Genesis 12:11 kjv
And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon:
Genesis 12:11 nkjv
And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, "Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance.
Genesis 12:11 niv
As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, "I know what a beautiful woman you are.
Genesis 12:11 esv
When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, "I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance,
Genesis 12:11 nlt
As he was approaching the border of Egypt, Abram said to his wife, Sarai, "Look, you are a very beautiful woman.
Genesis 12 11 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 12:12-13 | "Therefore, when the Egyptians see you, they will say... kill me and let you live." | Immediate follow-up: Abram's fear and proposed deception. |
| Gen 20:2-18 | "Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” ...Abimelech took Sarah." | Abram repeats the deception with Abimelech. |
| Gen 26:7-11 | "When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister...”" | Isaac repeats the same deception concerning Rebekah. |
| Ps 118:8-9 | "It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in humans." | Trust in God vs. human schemes. |
| Jer 17:5-8 | "Cursed is the one who trusts in man... Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD." | Condemnation of trusting in self/man over God. |
| Prov 29:25 | "The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe." | Fear of man leads to traps. |
| Matt 10:28 | "Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul..." | Believer's ultimate security from fear of death. |
| Luke 12:4-5 | "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do." | Encouragement not to fear human threats. |
| Isa 41:10 | "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God..." | God's promise of presence and protection. |
| Phil 4:6-7 | "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer..." | Releasing anxiety through prayer. |
| 2 Tim 1:7 | "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." | Believers empowered against fear. |
| Psa 27:1 | "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?" | Freedom from fear found in the Lord. |
| Psa 37:3 | "Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness." | Trusting God as the antidote to fear and deception. |
| Gen 24:16 | "The young woman was very beautiful in appearance..." | Rebekah's notable beauty. |
| Prov 6:25 | "Do not lust in your heart after her beauty..." | Beauty as a potential source of temptation. |
| 1 Pet 3:3-4 | "Let your adornment be the inner self... with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit." | Contrast of external beauty with internal beauty. |
| Gen 1:31 | "God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good." | Beauty as a creation of God, potentially misused. |
| Heb 11:8 | "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out... not knowing where he was going." | Abram's initial faith in contrast to this lapse. |
| Num 14:9 | "...neither fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us." | Moses' encouragement not to fear powerful nations. |
| Rom 8:31 | "If God is for us, who can be against us?" | Divine backing makes human threats negligible. |
| Gen 13:16 | "I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth..." | God's covenant promise for Abram's lineage despite his failings. |
| Gen 15:1 | "After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: 'Fear not, Abram...'" | God reaffirming comfort and protection to Abram. |
Genesis 12 verses
Genesis 12 11 Meaning
Genesis 12:11 marks a critical juncture where Abram, on the verge of entering Egypt due to famine, expresses a profound fear for his own life. He openly states to Sarai, his wife, his recognition of her exceptional beauty. This acknowledgment immediately precedes his devised plan to have her pose as his sister, a decision driven by anxiety for his personal safety, illustrating a significant moment where human fear momentarily overshadows divine trust in the narrative of his faith journey.
Genesis 12 11 Context
Genesis chapter 12 marks the pivotal divine call to Abram to leave his country, kindred, and father’s house and go to a land that God would show him. This call comes with extraordinary promises of blessing, numerous offspring, and being a blessing to all nations (Gen 12:1-3). Following this, Abram obediently journeys from Haran to the land of Canaan (Gen 12:4-9). However, a severe famine forces him to go south to Egypt for survival (Gen 12:10). It is in this transitional moment, just as he approaches the threshold of Egypt, that the tension between divine promise and human fear becomes evident in verse 11. This verse initiates a deceptive act by Abram that undermines his earlier demonstration of faith, yet God’s covenantal faithfulness to him ultimately prevails.
Genesis 12 11 Word analysis
- word: "And it came to pass" (וַיְהִי - va·ye·hi)
- This common Hebrew idiom functions as a narrative connector, introducing a new, significant event or shift in the story. It signals a critical turning point following Abram’s journey.
