Genesis 20:6

Gen 20:6 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.

Ver. 6. Yea, I know that thou didst this, &c.] God takes his excuse, and yet chastiseth him; to teach us, saith Calvin (in loco), Non prorsus vacare culpa qui humano modo puri sunt . He can find flaws in that for which we may look for thanks. This makes Nehemiah crave pardon of his zealous reformations; and David cries out, "Enter not into judgment," &c. {Psa 143:2} Sordet in conspectu iudicis, quod fulget in conspectu operantis , saith Gregory. "Ye are they that justify yourselves before men," saith Christ to the Pharisees; "but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God". {Luk 16:15} A thing which I see in the night may shine, and that shining proceed from nothing but rottenness. "But be not deceived," or if ye be, yet "God is not mocked". {Gal 6:7} When he comes to turn the bottom of the bag upwards - as the steward did Benjamin’s - all our secret thefts will out, all our collusions come to light {a} His law is a law of fire; {Deu 33:2} His tribunal, of fire; {Eze 1:27} His pleading with sinners, in flames of fire. {Isa 66:15-16} The trial of our work shall be by fire; {1Co 3:15} and before God, who is a consuming fire. {Heb 12:29} Happy are they that are here purged by that spirit of judgment, and burning. {Isa 4:4} These shall stand in judgment, yea, dwell with everlasting burnings. {Isa 33:14}

For I also withheld thee.] Either by sickness, as aforesaid, or by a spirit of restraint, "a gift" that God gives "to men, yea, to the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them" {Psa 68:18} in his religion and worshippers; which else the wicked would never suffer. Thus God chained up Laban, and made Saul to melt over David, &c. Now many take this poor counter (that is, I am not as some others are, so bad as the worst) and set it down for a thousand pounds. Our Saviour indeed is said to have "looked upon" the young Pharisee, and to have "loved him," {Mar 10:21} because he saw him to be a tame man, free from foul crimes, and fit to live in a commonwealth: but no otherwise than as we love pictures, which are pretty things to look on, and that is all they are good for. A better nature, if rested in, is but a beautiful abomination, a smooth way to hell. And yet, say what we can, this kind of men grow crooked and aged with good opinions of themselves, and can seldom or never be set straight again. They will trust in Moses; {Joh 5:45} and when they have sick fits, and qualms of conscience, lick themselves whole by their repentance, and so rest in it: which made Austin say, that repentance damneth more than sin. They seek not to be saved by the righteousness of faith neither see they any necessity of growing from faith to faith. No, they are set, they are as good as ever they mean to be; they that outstrip them are too forward, they that fall short of them are deeply censured.

{a} Sacco soluto apparuit argentum . - Ambrose.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Gen 20:6. I withheld thee, &c. — It is God that restrains men from doing the ill they would do; it is not from him that there is sin, but it is from him that there is not more sin, either by his influence on men’s minds, checking their inclination to sin, or by his providence, taking away the opportunity of committing it. It is a great mercy to be hindered from sinning, which God must have the glory of, whoever is the instrument.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

20:6 Because Abimelech acted with a clear conscience, God kept him from sinning. God will graciously help those who try to do what is right. When people act with reverence toward God, God gives them more revelation and draws them into more specific faith (see Acts 10).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

God by his holy Spirit retaineth them that offend by ignorance, that they fall not into greater inconvenience.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

6. Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart. We infer from this answer of God, (as I have lately remarked,) that Abimelech did not testify falsely concerning his own integrity. Yet, while God allows that his excuse is true, He nevertheless chastises him. Let us hence learn, that even they who are pure, according to human judgment, are not entirely free from blame. For no error may be deemed so excusable, as to be without some deteriorating admixture. Wherefores it is not for any one to absolve himself by his own judgment; rather let us learn to bring all our conduct to the standard of God. For Solomon does not say in vain, that

‘the ways of men seem right to themselves, but the Lord pondereth the hearts,’ (Proverbs 21:2.)

But if even they who are unconscious to themselves of any evil, do not escape censure; what will be our condition, if we are held inwardly bound by our own conscience?

