And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, of a surety she is thy wife: and how saidst thou, She is my sister? And Isaac said unto him, Because I said, Lest I die for her.
So Abimelech called Isaac to him and said, 'Look, she's clearly your wife! Why did you tell me she was your sister?' Isaac answered, 'Because I thought, I might be killed because of her.'
Isaac is confronted by King Abimelech for lying about his wife Rebekah, and Isaac admits he was afraid he would be killed if people knew she was his wife.
📚 Historical Context
This incident occurred during a time of famine when Isaac had moved to Gerar, a Philistine territory ruled by King Abimelech. Isaac had followed the same deceptive pattern as his father Abraham, who had twice claimed his wife Sarah was his sister out of fear for his life. In ancient Near Eastern culture, powerful men might kill a husband to take his beautiful wife, but would negotiate to marry a sister.
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