- word: "when he was come near" (כְּהִתְקָרֵב - ke·hit·ka·rev)
- Derived from the root קָרַב (karav), meaning "to draw near." It emphasizes the proximity to the border of Egypt, highlighting that the decision point occurs just before entry, in the anticipation of potential danger.
- word: "to enter into Egypt" (לָבוֹא מִצְרָיְמָה - la·vo Mitztraimah)
- מִצְרָיִם (Mitsrayim) is Egypt. This identifies the destination, a renowned ancient civilization, but also a land that will later symbolize bondage and testing for God's people (Exodus narrative). Its power dynamics were likely well-known.
- word: "that he said" (וַיֹּאמֶר - va·yo·mer)
- Standard Hebrew verb for "he said," but here it denotes a deliberate, vocal pronouncement of a decision or concern, indicating its seriousness and premeditation on Abram's part.
- word: "unto Sarai his wife" (אֶל־שָׂרַי אִשְׁתּוֹ - el-Sarai ishtoh)
- Directly names Sarai and specifies her role as his wife, centralizing her as the subject of his concern and the linchpin of his plan. Her position is critical to the unfolding events.
- word: "Behold now," (הִנֵּה־נָא - hin·neh-na)
- An emphatic interjection, hinneh ("behold!") combined with na ("now" or a particle of entreaty/urgency). It draws immediate and solemn attention to the following statement, signaling its gravity.
- word: "I know" (יָדַעְתִּי - ya·da·ti)
- From the verb יָדַע (yada), "to know, perceive." The perfect tense suggests a firm, long-standing awareness rather than a sudden realization. This "knowing" frames his subsequent actions as a logical outcome of his perception.
- words-group: "that thou art a fair woman to look upon" (כִּי אִשָּׁה יְפַת־מַרְאֶה - ki ishah yefat-mareh)
- יְפַת־מַרְאֶה (yefat-mareh) literally means "beautiful of appearance/sight." This specific phrase emphasizes her external, visual beauty. It indicates Sarai possessed a captivating attractiveness that Abram perceived would put his life in peril among powerful foreign rulers known for taking desirable women for their harems (a concern often echoed in ancient Near Eastern texts). This blessing of beauty became a catalyst for fear.
Genesis 12 11 Bonus section
- Subtle Polemics: The narrative, through Abram's fear of the Egyptian custom of acquiring beautiful women, subtly critiques the moral environment of pagan societies, contrasting it with the principles of covenant marriage implied by Abram’s relationship with Sarai. It implicitly asserts a higher moral order rooted in God’s will, even as His servant demonstrates a flawed understanding of it.
- Sarai's Role: Notice Sarai's complete silence in this verse and throughout the subsequent deception. This silence underscores Abram’s dominant role in initiating and executing the plan, depicting her as a passive, obedient participant. Her exceptional beauty, a personal quality, becomes the immediate problem, and her person the object of a risky strategic maneuver.
- Repetitive Theme: The pattern of a patriarch attempting to pass his wife off as his sister appears twice more in Genesis (Gen 20 with Abimelech and Gen 26 with Isaac), establishing it as a significant thematic strand in the book. This repetition highlights God's patient preservation of His chosen line despite human fallibility, as well as the ongoing spiritual struggle against fear and self-reliance within the family of faith.
Genesis 12 11 Commentary
Genesis 12:11 provides a sobering glimpse into the human struggle between faith and fear, even for foundational figures like Abram. After journeying in faith at God's command, a pragmatic concern for survival in Egypt prompts a lapse in his trust in divine protection. Abram's open declaration of Sarai's striking beauty, though factual, reveals the source of his anxiety and foreshadows his self-preservation scheme. This verse highlights that faith is not a linear, unfailing path but often includes moments of testing and human weakness. Despite Abram’s failing, the narrative, and indeed the broader biblical account, demonstrates God's unwavering faithfulness to His covenant promises, protecting Abram and Sarai despite his deception. This incident illustrates that even when His servants falter, God’s sovereign plan and redemptive purpose for His people will not be thwarted.