. He explained that his conduct was not directed specifically against the people of Geror. He had made it a general rule in his wanderings to suspect people of lack of fear of the Lord. The Philistines had not done anything to cause him to exempt them from such a doubt.
Chizkuni
כאשר התעו אותי אלוקים, “When G-d caused me to wander, etc,” Avraham refers to the time after he had been saved from Nimrod’s furnace when that ruler had expelled him from his country. He had not really had a permanent residence anywhere ever since. He had only been relatively safe after having defeated Nimrod (Amrafel) and his armies as reported in Genesis chapter 14.
Rabbeinu Bahya
.ויהי כאשר התעו אותי אלוקים מבית אבי, “it was when G’d made me wander from my father’s home, etc.” By the choice of the word התעו, which also means “led me astray,” Avraham hinted that his father Terach was an idolater and that his emigration was due to his father’s teachings and the making of strange gods he had been forced to leave that environment and to move to another country and to say to his wife: “this is the loving kindness you can perform for me, etc.”
Tur HaArokh
ויהי כאשר התעו אותי אלוקים מבית אבי, “Ever since Elohim caused me to wander away from my father’s home, etc.” He meant that the idolatry practiced in his father’s house caused him to abandon their idolatrous lifestyles and to have the strength to follow his monotheistic convictions. (based on Onkelos) As a result, he had been wandering from one place to another.
And Abimelech said: "Behold, my land is before you: dwell where it pleases you."
verse value 1394
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 35 letters. The shortest word is "settle" (שֵֽׁב, 2 letters) and the longest is "Abimelech" (אֲבִימֶ֔לֶךְ, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "my·land" (אַרְצִ֖י), "in·the·good" (בַּטּ֥וֹב). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 604x in Genesis); "my·land" (root ארץ, 305x in Genesis); "before·you" (root פנים, 133x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'before·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֣אמֶר [and·said] (257) + אֲבִימֶ֔לֶךְ [Abimelech] (103) + הִנֵּ֥ה [behold] (60) + אַרְצִ֖י [my·land] (301) + לְפָנֶ֑יךָ [before·you] (190) + בַּטּ֥וֹב [in·the·good] (19) + בְּעֵינֶ֖יךָ [in·your·eyes] (162) + שֵֽׁב [settle] (302) = 1394.
Onkelos
And Abimelech said, "Behold, my land is before you; dwell wherever is right in your eyes."
Rashi
הנה ארצי לפניך BEHOLD MY LAND IS BEFORE THEE — But Pharaoh had said to him (12:19) “Behold thy wife, take her and go”, because he feared for Sarah’s safety since the Egyptians were addicted to lewd practices (see Rashi on this passage).
Tur HaArokh
כטוב בעיניך שב, “settle wherever it pleases you.” The contrast with Pharaoh’s reaction to having felt deceived by Avraham is quite remarkable. The former could not forgive Avraham for having been the instrument that made him suffer chastisement by G’d, although he knew himself to have been wrong.
And to Sarah he said: "Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver; behold, it is for you a covering of the eyes to all that are with you; and before all men you are righted."
verse value 4773
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 62 letters. The shortest word is "said" (אָמַ֗ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·to·Sarah" (וּלְשָׂרָ֣ה, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 60: behold, behold. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "thousand" (אֶ֤לֶף), "a·covering·of" (כְּס֣וּת), "and·all" (וְאֵ֥ת כֹּ֖ל). The root הן appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "said" (root אמר, 604x in Genesis); "which" (root אשר, 313x in Genesis); "to·your·brother" (root אח, 164x in Genesis). First appearance of the root יכח ("and·you·are·cleared") in Genesis. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'with·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 2 words.
Onkelos
And to Sarah he said, "Behold, I have given a thousand silver selas to your brother. See, it is for you a covering of honor in the sight of all, in exchange for my having sent and taken you. And I have seen you, and all who are with you, and in everything you have said you have been vindicated."