I also withheld thee. This declaration implies that God had respect, not only to Abraham, but also to the king. For because he had no intention of defiling another man’s wife, God had compassion on him. And it frequently happens, that the Spirit restrains, by his bridle, those who are gliding into error; just as, on the other hand, he drives those headlong, by infatuations and a spirit of stupor, who, with depraved affections and lusts, knowingly transgress. And as God brought to the heathen king, who had not been guilty of deliberate wickedness, a timely remedy, in order that his guilt should not be increased; so He proves himself daily to be the faithful guardian of his own people, to prevent them from rushing forward, from lighter faults to desperate crimes.

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

6. from sinning against me] The violation of moral law is sin against God.

suffered I thee not] The explanation of this sentence is supplied in Gen_20:17.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And God said unto him in a dream,.... The same dream continued:

yea, or "also"

I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; not only thou knowest, but I, who know all things, know and acknowledge that this was so done by thee. Abimelech's plea is admitted, and a very great testimony borne to his integrity in this matter; and throughout the whole account he appears to be a man of great honour and uprightness, especially in this affair, if not a good man:

for I also withheld thee from sinning against me; for had he committed adultery with her, it had been not only a sin against her, and against her husband, but against God being contrary to his will revealed in the minds of men by the law and light of nature, before the law of Moses was given: and indeed all sin against the neighbour is ultimately against God, see Psa 51:4; and now from the commission of this sin God restrained Abimelech, either by some impulse upon his mind not to take her to be his wife as yet, or by throwing some thing or other in the way of it, in his providence, or by inflicting some disease upon him, which rendered him incapable of it, Gen 20:17,

therefore suffered I thee not to touch her; that is, to have carnal knowledge of her, see Co1 7:1; as there is nothing done but what is done by divine permission, so many more evils would be committed than there are, were it not that men are restrained from them by the power and providence of God, not suffering them to do them; and in particular this sin was prevented, that it might not in any respect be a doubtful point whether Isaac, whom Sarah had now conceived, was a legitimate son of Abraham; and these expressions of Abimelech not coming near her, Gen 20:4; and not touching her as here, are used for that purpose.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Sincere heart, abhorring adultery, but not altogether innocent. (Menochius)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

I know that thou didst not this knowingly and maliciously, but imprudently and inconsiderately, which is indeed an extenuation of thy sin, though not a total excuse. Compare 1Ki 9:4; 1Ch 29:1.

I also withheld thee, partly by my restraining grace, and partly by my powerful providence, and the plague mentioned Gen 20:17. Which plainly shows that ignorance is not always an excuse for sin. See Luk 12:48. This sin, though directly committed against Abraham and Sarah only, is said to be against God, as other such sins are, Gen 39:9; Psa 51:4, because it was against God’s command written in men’s minds, though not yet published by express word or writing; and against God’s honour; and that here in a particular manner, because it would have rendered Isaac’s original, and thereby God’s promise, doubtful.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

6. In a dream — Repeated again from Gen_20:3. It would seem as if the dream had been broken by the emotion of Abimelech, and after a period of wakefulness he dreamed again, and God again revealed himself. “The prophetic dream of the night is generally closely connected with the moral reflections and longings of the day. It is in full agreement with the nature of dreams that the communication should be made in several acts, not in a single one. See chaps. 37 and 41, and Matthew 2.” — Lange.

Yea, I know — Or, I have known. Abimelech has not been without the knowledge and care of the true God, (האלהים, the Elohim,) who now accepts his plea, and adds:

I also withheld thee from sinning against me — God had overruled the whole matter. Comp. Gen_20:3-4; Gen_20:17-18, notes.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And God said unto him in a dream, is in full agreement with the nature of dreams that the communication should be made in several, and not in one single act; cf. Ge 37, and Ge 41; Mt 2." (Lange)Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy hearti.e. judged from thy moral standpoint. The words do not imply a Divine acquittal as to the essential guiltiness of the act, which is clearly involved in the instruction to seek the mediation of God"s prophet (Ver. 7).

