What is the meaning of Genesis 20:18? For • This opening word ties verse 18 to the events of verses 1-17. God’s warning to Abimelech in a dream (v. 3) and Abraham’s prayer (v. 17) explain the “why.” • Scripture often uses “for” to supply the reason behind divine actions (see Romans 1:18; Jonah 1:10). Here it tells us God’s intervention was not random. • By linking the healing of the women in v. 17 to the closing of their wombs in v. 18, the text underscores that both the affliction and its removal come from the same sovereign LORD (Deuteronomy 32:39; 1 Samuel 2:6). On account of Abraham’s wife Sarah • God’s covenant promise to bless the world through Abraham and Sarah’s offspring (Genesis 17:15-19) made her marriage exclusive and inviolable. • Abimelech’s taking of Sarah—even in ignorance—threatened the purity of that promise. Compare the earlier incident in Egypt where the LORD “struck Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Abram’s wife Sarai” (Genesis 12:17). • The verse highlights Sarah’s unique role; by protecting her, God guards the lineage that will lead to Isaac, then to Christ (Galatians 3:16). The LORD had completely closed • Fertility is in God’s hand. “He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyful mother of children” (Psalm 113:9). He also withholds it when necessary (1 Samuel 1:5-6). • The adverb “completely” (rendered “had completely closed” in) emphasizes thoroughness. No natural cause can override God’s deliberate action here (Job 42:2; Luke 1:37). • By closing every womb, God signals unmistakably that the judgment is divine, not accidental. All the wombs • The plague fell on every potential mother—wives, concubines, servant girls—showing collective accountability within Abimelech’s household (Joshua 7:24-25). • Total barrenness would quickly become obvious, heightening the urgency of God’s warning and Abimelech’s repentance. • Such corporate effects remind us that sin, even unintentional, can bring widespread consequences (Exodus 20:5; Romans 5:12). In Abimelech’s household • The term covers the king, his family, and his servants, parallel to “Pharaoh’s household” in Genesis 12. • A royal household’s offspring secures dynastic future; halting births threatened Abimelech’s legacy and kingdom stability (2 Samuel 7:12). • By targeting the household rather than the nation, God tailors discipline to the offender, displaying both justice and restraint (Psalm 103:9-10). summary Genesis 20:18 explains that every womb in Abimelech’s household was divinely sealed because he had taken Sarah, the covenant wife of Abraham. God’s direct action safeguarded His promise, underscored His sovereignty over life, and provided unmistakable evidence that moral boundaries around marriage cannot be crossed without consequence. When Abimelech returned Sarah and Abraham prayed, the same LORD reopened those wombs, proving that judgment and mercy flow from His faithful hand. |
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