Rashi
ולשרה אמר AND UNTO SARAH HE SAID — Abimelech said — out of respect for her and to mollify her: “Behold I have shown you this mark of respect, viz., I have given money to your brother — to him of whom thou didst say “he is my brother”. הנה BEHOLD, this money and this evidence of respect לך כסות עינים לכל אשר אתך SHALL BE UNTO THEE A COVERING OF THY EYES TO ALL WHO ARE WITH THEE — these will put a covering over the eyes of all who are with thee so that they shall not hold you in light esteem. But had I sent you back empty-handed, they might have said, “After he abused her he sent her back”; now, however, that I have had to lavish money and to mollify you they will understand that I have sent you back against my own will forced to do so by a miracle. ואת כל AND WITH ALL — means and with all people in the world. ונכחת AND THOU MAYEST FACE EVERY ONE — You will have an opening of the mouth (an opportunity) to defend yourself (להתוכח) and to point to these evident facts. This expression יכח in the Hiphil means everywhere making a thing plain; in old French éprouver; English to prove. Onkelos translated in a different manner, and the words of the text fit in with the Targum in the following way: Behold this shall be to you as a veil of honour on account of my eyes which have gazed upon (literally, ruled over) you and upon all who are with you; and that is why he translates it by: “because that I saw you and your people that are with you”. There are Midrashic explanations, but I have given the more exact meaning of the text.
Ramban
BEHOLD, I HAVE GIVEN THY BROTHER A THOUSAND PIECES OF SILVER. The sheep, the cattle and the servants which he gave him were worth a thousand pieces of silver. He thus said to Sarah: “Behold, I have given much money to your brother. Now the money will serve you as a cause for the covering of the eyes of all those who look at your beauty,284“Had I given the money to you, people might say it was a harlot’s hire. But now that I have given it to your brother, people will say that I had to redeem myself against my will, and this will thus enable you to speak freely in your defense.” (Bachya.) closing their eyes, and those of their leaders, the seers, to prevent them looking at you and at all that belongs to you, even your manservants and maidservants. Thus your being taken forcibly to my house was for your benefit as they will fear you and cover their eyes to avoid looking at you, saying: ‘The king had to redeem himself for having stretched forth his hand to the prophet’s wife.’”The verse thus tells that Abimelech mollified Abraham with money, and Sarah with words, so that he should not be punished on account of either of them. The verse states in conclusion, venochachath, ” as Sarah did not accept his apology, for with all this, she yet continued arguing with him, saying that she would not forgive him. The verse thus speaks in her praise. Abraham, however, was appeased, and he prayed for the king. The word venochachath is similar in usage to these verses: And with Israel ‘yithvakach’ (He has an argument); But my ways ‘ochiach’ (will I argue) before Him; There the upright ‘nochach’ (might reason) with Him. It is possible that the expression, a thousand pieces of silver to thy brother, means thousands of pieces of silver, much wealth, according to the bounty of the king. Similarly, The smallest shall become a thousand, [means that the smallest will become] a great people. Similarly: Restore, I pray you, to them even this day, their fields, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also the hundred pieces of silver, and the corn, the wine, and oil, that ye exact of them — [here too the hundred pieces of silver refer to] many hundreds, a great deal of money.
Ibn Ezra
"Behold, it is for you a covering of the eyes" — some say this is an allusion to the dimming of her son's eyes [Isaac]. That is the way of homiletic interpretation (derash). What seems correct to me is that 'a covering of the eyes' governs both what precedes and what follows it — as in 'do not rebuke me in Your anger' (Psalms 38:2) and many similar cases. The sense is: behold, he [Abraham] is for you like a covering of eyes on account of Abraham who is your husband, meaning that no man will lift his eyes toward you; and likewise it is a covering of eyes for all who are with you, namely her maidservants, who are the wives of his servants. The vav of וְנֹכַחַת functions like a soft pe in the Ishmaelite [Arabic] tongue, and Scripture has thousands of examples like it, such as 'on the third day, and Abraham lifted up his eyes' (Genesis 22:4). The meaning of וְנֹכַחַת is the words of Moses [the narrator] — that Sarah no longer said of Abraham 'he is my brother.' The sense of וְאֵת כֹּל is: and with all this, Sarah was vindicated. Others say that 'behold it is for you' refers to the silver — to purchase clothing — with the word נָתַתִּי governing both what follows and what precedes it, reading thus: 'Behold, I have given a thousand pieces of silver to your brother to purchase for you a covering' — a garment that would be desirable to the eyes — 'and I have given to all who are with you'; and 'and all that I gave Abraham': flocks, cattle, and servants and maidservants. But the more correct interpretation is as I stated first: that Abraham is the covering of the eyes for you and for the servants who are with you — those who were yours, as well as those whom I also gave. 'And all' — and with all people he is a covering of the eyes for you. וְנֹכַחַת — these are the words of Moses [the narrator], and the force of the vav stands in its place. The Gaon [Saadia] said it derives from נֹכַח, 'straightforward'; but nothing straight has been said [i.e., his reading does not resolve matters properly].
Sforno
הנה נתתי אלף כסף לאחיך, as dowry, as was the custom for any groom marrying the daughter or sister of a man. הנה לך כסות עינים, clothing consisting of a variety of colours which women used to wear as a mark of distinction. The dowry he gave her brother was intended to show that he did not consider her a whore but someone reputable, and that he did not mean her to be his concubine but his regular wife. Also, he meant that he would not have let Sarah go so easily except for Divine intervention which forced him to let her go. לכל אשר אתך, before the eyes of everybody, so that they know in your household that everything is above board. ואת כל ונוכחת, and you will be perceived exonerated in every respect even in the eyes of those who would have felt tempted to interpret what happened to you in a negative light, reflecting discredit upon you.
Chizkuni
הנה נתתי אלף כסף לאחיך, “here I have given 1000 pieces of silver to your brother;” Avimelech uses the word “your brother” sarcastically, meaning that he had given this amount of money to the person whom she had described as her brother. It was customary in those days to give expensive gifts to a bride’s brother. (Rash’bam) (We find that Eliezer had done the same to Rivkah’s brother and family.) הנה הוא לך כסות עינים לכל אשר אתך, “this is to enable you to call your husband your brother, i.e. as a cover up, but this is to be used only as an explanation to your immediate entourage. ואת כל, but concerning the general population in my country you must not continue to describe your husband as your brother. Otherwise other people may become the victims of the same error I have become a victim of. The letter ו in the word: ונוכחת is superfluous, as are numerous letters, [especially when the Torah quotes human beings rather than G-d as the speaker. Ed] In the Jerusalem Targum we find the following translation/exegesis: “the money I have given to your brother as compensation that he has been deprived of your presence for a single night; even if I would give you all my wealth it would not be enough to compensate you for the embarrassment that I have caused you. Suffice it to say that your husband Avraham is a righteous man who is aware that I have not violated you.”An alternate exegesis: הנה נתתי, if I have only given 1000 pieces of silver and nothing else to the person whom you describe as your brother, this will serve as something small enough for him to hide, and you would become embarrassed because people would say that I have paid a bribe to your brother to keep him from raising a fuss, but they would still think that I have violated you. Now that I have also given you sheep and cattle, male and female slaves, openly, everyone will know that you and I have nothing to hide. You will be able to hold your head high and argue with everyone, seeing that your hands are clean and I have returned you to your husband against my will. Yet another explanation of this difficult verse: “Your brother Avraham is the one that can serve as your blindfold. It was he who had hidden from one and all that he was your husband and that you were his wife. He had commanded your entire entourage to go along with this charade, You have also played along, so that my sin must be viewed in that context and not be considered as so severe.”
