Буття 20:10

"What sawest thou," i.e., what hadst thou in thine eye, with thine act (thy false statement)? Abimelech did this publicly in the presence of his servants, partly for his own justification in the sight of his dependents, and partly to put Abraham to shame. The latter had but two weak excuses: (1) that he supposed there was no fear of God at all in the land, and trembled for his life because of his wife; and (2) that when he left his father's house, he had arranged with his wife that in every foreign place she was to call herself his sister, as she really was his half-sister. On the subject of his emigration, he expressed himself indefinitely and with reserve, accommodating himself to the polytheistic standpoint of the Philistine king: "when God (or the gods, Elohim) caused me to wander," i.e., led me to commence an unsettled life in a foreign land; and saying nothing about Jehovah, and the object of his wandering as revealed by Him.

We are here returning to the story of Abraham; yet that part of it which is here recorded is not to his honour. The fairest marbles have their flaws, and, while there are spots in the sun, we must not expect any thing spotless under it. The scripture, it should be remarked, is impartial in relating the blemishes even of its most celebrated characters. We have here, I. Abraham's sin in denying his wife, and Abimelech's sin thereupon in taking her (Gen 20:1, Gen 20:2). II. God's discourse with Abimelech in a dream, upon this occasion, wherein he shows him his error (Gen 20:3), accepts his plea (Gen 20:4-6), and directs him to make restitution (Gen 20:7). III. Abimelech's discourse with Abraham, wherein he chides him for the cheat he had put upon him (Gen 20:8-10), and Abraham excuses it as well as he can (Gen 20:11-13). IV. The good issue of the story, in which Abimelech restores Abraham his wife (Gen 20:14-16), and Abraham, by prayer, prevails with God for the removal of the judgment Abimelech was under (Gen 20:17, Gen 20:18).