What is the main point of Genesis 20?

Abraham and Sarah settle in Gerar on the way to the Negeb. While there, Abraham pretends that Sarah is his sister, and King Abimelech of Gerar takes Sarah for himself. But God warns Abimelech in a dream that he will die if he approaches Sarah; he must return Sarah to Abraham, who is a prophet and will pray for him.

Who was Abimelech in Genesis 20?

Abimelech was most prominently the name of a polytheistic king of Gerar who is mentioned in two of the three wife-sister narratives in Genesis, in connection with both Abraham and Isaac.

Were Abraham and Sarah related?

Sarah is the wife of Abraham, the mother of Isaac, and thus the ancestress of all Israel. The Bible explains that Sarai was her earlier name and that she was renamed at the annunciation of the birth of Isaac (Gen 17:15).

What happened to Abraham and Sarah?

Death. Sarah dies at the age of 127, and Abraham buys a piece of land with a cave near Hebron from Ephron the Hittite in which to bury her, which is the first land owned by the Israelites in Canaan according to the biblical narrative. The place became known as the Cave of the Patriarchs.

What did Melchizedek do for Abraham?

In the episode, Melchizedek meets Abraham on his return from battle, gives him bread and wine (which has been interpreted by some Christian scholars as a precursor of the Eucharist, so that Melchizedek’s name entered the canon of the Roman mass), and blesses Abraham in the name of “God Most High” (in Hebrew El ʿElyon).

Who was Sarai to Abraham?

Sarah, also spelled Sarai, in the Old Testament, wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac. Sarah was childless until she was 90 years old. God promised Abraham that she would be “a mother of nations” (Genesis 17:16) and that she would conceive and bear a son, but Sarah did not believe.

Is Abimelech and achish the same person?

He is called Abimelech (meaning “father of the king”) in the superscription of Psalm 34. It was probably this same king, or his son with the same name, described as “Achish, the son of Maoch”, to whom David reappeared a second time at the head of a band of 600 warriors.

Who were Abraham’s wives?

According to one view, Abraham remarried after the death of Sarah and had a total of three wives: Sarah, Hagar, and Keturah. Another tradition identifies Keturah with Hagar, and thus Abraham married only twice.

Who is the second wife of Abraham?

Keturah
Keturah (Hebrew: קְטוּרָה, Qəṭūrā, possibly meaning “incense”; Arabic: قطورة) was a wife and a concubine of the Biblical patriarch Abraham. According to the Book of Genesis, Abraham married Keturah after the death of his first wife, Sarah. Abraham and Keturah had six sons.

What is the meaning of Genesis 20 in the Bible?

Genesis 20 is a commentary on Abraham’s cowardice and betrayal of his wife Sarah. At the same time, Genesis 20 is also a commentary on the grace of God who chose to build a great nation out of such a man. GENESIS 20:1 1 And Abraham journeyed from there to the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and stayed in Gerar.

What is the story of Abraham in Genesis 20?

Such was the case in the life of Abraham as described in Genesis 20. God had disclosed to Abraham that he would be the father of a son born through Sarah (17:15-19; 18:10). Abraham, upon hearing of the coming destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, interceded for the cities on behalf of the righteous who dwelt in them (18:22ff).

Are the principles of Genesis 20 still true today?

In spite of this, his problems were no different than ours (cf. James 5:17 ), and the principles found in Genesis 20 are as true today as they were centuries ago. God has not changed, and neither have men.