Rabbeinu Bahya
הנה נתתי אלף כסף, “here I have already paid one thousand pieces of silver to your brother, etc.” Avimelech mentioned this seeing that the Torah had reported earlier (verse 14) that he had given to Avraham both livestock and both male and female slaves at the time he returned his wife Sarah to him (as compensation for mental anguish?). Here the Torah put a value on these gifts Avimelech had given to Avraham, i.e. that the combined value was 1,000 pieces of silver. The word “your brother” may be understood as a form of sarcasm, i.e. the one whom you described to me as your “brother.” Avimelech described this money as הוא לך כסות עינים, “it will serve you as vindication.” He meant that the fact that he gave this money to Avraham instead of to her would make it plain to all who became aware of this that it was not a payment for sexual favours received.” Now that he had given the money (or the presents) to Avraham instead, it would be plain to all that he, Avimelech, had been forced to part with this money against his will, as a penalty for having illegally abducted Sarah. People know that their King hates Avraham and wishes him dead. The object of the exercise was to convince the entourage of Avraham and Sarah as well as everybody else in the world that she was quite blameless in the whole episode. ואת כל ונוכחת, “and you are cleared before everyone.” Neither Avimelech’s gifts to Avraham nor his conciliatory words to Sarah had sufficed to put her at ease. In spite of all this Sarah still argued with Avimelech and was not willing to forgive him for the shame of having been abducted. This was due to Sarah’s extreme modesty. If we understand the verse in this fashion the words ואת כל belong to the following word ונוכחת. Another way of understanding these words is to assume that they belong to the previous words לכל אשר אתך, “for all the people that form part of your entourage.” In that case the word ונוכחת means that “as of now you are vindicated.” The Talmud Baba Kama 93 understands the words כסות עינים, “cover for the eyes,” as a curse Avimelech applied to Sarah’s offspring. The Talmud claims that this curse was fulfilled when Yitzchak became blind in his old age (Genesis 27,1). The Talmud uses this example to teach that one should never discount the curse uttered even by seemingly unimportant people. Another lesson learned from this incident is that Avimelech criticized Sarah with these words saying: “let the fact that you incorrectly described your husband as your brother be a lesson to you. Act more honestly in the future.” From a moralistic point of view the words לכל אשר אתך imply that in the future if you want to call Avraham “my brother,” do so within the confines of your home, people who are familiar with you. As far as the world at large is concerned do not make such misleading statements, as they are apt to boomerang and you will become their victim. Bereshit Rabbah 52,12 takes the words literally and interprets that Avimelech advised Sarah to keep even her eyes covered so that her dazzling beauty should not arouse sinful thoughts in those who looked at her. Still another meaning of the words כסות עינים is: “something made of embroidered material with patterns known as עינים.”
Tur HaArokh
הנה הוא לך כסות עינים, “let this be a visible proof of your vindication, etc.” Avimelech referred to the financial compensation he had felt forced to pay to Avraham in order to mollify him. The word אלף is not to be understood literally, but means the “thousands of shekel, etc.” The expression כסות עינים extends also to Avraham’s entire entourage, including any unattached women. Anyone even looking at these girls would be liable to a monetary fine for having done so. Knowing that even the King had been forced to pay a fine, the ordinary people would be most careful not to become subject to similar penalties. ונוכחת. “and you will be vindicated.” You will have a valid argument in countering any gossip spread about you (Sarah). Alternatively, the meaning of the expression is the Torah’s way of saying that whereas the money compensated Avraham for the wrong done to him, it did not mollify Sarah’s injured dignity. She would continue to argue that the wrong done to her could not be righted by money; the Torah mentioned this in tribute to Sarah’s lofty principles. Some commentators understand the expression כסות עינים as meaning that the monetary compensation would have the same effect as stunningly beautiful garments, which would raise the image of the wearer in the eyes of the beholder. The money would enable both her and her servant maids to buy beautiful clothes. את כל ונוכחת, “he prepared all this when he purchased for her a wardrobe, in order to demonstrate to everyone that he felt the need to mollify Sarah.” The word נוכחת means preparing something, inviting someone, and appears in this context in Genesis 24,44 אשר הוכיח ה' לבן אדוני, “the one whom the Lord has prepared for the son of my master (as a wife)”. Ibn Ezra explains the words הנה הוא לך כסות עינים as Avimelch saying to Sarah: “concerning Avraham whom you had told me that he was your brother, it fulfils the function of an “eye-cover” (veil) for you to ensure no one will dare raise his eyes to you”. At the same time his stature also protects all your maids against anyone daring to take advantage of them. They will all enjoy the protection of the status of being wives of his servants. Yet another explanation of the words הנה הוא לך כסות עינים understands it as a reference to Sarah having described Avraham as her brother as a defensive stratagem, to protect his life, and the fact that all the entourage of Avraham and Sarah conspired together in this deception so as not to endanger their master’s life. At any, rate, Avimelech added, now that everything has been cleared up, ונוכת, you will be safe and do not need to misrepresent yourself.
