(י) וַיְהִ֥י רָעָ֖ב בָּאָ֑רֶץ וַיֵּ֨רֶד אַבְרָ֤ם מִצְרַ֙יְמָה֙ לָג֣וּר שָׁ֔ם כִּֽי־כָבֵ֥ד הָרָעָ֖ב בָּאָֽרֶץ׃ (יא) וַיְהִ֕י כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר הִקְרִ֖יב לָב֣וֹא מִצְרָ֑יְמָה וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ אֶל־שָׂרַ֣י אִשְׁתּ֔וֹ הִנֵּה־נָ֣א יָדַ֔עְתִּי כִּ֛י אִשָּׁ֥ה יְפַת־מַרְאֶ֖ה אָֽתְּ׃ (יב) וְהָיָ֗ה כִּֽי־יִרְא֤וּ אֹתָךְ֙ הַמִּצְרִ֔ים וְאָמְר֖וּ אִשְׁתּ֣וֹ זֹ֑את וְהָרְג֥וּ אֹתִ֖י וְאֹתָ֥ךְ יְחַיּֽוּ׃ (יג) אִמְרִי־נָ֖א אֲחֹ֣תִי אָ֑תְּ לְמַ֙עַן֙ יִֽיטַב־לִ֣י בַעֲבוּרֵ֔ךְ וְחָיְתָ֥ה נַפְשִׁ֖י בִּגְלָלֵֽךְ׃ (יד) וַיְהִ֕י כְּב֥וֹא אַבְרָ֖ם מִצְרָ֑יְמָה וַיִּרְא֤וּ הַמִּצְרִים֙ אֶת־הָ֣אִשָּׁ֔ה כִּֽי־יָפָ֥ה הִ֖וא מְאֹֽד׃ (טו) וַיִּרְא֤וּ אֹתָהּ֙ שָׂרֵ֣י פַרְעֹ֔ה וַיְהַֽלְל֥וּ אֹתָ֖הּ אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֑ה וַתֻּקַּ֥ח הָאִשָּׁ֖ה בֵּ֥ית פַּרְעֹֽה׃ (טז) וּלְאַבְרָ֥ם הֵיטִ֖יב בַּעֲבוּרָ֑הּ וַֽיְהִי־ל֤וֹ צֹאן־וּבָקָר֙ וַחֲמֹרִ֔ים וַעֲבָדִים֙ וּשְׁפָחֹ֔ת וַאֲתֹנֹ֖ת וּגְמַלִּֽים׃ (יז) וַיְנַגַּ֨ע יְהוָ֧ה ׀ אֶת־פַּרְעֹ֛ה נְגָעִ֥ים גְּדֹלִ֖ים וְאֶת־בֵּית֑וֹ עַל־דְּבַ֥ר שָׂרַ֖י אֵ֥שֶׁת אַבְרָֽם׃ (יח) וַיִּקְרָ֤א פַרְעֹה֙ לְאַבְרָ֔ם וַיֹּ֕אמֶר מַה־זֹּ֖את עָשִׂ֣יתָ לִּ֑י לָ֚מָּה לֹא־הִגַּ֣דְתָּ לִּ֔י כִּ֥י אִשְׁתְּךָ֖ הִֽוא׃ (יט) לָמָ֤ה אָמַ֙רְתָּ֙ אֲחֹ֣תִי הִ֔וא וָאֶקַּ֥ח אֹתָ֛הּ לִ֖י לְאִשָּׁ֑ה וְעַתָּ֕ה הִנֵּ֥ה אִשְׁתְּךָ֖ קַ֥ח וָלֵֽךְ׃ (כ) וַיְצַ֥ו עָלָ֛יו פַּרְעֹ֖ה אֲנָשִׁ֑ים וַֽיְשַׁלְּח֥וּ אֹת֛וֹ וְאֶת־אִשְׁתּ֖וֹ וְאֶת־כָּל־אֲשֶׁר־לֽוֹ׃
(10) There was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. (11) As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are. (12) If the Egyptians see you, and think, ‘She is his wife,’ they will kill me and let you live. (13) Please say that you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that I may remain alive thanks to you.” (14) When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw how very beautiful the woman was. (15) Pharaoh’s courtiers saw her and praised her to Pharaoh, and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s palace. (16) And because of her, it went well with Abram; he acquired sheep, oxen, asses, male and female slaves, she-asses, and camels. (17) But the LORD afflicted Pharaoh and his household with mighty plagues on account of Sarai, the wife of Abram. (18) Pharaoh sent for Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me! Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? (19) Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her as my wife? Now, here is your wife; take her and begone!” (20) And Pharaoh put men in charge of him, and they sent him off with his wife and all that he possessed.
Tamar Kadari, "Sarah: Midrash and Aggadah," in Jewish Women's Archive
In the midrashic tableau, when Abraham saw that Sarah had been taken to the palace of Pharaoh, he began to weep and pray to God. Sarah, too, cried out, saying: “Master of the Universe! when I heard from Abraham that You had told him, ‘Go forth,’ I believed in what You said. Now I remain alone, apart from my father, my mother, and my husband. Will this wicked one come and abuse me? Act for Your great name, and for my trust in Your words.” God replied: “By your life, nothing untoward will happen to you and your husband.” At that moment, an angel descended from Heaven with a whip in his hand. Pharaoh came to remove Sarah’s shoe—he hit him on the hand. He wanted to touch her clothing—he smote him (Tanhuma loc. cit.). All that night the angel stood there with the whip. If Sarah bade him “Strike,” he would strike him. If she told him “Cease,” he ceased. Even though Sarah told Pharaoh: “I am a married woman,” he did not desist from his efforts to touch her (Gen. Rabbah 41:2). These traditions emphasize what the Torah does not state, that nothing indecent happened between Sarah and Pharaoh. The midrashim present Pharaoh as someone who knows that Sarah is a married woman, but nonetheless desires her. Sarah is depicted as a strong woman, whose purity is protected by God by merit of her faith.
In the midrashic tableau, when Abraham saw that Sarah had been taken to the palace of Pharaoh, he began to weep and pray to God. Sarah, too, cried out, saying: “Master of the Universe! when I heard from Abraham that You had told him, ‘Go forth,’ I believed in what You said. Now I remain alone, apart from my father, my mother, and my husband. Will this wicked one come and abuse me? Act for Your great name, and for my trust in Your words.” God replied: “By your life, nothing untoward will happen to you and your husband.” At that moment, an angel descended from Heaven with a whip in his hand. Pharaoh came to remove Sarah’s shoe—he hit him on the hand. He wanted to touch her clothing—he smote him (Tanhuma loc. cit.). All that night the angel stood there with the whip. If Sarah bade him “Strike,” he would strike him. If she told him “Cease,” he ceased. Even though Sarah told Pharaoh: “I am a married woman,” he did not desist from his efforts to touch her (Gen. Rabbah 41:2). These traditions emphasize what the Torah does not state, that nothing indecent happened between Sarah and Pharaoh. The midrashim present Pharaoh as someone who knows that Sarah is a married woman, but nonetheless desires her. Sarah is depicted as a strong woman, whose purity is protected by God by merit of her faith.
Nahum Sarna on Genesis 12:13
"Please say . . ." This is not an order but a respectful plea.
"You are my sister . . ." The biblical heroes are not portrayed as demigods or perfect human beings. They are mortals of flesh and blood, subject to the same temptations and possessed of the same frailties as are all other human beings. Abram, the man of implicit faith in God's word, is fearful of the evil of which people are capable. In order to save his own life, he appears to place his wife's honor in jeopardy through misrepresentations of their relationship. Sarai's collusion may be looked upon as an act of self-sacrifice on behalf of her husband -- but how is Abram's conduct to be judged? Ramban comments as follows: "Know that our father Abraham inadvertently committed a great sin by placing hid virtuous wife in a compromising situation because of his fear of being killed. He should have trusted in God to save him, his wife and all he had, for God has the power to help and to save.
As opposed to this critical view, there is the analysis of Radak that Abram is confronted with a moral dilemma, forced to make a choice between two evils. If he discloses the truth he will be killed, and his wife, beautiful and unprotected in an alien society of low morality, will assuredly be condemned to a life of shame and abuse. If, however, he resorts to subterfuge, she may be violated by some Egyptian, but at least husband and wife would both survive. It would have been improper, then, to have relied on a miracle as an excuse for inaction.
"Please say . . ." This is not an order but a respectful plea.
"You are my sister . . ." The biblical heroes are not portrayed as demigods or perfect human beings. They are mortals of flesh and blood, subject to the same temptations and possessed of the same frailties as are all other human beings. Abram, the man of implicit faith in God's word, is fearful of the evil of which people are capable. In order to save his own life, he appears to place his wife's honor in jeopardy through misrepresentations of their relationship. Sarai's collusion may be looked upon as an act of self-sacrifice on behalf of her husband -- but how is Abram's conduct to be judged? Ramban comments as follows: "Know that our father Abraham inadvertently committed a great sin by placing hid virtuous wife in a compromising situation because of his fear of being killed. He should have trusted in God to save him, his wife and all he had, for God has the power to help and to save.
As opposed to this critical view, there is the analysis of Radak that Abram is confronted with a moral dilemma, forced to make a choice between two evils. If he discloses the truth he will be killed, and his wife, beautiful and unprotected in an alien society of low morality, will assuredly be condemned to a life of shame and abuse. If, however, he resorts to subterfuge, she may be violated by some Egyptian, but at least husband and wife would both survive. It would have been improper, then, to have relied on a miracle as an excuse for inaction.
Rashi on Gen 12:13
THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH ME FOR THY SAKE — they may give me presents.
THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH ME FOR THY SAKE — they may give me presents.
Radak on Genesis 12:13
"So it will go well with me . . ." So that on account of your describing yourself as my sister they will treat me well. The “good treatment” Avram referred to was not financial reward but simply that they would let him live. It is quite inconceivable that Avram wanted to use his wife as a pimp uses a prostitute. Even though we read in verse 15 that Avram, in the event, experienced many financial favours as the man whose consent was sought to have his sister as someone’s wife, this is something he had not counted on at all. In fact, we know how unwilling Avram was to accept people’s favours when he turned down the spoils of war which were not a gift to him but his due as he had fought that war. (Genesis 14,23.) Had he not been in Pharaoh’s country and been afraid to reject these gifts, he would most certainly not have accepted them. Avram was not interested in acquiring more wealth than G’d had seen fit to grant him.
"So it will go well with me . . ." So that on account of your describing yourself as my sister they will treat me well. The “good treatment” Avram referred to was not financial reward but simply that they would let him live. It is quite inconceivable that Avram wanted to use his wife as a pimp uses a prostitute. Even though we read in verse 15 that Avram, in the event, experienced many financial favours as the man whose consent was sought to have his sister as someone’s wife, this is something he had not counted on at all. In fact, we know how unwilling Avram was to accept people’s favours when he turned down the spoils of war which were not a gift to him but his due as he had fought that war. (Genesis 14,23.) Had he not been in Pharaoh’s country and been afraid to reject these gifts, he would most certainly not have accepted them. Avram was not interested in acquiring more wealth than G’d had seen fit to grant him.
Sforno on Genesis 12:13
"So that it may go well with me" -- so that when you will say that you are my sister, each one will entertain the hope that I will agree to your marrying them. Therefore, none of them will have any reason to kill me. Rather, he will seek my approval by offering me a dowry for you. It was the custom in those days that the father of the bride would be bribed with money or its equivalent to agree to let his daughter marry someone. This also explains why the Torah speaks of מהר ימהרנה in Exodus 22,15-16, i.e. “he (the seducer) shall pay a heavy dowry,” and why the option to refuse such a marriage is not so much the girl’s but her father’s, as we see from the verse following.
"So that it may go well with me" -- so that when you will say that you are my sister, each one will entertain the hope that I will agree to your marrying them. Therefore, none of them will have any reason to kill me. Rather, he will seek my approval by offering me a dowry for you. It was the custom in those days that the father of the bride would be bribed with money or its equivalent to agree to let his daughter marry someone. This also explains why the Torah speaks of מהר ימהרנה in Exodus 22,15-16, i.e. “he (the seducer) shall pay a heavy dowry,” and why the option to refuse such a marriage is not so much the girl’s but her father’s, as we see from the verse following.
Radak on Gen 12:15
"And they saw her and took her . . . " Our sages, in comparing the abduction of Esther, and that of Sarai, point out that whereas with Esther the word used is ותלקח, here the word used by the Torah is ותקח, a pual (strong passive) mode, as opposed to a nifal-passive mode. (compare Torah Shleymah item 157 on this) In Sarai’s case, the formulation reflects the fact that she was a married woman, so that her abduction was a violation of her and her husband’s rights, whereas in Esther’s case it was “merely” a violation of her rights. According to our author Esther had been agreeable to participating in the contest. [The passive form would only reflect that none of the girls were active, but were selected by the king’s servants who had to decide if they had a chance to appeal to the king. Ed.]
"And they saw her and took her . . . " Our sages, in comparing the abduction of Esther, and that of Sarai, point out that whereas with Esther the word used is ותלקח, here the word used by the Torah is ותקח, a pual (strong passive) mode, as opposed to a nifal-passive mode. (compare Torah Shleymah item 157 on this) In Sarai’s case, the formulation reflects the fact that she was a married woman, so that her abduction was a violation of her and her husband’s rights, whereas in Esther’s case it was “merely” a violation of her rights. According to our author Esther had been agreeable to participating in the contest. [The passive form would only reflect that none of the girls were active, but were selected by the king’s servants who had to decide if they had a chance to appeal to the king. Ed.]
Radak on Gen 12:16
"And because of her, it went well with Abram" -- as soon as the king had taken Sarai he showered Avram with favours, seeing that she had described him as her brother. The favours consisted of the king sending him livestock, as well as other gifts which he could enjoy personally, so that he would give his consent to the marriage. Afterwards, when he had been punished by G’d, he did not ask Avram for forgiveness but deported him, as opposed to Avimelech (Genesis 20,14) The meaning of the words ויהי לו, is that these gifts which used to belong to Pharaoh remained in Avram’s possession.
"And because of her, it went well with Abram" -- as soon as the king had taken Sarai he showered Avram with favours, seeing that she had described him as her brother. The favours consisted of the king sending him livestock, as well as other gifts which he could enjoy personally, so that he would give his consent to the marriage. Afterwards, when he had been punished by G’d, he did not ask Avram for forgiveness but deported him, as opposed to Avimelech (Genesis 20,14) The meaning of the words ויהי לו, is that these gifts which used to belong to Pharaoh remained in Avram’s possession.
Sforno on Gen 12:16
"And they took her . . " The members of Pharaoh’s household did not even waste time to seduce Sarai but abducted her forcefully. They thought that seeing that it was a compliment for Sarai to be desired by the king himself, she would automatically consent to such an elevation of her status. Seeing that she had described herself only as Avram’s sister and not his wife, they had no reason to believe that there was a legal obstacle to such a union. Pharaoh himself said “I took her as a wife for myself,” not a concubine, not a mistress. In verse 19 he explains that he had taken Sarai as a wife, feeling certain that she was not legally linked to any other man.
"And they took her . . " The members of Pharaoh’s household did not even waste time to seduce Sarai but abducted her forcefully. They thought that seeing that it was a compliment for Sarai to be desired by the king himself, she would automatically consent to such an elevation of her status. Seeing that she had described herself only as Avram’s sister and not his wife, they had no reason to believe that there was a legal obstacle to such a union. Pharaoh himself said “I took her as a wife for myself,” not a concubine, not a mistress. In verse 19 he explains that he had taken Sarai as a wife, feeling certain that she was not legally linked to any other man.
