Genesis 20:4
New International Version
Now Abimelek had not gone near her, so he said, “Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation?

New Living Translation
But Abimelech had not slept with her yet, so he said, “Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation?

English Standard Version
Now Abimelech had not approached her. So he said, “Lord, will you kill an innocent people?

Berean Standard Bible
Now Abimelech had not gone near her, so he replied, “Lord, would You destroy a nation even though it is innocent?

King James Bible
But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation?

New King James Version
But Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, “Lord, will You slay a righteous nation also?

New American Standard Bible
Now Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, “Lord, will You kill a nation, even though blameless?

NASB 1995
Now Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, “Lord, will You slay a nation, even though blameless?

NASB 1977
Now Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, “Lord, wilt Thou slay a nation, even though blameless?

Legacy Standard Bible
(Now Abimelech had not come near her.) Then he said, “Lord, will You kill a nation, even though righteous?

Amplified Bible
Now Abimelech had not yet come near her; so he said, “Lord, will you kill a people who are righteous and innocent and blameless [regarding Sarah]?

Christian Standard Bible
Now Abimelech had not approached her, so he said, “Lord, would you destroy a nation even though it is innocent?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Now Abimelech had not approached her, so he said, “Lord, would You destroy a nation even though it is innocent?

American Standard Version
Now Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay even a righteous nation?

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And Abimelek did not touch her and Abimelek said, “LORD JEHOVAH, do you also kill innocent people?

Brenton Septuagint Translation
But Abimelech had not touched her, and he said, Lord, wilt thou destroy an ignorantly sinning and just nation?

Douay-Rheims Bible
Now Abimelech had not touched her, and he said : Lord, wilt thou slay a nation, that is ignorant and justl

English Revised Version
Now Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay even a righteous nation?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Abimelech hadn't come near her, so he asked, "Lord, will you destroy a nation even if it's innocent?

Good News Translation
But Abimelech had not come near her, and he said, "Lord, I am innocent! Would you destroy me and my people?

International Standard Version
Now Abimelech had not yet come near her, so he asked, "LORD, will you destroy an innocent nation?

JPS Tanakh 1917
Now Abimelech had not come near her; and he said: 'Lord, wilt Thou slay even a righteous nation?

Literal Standard Version
And Abimelech has not drawn near to her, and he says, “Lord, do you also slay a righteous nation?

Majority Standard Bible
Now Abimelech had not gone near her, so he replied, “Lord, would You destroy a nation even though it is innocent?

New American Bible
Abimelech, who had not approached her, said: “O Lord, would you kill an innocent man?

NET Bible
Now Abimelech had not gone near her. He said, "Lord, would you really slaughter an innocent nation?

New Revised Standard Version
Now Abimelech had not approached her; so he said, “Lord, will you destroy an innocent people?

New Heart English Bible
Now Abimelech had not come near her. He said, "Lord, will you kill even a righteous nation?

Webster's Bible Translation
But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou also slay a righteous nation?

World English Bible
Now Abimelech had not come near her. He said, “Lord, will you kill even a righteous nation?

Young's Literal Translation
And Abimelech hath not drawn near unto her, and he saith, 'Lord, also a righteous nation dost thou slay?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Abraham, Sarah, and Abimelech
3One night, however, God came to Abimelech in a dream and told him, “You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken, for she is a married woman.” 4Now Abimelech had not gone near her, so he replied, “Lord, would You destroy a nation even though it is innocent? 5Didn’t Abraham tell me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ I have done this in the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands.”…

Cross References
Genesis 18:23
Abraham stepped forward and said, "Will You really sweep away the righteous with the wicked?

Genesis 20:5
Didn't Abraham tell me, 'She is my sister'? And she herself said, 'He is my brother.' I have done this in the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands."


Treasury of Scripture

But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, LORD, will you slay also a righteous nation?

had.

Genesis 20:6,18
And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her…

wilt.

Genesis 20:17,18
So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children

Genesis 18:23-25
And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? …

Genesis 19:24
Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;

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Abimelech Abim'elech Approached Blameless Death Destroy Drawn Innocent Kill Nation Righteous Slay Upright Wilt
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Abimelech Abim'elech Approached Blameless Death Destroy Drawn Innocent Kill Nation Righteous Slay Upright Wilt
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.














(4) A righteous nation.--Knobel has pointed out that there is an allusion here to the fate of Sodom. Though the malady was confined to Abimelech and his household, yet he sees destruction threatening his whole people, who, compared with the inhabitants of the Ciccar cities, were righteous. There is indirect proof: of the truth of Abimelech's assertion in the fact that death (see Genesis 20:3) is acquiesced in as the fitting punishment for adultery.

Verse 4. - But Abimelech had not come near her. Apparently withheld by the peculiar disease which had overtaken him. The statement of the present verse (a similar one to which is not made with reference to Pharaoh) was clearly rendered necessary by the approaching birth of Isaac, who might otherwise have been said to be the child not of Abraham, but of the Philistine king. And he said, Lord, - Adonai (vide Genesis 15:2) - wilt thou slay also a righteous nation? Anticipating that the stroke of Divine judgment was about to fall upon his people as well as on himself, with allusion to the fate of Sodom (Knobel), which he deprecates for his people at least on the ground that they are innocent of the offence charged against him (cf. 2 Samuel 24:17). That Abimelech and his people, like Melchisedeck and his subjects, had some knowledge of the true God, and that the Canaanites generally at this period had not reached the depth of moral degradation into which the cities of the Jordan circle had sunk before their overthrow, is apparent from the narrative. The comparative virtue, therefore, of these tribes was a proof that the hour had not arrived for the infliction on them of the doom of extermination.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Now Abimelech
וַאֲבִימֶ֕לֶךְ (wa·’ă·ḇî·me·leḵ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 40: Abimelech -- 'father is king', a Philistine name, also an Israelite name

had not
לֹ֥א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

gone near her,
קָרַ֖ב (qā·raḇ)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7126: To come near, approach

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

“Lord,
אֲדֹנָ֕י (’ă·ḏō·nāy)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 136: The Lord

would You destroy
תַּהֲרֹֽג׃ (ta·hă·rōḡ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 2026: To smite with deadly intent

a nation
הֲג֥וֹי (hă·ḡō·w)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1471: A foreign nation, a Gentile, a troop of animals, a flight of locusts

even though
גַּם־ (gam-)
Conjunction
Strong's 1571: Assemblage, also, even, yea, though, both, and

it is innocent?
צַדִּ֖יק (ṣad·dîq)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 6662: Just, righteous


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OT Law: Genesis 20:4 Now Abimelech had not come near her (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 20:3
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