And Abraham prayed to God; and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maid-servants; and they bore children.
verse value 3451 — אֱלֹהִ֜ים = 86 (Elohim)
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 56 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֜ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "Abraham" (אַבְרָהָ֖ם, 5 letters) and the longest is "to·God" (אֶל־הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "and·healed" (וַיִּרְפָּ֨א), "and·his·slave·girls" (וְאַמְהֹתָ֖יו). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "God" (root אלה, 301x in Genesis); "and·they·bore" (root ילד, 193x in Genesis); "and·his·wife" (root אשה, 148x in Genesis). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·God', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיִּתְפַּלֵּ֥ל [and·prayed] (556) + אַבְרָהָ֖ם [Abraham] (248) + אֶל־הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים [to·God] (122) + וַיִּרְפָּ֨א [and·healed] (297) + אֱלֹהִ֜ים [God] (86) + אֶת־אֲבִימֶ֧לֶךְ [Abimelech] (504) + וְאֶת־אִשְׁתּ֛וֹ [and·his·wife] (1114) + וְאַמְהֹתָ֖יו [and·his·slave·girls] (468) + וַיֵּלֵֽדוּ [and·they·bore] (56) = 3451.
Onkelos
Abraham prayed before Hashem, and Hashem healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants, and they recovered.
Rashi
וילדו AND THEY BROUGHT FORTH — Explain it as the Targum takes it: “and they were relieved” — their channels were opened (cf. 5:9) and they brought forth their secretions — and this is לידה “bringing forth”, as far as they are concerned.
Ramban
‘VAYEILEIDU’ (AND THEY BORE CHILDREN). If this is understood literally as referring to his wife, and his maidservants and stating that the Eternal had restrained their wombs, it is astonishing! For it appears that on the first night that Sarah was taken to Abimelech’s house, and he had not even approached her, here. G-d immediately came to him in the dream, and in the morning he rose early and called his servants and also Abraham. When then did they experience this restraining of the womb? Perhaps it so happened that they were in their due time, experiencing the pangs of childbirth, unable to be relieved by giving birth. Perhaps, also, Abraham delayed his prayer for many days. But according to this interpretation, the nature of Abimelech’s healing as well as his sickness have not been explained in Scripture. Now Rashi comments: “Vayeileidu — and they were relieved, ’” their channels were opened, and they brought forth their wastes. This was the leidah (bringing forth) as it referred to them. All the wombs means every opening of the body.”But this is not correct. Even if we were to say concerning the word vayeileidu that it means “bringing forth” — as we do indeed find the word leidah used in many contexts, such as: Yea, he conceiveth mischief ‘veyolad’ (and bringeth forth) falsehood; Before the decree ‘ledeth’ (bring forth); for thou knowest not what a day ‘yolad’ (may bring forth), meaning what the days will bring forth and originate — but the word rechem (womb) never refers to any other openings. This is not contradicted by the verse, Or, who shut up the sea with doors, when it broke forth, and issued out of the womb, for this is merely a figure of speech, (Ramban in his commentary to Job, ibid.,) similar to “the belly of the earth.” Now Onkelos’ opinion is not like that of the Rabbi for even if he translated, “and they were relieved,” yet the word rechem (womb) he renders literally as “the opening for giving birth to a child.” However, [the reason why Onkelos translated it, “and they were relieved,” and not “and they gave birth,” is that] he wanted to include Abimelech also in the word vayeileidu. In Bereshith Rabbah 2:14. it is said: “For the Eternal had fast closed up (‘atzor atzar’), here. i.e., closed up the mouth, closed