Genesis 20:7

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Genesis 20:7 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Now therefore restore the man`s wife. For he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live. And if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Now therefore restore the man`s wife. For he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live. And if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.
Genesis 20:7 — American Standard Version

Context — Genesis 20

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
7Now therefore restore the man`s wife. For he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live. And if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Now therefore restore the man [his] wife, etc.] Which will be a full proof and evidence to all of the integrity of thy heart, and the innocence of thine hands, which thou pleadest, and which I own: for he [is] a prophet; familiar with God, dear unto him, a friend of his, to whom he communicates his secrets; is able to foretell things to come, as well as to interpret the mind of God, and instruct in the knowledge of divine things, all which agrees with Abraham’s character; and he is the first man that is dignified in Scripture with the title of a prophet; so he is called in the Apocrypha: “Beware of all whoredom, my son, and chiefly take a wife of the seed of thy fathers, and take not a…”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“- Abraham in Gerar 2. אבימלך .2 'ǎbı̂ymelek, Abimelekh, “father of the king.” 7. נביא nābı̂y' “prophet,” he who speaks by God, of God, and to God, who declares to people not merely things future, but also things past and present, that are not obvious to the sense or the reason; related: “flow, go forth.” 13. התעוּ hı̂t‛û is plural in punctuation, agreeing grammatically with אלהים 'ĕlohı̂ym. ו(w), however, may be regarded as the third radical, and the verb may thus really be singular. 16. נכהת nokachat an unusual form, either for נכחת nokaḥat the second person singular feminine perfect or נכחה nokeḥâh the third person singular feminine perfect, from a verb signifying in hiphil, “make…”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“20:7 Abraham’s prayer saved the king’s life and restored his family (20:17-18). Abimelech learned that Abraham’s God was sovereign, and that Abraham, God’s prophet, had received God’s revelation and would intercede for others (see Num 12:13; Deut 9:20), even if he did not always live up to the office.”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification