Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this.
Didn't he tell me, 'She is my sister'? And didn't she herself say, 'He is my brother'? I did this with a pure heart and clean hands—I meant no wrong.
This verse shows someone defending their actions by explaining they were deceived and acted with good intentions based on the information they had.
📚 Historical Context
This is Abimelech, king of Gerar, defending himself to God after he nearly took Sarah as his wife, not knowing she was already married to Abraham. Abraham had told him Sarah was his sister (which was technically a half-truth), and Sarah had gone along with this deception. Ancient Near Eastern customs often involved these kinds of protective lies when traveling through foreign territories.
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