up the neck, closed up the eye, closed up the ear, closed up above,306“Above… below,” a reference to urination, the minor function of the body, and defecation, the major function. and closed up below.” Now the Rabbis derived this exposition from the double usage of the expression, atzor atzar, but they did not explain the expression, every womb, as meaning every opening of the body. The correct interpretation appears to me to be that from the day Sarah was taken to Abimelech’s house, Abimelech was stricken in his limbs and was unable to fulfill his needs. This is [what the verse alludes to when it says], Therefore I did not suffer thee to touch her, here. as “touching” or “approaching” women are euphemisms for sexual intercourse, as in the verse, Draw not near a woman; And I came unto the prophetess. And He restrained the wombs of his wife and his maidservants who were pregnant so they could not give birth. “Restraining a womb” means that the woman could not conceive, even as it says, And the Eternal had closed up her womb. But “restraining the womb” denotes inability to give birth, similar in usage to the verse, He hath hedged me about, that I cannot go forth. Sarah stayed in Abimelech’s house many days, and Abimelech did not repent his way as he did not understand his transgression until G-d came to him in a dream and informed him of it. Now Scripture does not explain Abimelech’s sickness explicitly but mentions it only by hint in an ethical manner and out of respect for Sarah. After Abraham’s prayer, Abimelech and his wife and his maidservants were healed, and the women gave birth.
Ibn Ezra
"And they gave birth" (וַיֵּלֵדוּ) — this refers back to Abimelech's wife and his maidservants, not to Abimelech [himself]. Similarly: 'and he placed the blood of war in peace' (1 Kings 2:5); 'in the pillar of cloud He spoke to them' (Psalms 99:7); 'these are the sons of Adah' (Genesis 36:12); 'with whom I served you' (Genesis 30:26); 'the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, and they served' (Joshua 24:2). Do you not see that it is made explicit in the following verse: 'For Hashem had utterly shut up every womb of the house of Abimelech' (Genesis 20:18) — and Abimelech himself is not mentioned. I have gone on at such length because of commentators who used to say that he [Abimelech] was stopped up from going outside [i.e., that he was afflicted with physical obstruction]. Against them the expression 'every womb' is the proof. And the word וַיֵּלֵדוּ is in the feminine, as is 'and the flocks conceived' (וַיֶּחֱמוּ הַצֹּאן) (Genesis 30:39).
Chizkuni
וילדו, “they gave birth.” Avimelech is not included in the statement: “they gave birth.” It refers only to the females mentioned in the verse. We have proof that this is the correct interpretation from Genesis 29,39 ויחמו הצאן, when the sheep were in heat, where the Torah uses the masculine mode, although obviously it was the female sheep which were in heat, as the male do not conceive and give birth. There is further proof that the expression וילדו, “they gave birth,” cannot refer to Avimelech personally, from verse 18, where the Torah relates that while Sarah was in Avimelech’s palace, captive, all the women in his household, had been unable to give birth though highly pregnant. After Avraham prayed for Avimelech, G-d healed them so that they all gave birth simultaneously as a sign of G-d’s intervention. Another example of a similar formulation in the Torah, which at first glance appears incredible is in Genesis 30,26, where after the birth of Joseph, and completion of a total of 14 years of service to Lavan, Yaakov demands: תנה את נשי ואת ילדי אשר עבדתי אותך בהן, “Hand over my wives and my children for whom I have served you!” Yaakov had served Lavan only for his wives, not for his children.