For I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her (vide on Ver. 4).

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

I withheld thee from sinning against me - It is God that restrains men from doing the ill they would do; it is not from him that there is sin, but it is from him that there is not more sin, either by his influence on mens minds checking their inclination to sin, or by his providence taking away the opportunity. It is a great mercy to be hindered from committing sin, which God must have the glory of whoever is the instrument.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

God said to him

"God said to Abimelech"

in the integrity of your heart you did this

Here "heart" stands for his thoughts or intentions. AT: "you did this with good intentions" or "you did this without evil intentions" (See: Metonymy)

to touch her

This is a euphemism for having sex with Sarah. AT: "to sleep with her" (See: Euphemism)

the man's wife

"Abraham's wife"

you will live

"I will let you live"

all who are yours

"all of your people"

translationWords

God

dream

heart

sin

prophet

pray

restore

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

'ידעתי כי בתם לבבך וגו I KNOW THAT IN THE INTEGRITY OF THY HEART etc. — It is true that at first you had no intention of sinning, but you cannot claim innocency of hands (Genesis Rabbah 52:6) —

because לא נתתיך I PERMITTED THEE NOT — It was not of your own will that you did not touch her, but it was “I” who withheld you from sinning, and “I” did not permit you the possibility to touch her (Genesis Rabbah 52:7). Similar examples of נתן in sense of permitting are, (31:7) “God permitted him not (לא נתנו)” and (Judges 15:1) “But her father did not permit him (ולא נתנו) to go in”.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

ויאמר...בתם לבבךsignificantly, G’d did not add the words ובנקיון כפיך when acknowledging part of Avimelech’s complaint. The fact that Avimelech had not touched Sarah was evident, could be proved, whereas Avimelech’s intentions were private, could not be proved. Only G’d Himself would know if he spoke the truth.

מחטו לי, the sin would have been directed against G’d only if he had transgressed the laws not to sleep with someone else’s wife, a command issued to all the descendants of Noach. Even if G’d had not issued a specific command in this regard, common sense would dictate such a law in a civilised society. The One Who had provided man with intelligence certainly expects that we use our intelligence to legislate such basic laws without which life on earth would become intolerable, anarchic. We must view our common sense as a messenger from G’d, an instrument that acts as a protection against man experiencing all kinds of harm and problems in his life on earth. When man commits violence against his fellow man this reflects an absence of common sense, i.e. a failure to use one’s common sense, seeing that the end result will be the termination of life on earth. If this is the result of violence perpetrated in order to secure land or chattels, how much more so would such a process of civilisation’s disintegration be accelerated if everyone would go assaulting people physically and raping his neighbour’s wife?

מחטו, the letter ו instead of the letter א in this word substitutes for the letter ל in the requisite mode of the verb.

על כן לא נתתיך, as we explained already, this is a reference to G’d having made Avimelech impotent. By doing this, G’d had done Avimelech a great favour. The reason why G’d extended Himself on his behalf was because He knew that Avimelech had indeed believed that Sarah was unattached. G’d did not want that Avimelech would become a sinner in regard to the wife of the prophet Avraham. Even though, granted that in the final analysis G’d intervened due to Avraham and Sarah being the potential victims, He could have saved Sarah from Avimelech’s clutches by a variety of other means. Seeing that Pharaoh’s thoughts at the time when Sarah was under his control were quite different from those of Avimelech, G’d had subjected Pharaoh and his household to a number of painful physical afflictions instead of appearing to him in a dream. The inhibitions G’d imposed on the entourage of Avimelech were temporary and left no permanent negative effect.

לנגע אליה, even touching her without engaging in sexual intercourse. G’d had removed any desire from Avimelech to have physical contact with Sarah.

Radak on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash” (CC BY 4.0); “Rabbi Mike Feuer, Jerusalem Anthology” (CC BY 4.0); and “R. David Kimhi on the first book of Psalms, Translated by R.G. Finch, London, 1919” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.