Radak on 12:19
"Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' sot that I took her for my wife?" -- I did not take her merely to sleep with her but I took her to be my wife.
"Here is your wife" -- here she is, as much your wife as before, since I did not touch her.
"Take her . . . " -- go and leave immediately before any person in my kingdom tries to rape her. She is too beautiful for most of my subjects to resist the temptation she represents for them.
"Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' sot that I took her for my wife?" -- I did not take her merely to sleep with her but I took her to be my wife.
"Here is your wife" -- here she is, as much your wife as before, since I did not touch her.
"Take her . . . " -- go and leave immediately before any person in my kingdom tries to rape her. She is too beautiful for most of my subjects to resist the temptation she represents for them.
Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch (commenting on the second telling of this story in Genesis 20)
“Even were Sarah merely the unmarried sister of Avraham, must every unmarried woman who enters the territory of a foreign king be prepared to gratify the king’s lust? And if that is the local custom and way of behavior, is it proper behavior? Is it not the king’s duty to set a good example for his people, to show and teach them upright and moral ways of behavior?”
“Even were Sarah merely the unmarried sister of Avraham, must every unmarried woman who enters the territory of a foreign king be prepared to gratify the king’s lust? And if that is the local custom and way of behavior, is it proper behavior? Is it not the king’s duty to set a good example for his people, to show and teach them upright and moral ways of behavior?”
Rodger Kamenetz, "In the Beginning there was a Bible Discussion Group. And then PBS Came Calling."
[Relating an interview with Rabbi Burton L. Visotzky]
I ask him to elaborate. ''Some actions in the Bible are reprehensible to me,'' he says, citing Genesis 12, his bar mitzvah portion. As a 13-year-old in Chicago, he read it innocently: Abraham, forced by famine to go to Egypt, fears that Pharaoh will murder him and take Sarah, his comely wife. So he passes off Sarah to Pharaoh as his sister, receiving great wealth in return. When God strikes Pharaoh with a mysterious illness, Pharaoh sends Abraham away with his wife and fortune intact.
Today, the same narrative, read plain, troubles Visotzky deeply. ''Abraham is pimping his wife,'' he says. ''It seems to me there's almost no other way to read that. Yet we're raised to believe Abraham is admirable. So we're forced to consider the cognitive dissonance between the saintly picture of Abraham and what suddenly dawns on me as slimy behavior. Can there be middle ground? Are there other readings that can save him? Do I need to save him? I also ask this as a scholar, because the midrash works so hard to make Abraham and others heroic. So then I wonder, why are the rabbis trying so hard? It pleases me that they see the same flaws and are distressed by them, too.''
[Relating an interview with Rabbi Burton L. Visotzky]
I ask him to elaborate. ''Some actions in the Bible are reprehensible to me,'' he says, citing Genesis 12, his bar mitzvah portion. As a 13-year-old in Chicago, he read it innocently: Abraham, forced by famine to go to Egypt, fears that Pharaoh will murder him and take Sarah, his comely wife. So he passes off Sarah to Pharaoh as his sister, receiving great wealth in return. When God strikes Pharaoh with a mysterious illness, Pharaoh sends Abraham away with his wife and fortune intact.
Today, the same narrative, read plain, troubles Visotzky deeply. ''Abraham is pimping his wife,'' he says. ''It seems to me there's almost no other way to read that. Yet we're raised to believe Abraham is admirable. So we're forced to consider the cognitive dissonance between the saintly picture of Abraham and what suddenly dawns on me as slimy behavior. Can there be middle ground? Are there other readings that can save him? Do I need to save him? I also ask this as a scholar, because the midrash works so hard to make Abraham and others heroic. So then I wonder, why are the rabbis trying so hard? It pleases me that they see the same flaws and are distressed by them, too.''