Rabbeinu Bahya
ויתפלל אברהם אל האלוקים, “Avraham prayed to G’d, etc.” Using a kabbalistic approach, the (unusual) name for G’d used here by Avraham is a reference to the tenth emanation. [this is the “lowest” of the ten emanations and therefore closest to our world. Ed.] As a result, his prayer was answered immediately as we read in the very same verse that “G’d healed Avimelech, his wife, his maidservants, and all those who were expecting to give birth could do so again and did so successfully.” As a result of Avraham’s prayer the attribute of Justice which had been active in that region was supplanted by the attribute of Mercy. We had previously read that the attribute of Mercy i.e. ה', had been exchanged for the attribute of Justice as you will see by reading the text carefully. In verse three G’d appears to Avimelech as אלוקים, i.e. as the attribute of Justice in honour of Avraham. When Avimelech justified his behaviour he addressed the attribute א-דני. G’d responds to him as ה-אלוקים, the definite article ה indicating that it was the same attribute that had appeared to him in verse three. At that point G’d tells Avimelech that He too is aware of Avimelech’s thoughts as well as his deeds. G’d used the אנכי rather than the pronoun אני when referring to Himself. This word אנכי refers to the One who is invisible, who was instrumental in preventing Avimelech from committing any sin with Sarah. This aspect of G’d is less manifest than that represented by the term אני when employed as G’d speaking, or identifying himself to His creatures. Perhaps the absence of the letter א in the word מחטו-לי in verse 6 is a hint that when someone commits a sin against G’d [as distinct from a sin against his fellow man, Ed.] he actually rebels against G’d in His Uniqueness, Oneness, i.e. against the invisible non-manifest G’d.
Tur HaArokh
וילדו, “they proceeded to give birth.” According to Rashi their wombs had been as if sealed while Sarah was in Avimelech’s palace. Now their wombs were reopened. Apparently all orifices of the women had been sealed.
For Hashem had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham's wife.
verse value 3455 — יְהֹוָ֔ה = 26 (Hashem)
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 46 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "had·closed" (עָצַר֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "Abimelech" (אֲבִימֶ֑לֶךְ, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Genesis. Unique to this verse in Genesis (hapax): "for·surely" (כִּֽי־עָצֹ֤ר), "had·closed" (עָצַר֙), "all·womb" (כׇּל־רֶ֖חֶם). The root עצר appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 165x in Genesis); "wife" (root אשה, 148x in Genesis); "because·of" (root דבר, 133x in Genesis). First appearance of the root רחם ("all·womb") in Genesis. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Abimelech', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: כִּֽי־עָצֹ֤ר [for·surely] (390) + עָצַר֙ [had·closed] (360) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + בְּעַ֥ד [around] (76) + כׇּל־רֶ֖חֶם [all·womb] (298) + לְבֵ֣ית [to·the·house·of] (442) + אֲבִימֶ֑לֶךְ [Abimelech] (103) + עַל־דְּבַ֥ר [because·of] (306) + שָׂרָ֖ה [Sarah] (505) + אֵ֥שֶׁת [wife] (701) + אַבְרָהָֽם [Abraham] (248) = 3455.
Onkelos
For Hashem had indeed restrained every womb of the house of Abimelech, on account of Sarah, the wife of Abraham.
Rashi
בעד כל רחם GOD HAD CLOSED UP EVERY רחם — means had closed up every opening (of the body) 'על דבר שרה וגו BECAUSE OF (literally, by the word of) SARAH — at Sarah’s bidding (Genesis Rabbah 52:13).
Sforno
כי עצר עצר ה' בעד כל רחם, to kill their (unborn) offspring if Avimelech would not display remorse and penitence. G’d had warned him specifically that not only his own life was at risk (verse 7)
Or HaChaim
כי עצור עצר ה׳ בעד כל רחם. For G'd had blocked all body orifices. This was so that people should not be able to say that Sarah had become pregnant by Avimelech. Avimelech was impotent during that period. The Torah also wanted to demonstrate that Abraham's prayer was effective to make the formerly barren fertile again. We also learn from this that if someone prays for someone else to be healed in an area that he himself needs healing, his own needs will be attended to by G'd first. This is why the next verse tells us about Sarah having become pregnant. While it is true that G'd had already promised this previously, if a certain sequence in scripture is not applicable to the subject under immediate discussion, it may be applied to another subject as will be discussed shortly.
