Genesis 20:11
New International Version
Abraham replied, “I said to myself, ‘There is surely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’

New Living Translation
Abraham replied, “I thought, ‘This is a godless place. They will want my wife and will kill me to get her.’

English Standard Version
Abraham said, “I did it because I thought, ‘There is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’

Berean Standard Bible
Abraham replied, “I thought to myself, ‘Surely there is no fear of God in this place. They will kill me on account of my wife.’

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
And Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will kill me on account of my wife.

New American Standard Bible
Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely there is no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.

NASB 1995
Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely there is no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.

NASB 1977
And Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely there is no fear of God in this place; and they will kill me because of my wife.

Legacy Standard Bible
And Abraham said, “Because I said, surely there is no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.

Amplified Bible
Abraham said, “Because I thought, ‘Surely there is no fear or reverence of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’

Christian Standard Bible
Abraham replied, “I thought, ‘There is absolutely no fear of God in this place. They will kill me because of my wife.’

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Abraham replied, “I thought, ‘There is absolutely no fear of God in this place. They will kill me because of my wife.’

American Standard Version
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.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And Abraham said, “Because I said, ‘Lest there is not the awe of God in this place and they kill me for the sake of my wife.’

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Abraam said, Why I said, Surely there is not the worship of God in this place, and they will slay me because of my wife.

Contemporary English Version
Abraham answered: I did it because I didn't think any of you respected God, and I was sure that someone would kill me to get my wife.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Abraham answered: I thought with myself, saying: Perhaps there is not the fear of God in this place: and they will kill me for the sake of my wife:

English Revised Version
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.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Abraham said, "I thought that because there are no God-fearing people in this place, I'd be killed because of my wife.

Good News Translation
Abraham answered, "I thought that there would be no one here who has reverence for God and that they would kill me to get my wife.

International Standard Version
"I thought that there's no fear of God in this place," Abraham replied, "and that they would kill me because of my wife.

JPS Tanakh 1917
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.

Literal Standard Version
And Abraham says, “Because I said, Surely the fear of God is not in this place, and they have slain me for the sake of my wife;

Majority Standard Bible
Abraham replied, “I thought to myself, ‘Surely there is no fear of God in this place. They will kill me on account of my wife.’

New American Bible
Abraham answered, “I thought there would be no fear of God in this place, and so they would kill me on account of my wife.

NET Bible
Abraham replied, "Because I thought, 'Surely no one fears God in this place. They will kill me because of my wife.'

New Revised Standard Version
Abraham said, “I did it because I thought, There is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.

New Heart English Bible
Abraham said, "Because I thought, 'Surely the fear of God is not in this place, so they will kill me because of my wife.'

Webster's Bible Translation
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.

World English Bible
Abraham said, “Because I thought, ‘Surely the fear of God is not in this place. They will kill me for my wife’s sake.’

Young's Literal Translation
And Abraham saith, 'Because I said, 'Surely the fear of God is not in this place, and they have slain me for the sake of my wife;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Abraham, Sarah, and Abimelech
10Abimelech also asked Abraham, “What prompted you to do such a thing?” 11Abraham replied, “I thought to myself, ‘Surely there is no fear of God in this place. They will kill me on account of my wife.’ 12Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father—though not the daughter of my mother—and she became my wife.…

Cross References
Genesis 12:12
and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife.' Then they will kill me but will let you live.

Genesis 20:10
Abimelech also asked Abraham, "What prompted you to do such a thing?"

Genesis 20:12
Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father--though not the daughter of my mother--and she became my wife.

Genesis 26:7
But when the men of that place asked about his wife, he said, "She is my sister." For he was afraid to say, "She is my wife," since he thought to himself, "The men of this place will kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is so beautiful."

Nehemiah 5:15
The governors before me had heavily burdened the people, taking from them bread and wine plus forty shekels of silver. Their servants also oppressed the people, but I did not do this because of my fear of God.

Proverbs 16:6
By loving devotion and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the LORD one turns aside from evil.


Treasury of Scripture

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.

Surely.

Genesis 22:12
And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

Genesis 42:18
And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God:

Nehemiah 5:15
But the former governors that had been before me were chargeable unto the people, and had taken of them bread and wine, beside forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants bare rule over the people: but so did not I, because of the fear of God.

slay.

Genesis 12:12
Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive.

Genesis 26:7
And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon.

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Genesis 20
1. Abraham sojourns at Gerar.
2. Denies his wife, who is taken by Abimelech.
3. Abimelech is reproved for her in a dream.
9. He rebukes Abraham.
14. Restores Sarah;
16. and reproves her.
17. Abimelech and his family are healed at Abraham's prayer.














(11) Surely the fear of God . . . --Abraham's general condemnation of the people had some excuse in the widespread depravity of the nations in Canaan, but was nevertheless unjust. Even as regards these nations, they were not utterly corrupt (Genesis 15:16), and both in Egypt and in Gerar the standard of morality was higher than Abraham supposed. His difficulty was the result of his own imperfect faith; but the fact that this artifice was arranged between man and wife when starting on their long wanderings, proves that they rather over-rated than under-rated the risks that lay before them. The expedient was indeed a sorry one, and shows that Abraham's faith was not yet that of a martyr; but it also shows that both of them felt that Abraham might have to save his life by a means almost as bad as death. And thus, after all, it was no common-place faith, but one as firm at root as it was sorely tried and exercised.

Verse 11. - And Abraham said (offering as his first apology for his sinful behavior the fear which he entertained of the depravity of the people), Because I thought, - literally, said (sc. in my heart) - Surely the fear of God is not in this place; - otherwise, there is not any fear of God, רק having usually a confirming sense with reference to what follows (cf. Deuteronomy 4:6; 1 Kings 14:8; vide Gesenius, p. 779) - and they will slay me for my wife's sake.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Abraham
אַבְרָהָ֔ם (’aḇ·rā·hām)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 85: Abraham -- 'exalted father', the father of the Jewish nation

replied,
וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“I thought to myself,
אָמַ֗רְתִּי (’ā·mar·tî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

‘Surely
רַ֚ק (raq)
Adverb
Strong's 7535: But, even, except, howbeit howsoever, at the least, nevertheless

there is no
אֵין־ (’ên-)
Adverb
Strong's 369: A non-entity, a negative particle

fear
יִרְאַ֣ת (yir·’aṯ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 3374: Fear, reverence

of God
אֱלֹהִ֔ים (’ĕ·lō·hîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

in this
הַזֶּ֑ה (haz·zeh)
Article | Pronoun - masculine singular
Strong's 2088: This, that

place.
בַּמָּק֖וֹם (bam·mā·qō·wm)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4725: A standing, a spot, a condition

They will kill me
וַהֲרָג֖וּנִי (wa·hă·rā·ḡū·nî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural | first person common singular
Strong's 2026: To smite with deadly intent

on account of
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

my wife.’
אִשְׁתִּֽי׃ (’iš·tî)
Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 802: Woman, wife, female


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OT Law: Genesis 20:11 Abraham said Because I thought 'Surely (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 20:10
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