Rabbeinu Bahya
כי עצור עצר ה' בעד כל רחם ”for the Lord had closed fast every womb, etc.” This refers both to large and small orifices. This is why the Torah repeats the verb עצר. The words בעד כל רחם are a reference to the closing of the birth-canal; it included all orifices amongst man and beast. Our sages in Baba Kama 92 state that even the hens in Avimelech’s palace stopped laying eggs. At this point the Torah spelled out the afflictions suffered by both Avimelech and his household, whereas up until now it had not specified the nature of these afflictions. It had also not mentioned Avimelech by name until he was healed in order to preserve as much of the Royal Dignity and as a sign of respect for Sarah. These names were mentioned only when they served the immediate purpose of enhancing the stature of Sarah.
Tur HaArokh
בעד כל רחם, “every womb.” Again, Rashi understands the word as applying to every bodily orifice. Nachmanides writes that the expression רחם cannot be applied to orifices other than the womb. He sees a further difficulty in the fact that according to the plain meaning of the text all of this transpired during a single night, and that Sarah was restored to Avraham on the morrow, immediately. If so when had the sealing of the orifices of potential mothers even been perceived as an affliction? Perhaps they experienced pains and were unable to give birth, or their menstrual cycle did not operate normally, or Avraham waited until he prayed on behalf of all these women. Personally, I feel that from the day that Sarah had been abducted to Avimelech’s palace, Avimelech’s reproductive organs had been stricken so that he could not have sexual relations with Sarah. Avimelech’s wife and servant maids were equally afflicted. This was the meaning of G’d telling Avimelech in his dream ולא נתתיך לנגוע אליה, “I did not allow you to touch her.” Whenever the term נגיעה or קרבה is used in connection with women, it has a sexual connotation. This is the meaning of וה' סגר רחמם. It is an expression applying only to prevention of the birthing process being initiated. A parallel expression is סגר ה' בעדה, when the prophet describes Channah’s being unable to have children at the beginning of the Book of Samuel. Apparently, Sarah was locked up in the palace of Avimelech for a considerable length of time, and until the night when G’d appeared to Avimelech in his dream, no one knew the cause of this peculiar affliction. At that point, G’d gave Avimelech a hint about what had caused this problem in his household. After Avraham’s prayer on behalf of those afflicted the problem was resolved. 21.1. וה' פקד את שרה, “at this time G’d remembered Sarah benevolently;” The words כאשר אמר, “as He had said,” implies that the word פקד refers to her becoming pregnant, whereas the words כאשר אמר, refer to her giving birth, according to Rashi. Nachmanides writes that the expression פקידה always refers to remembering something pertaining to the party that is being remembered, such as פקוד יפקוד אלוקים אתכם, “G’d will surely remember you, etc.” in Genesis Therefore, the meaning of ה' פקד את שרה is that “G’d remembered Sarah and did for her as He had said.” This formula is customary in connection with women who had been barren until G’d remembered them benevolently, as in the case of Rachel Genesis 30,22 who could give birth after being benevolently remembered by G’d. Rabbi Joseph Kimchi points out that the reason that the Torah used the term פקידה when referring to Sarah, and the term זכירה for remembering with Rachel, was that in the case of Sarah who was already way past child bearing age, G’d had to extend Himself more than in the case of Rachel who was still in her twenties. G’d had to restore bodily functions to Sarah, functions that had not ceased functioning in the case of Rachel. The Mishnaic term for the days between two menstrual cycles is מפקידה לפקידה. Rachel’s menstrual cycles had not yet ceased to occur regularly at the time she became pregnant and bore Joseph as a result. In the case of Channah giving birth to Shemuel, at a time when she was still young, the prophet uses the term זכירה, when she first prayed for children, (Samuel I 1,11) whereas when we hear about her having 5 more children in Samuel I 1,21 the prophet attributes this to a פקידה by G’d. seeing she had aged greatly in the interval.
Onkelos
Rashi
Sforno
Chizkuni