Is my understanding of Abraham and Sarah in Egypt Correct?

[John92]

Genesis 12:10-20

"Now there was a famine in the land.  So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land.  When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, "I know that you are a woman beautiful to behold; and when the Egyptians see you, they will say 'This is his wife'; then they will kill me, but they will let you live.  Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared on your account."  When Abram entered Egypt the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful.  And when the princes of Pharoah saw her, they praised her to Pharoah.  And the woman was taken into Pharoah's house.  And for her sake he dealt well with Abram; and he had sheep, oxen, he-donkeys, menservants, maidservants, she-donkeys, and camels.

But the LORD afflicted Pharoah and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife.  So Pharoah called Abram, and said, "What is this you have done to me?  Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?  Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her for my wife?  Now then, here is your wife, take her, and be gone."  And Pharoah gave men orders concerning him; and they set him on the way with his wife and all that he had."

The Manicheans (and I'd think Marcionists, etc.) liked to think that this passage basically has Abram giving his wife in prostitution so that he'd be kept safe, but obviously this isn't the truth.  So is this right, based on my understanding of the Haydock commentary:

There was a famine in Canaan, so Abraham went down to Egypt with Sarah.  He was worried that the Egyptians would like Sarah and want to marry her or sleep with her and would then kill him, so he tells her to say that she's his sister (not a lie even - she was either his half-sister or his niece).  When they go to Egypt, Abraham's suspicions are affirmed.  The Pharoah's ministers recommend Sarah to him, and he takes her into his house, but doesn't sleep with her.  Rather he tries to court her to get her to marry him, and as part of this he gives the man he believes to be her brother, Abraham, wealth, etc.  God watches out for them though, obviously He doesn't like the way this is going - there'd be a real chance of Sarah being ultimately raped, or led off to an adulterous marriage by force, so he sends infirmities and plagues against Pharoah.  Naturally, Pharoah is peeved and sends Abraham and Sarah off.  This was a bad situation for Abraham and Sarah, obviously, but better than if the Egyptians had known Sarah to be married - then they just would've killed Abraham and taken Sarah directly, instead of keeping Abraham alive and trying to woo Sarah peaceably, as well as by showing favor to Abraham.

Does this make sense?  Hopefully someone more learned in scripture can help me out (Rosarium I'm lookin' at you :D).

Also, if anyone happens to know Hebrew, in Genesis 12:6-7 when Abraham comes to the Oak of Moreh and God promises the land to his offspring, in the Hebrew is "offspring" in the singular or plural?  I'm wondering this because Galations 3:16 argues that this passage, being in the singular, is a reference to Christ, which may be the case in the Septuagint, just wondering if the Hebrew backs it up as well.

[Rosarium]

That makes perfect sense.

When it comes to family matters, scripture can be unclear to modern people due to the translations and cultural differences.

[John92]

What about allegorical meaning, if any?  j/w

[WhollyRoaminCatholic]

John92, you've recently become one of my favorite posters on FE.   

[StrictCatholicGirl]

I never thought too much about the passage before, but it makes sense. Pharaoh was angry that Abram had duped him. The affliction of plagues added FEAR. And it was fear that kept Pharaoh from killing him. Instead he sent Abram and Sarai packing.

I don’t think there's an allegory for everything in the Old Testament, but I might see it as a prefiguring of the plagues of Egypt during the times of Moses, and how the Hebrews escaped slavery and death at the hands of Pharaoh.

[AntoniusMaximus]

well there is the angle about faith as well, why didn't Abram trust enough in God's protection and were honest with the Egyptians.  Does it show the person propensity to fear?  It shows Abram being quite human, you have an unnamed God, that his father and brothers did not know, lead him from Ur to Haran to Canaan and briefly in the land of Egypt, which is quite the travel plans for a person at the time.  Yet, twice, he is put into this situation and both times fails. 

[Rosarium]

well there is the angle about faith as well, why didn't Abram trust enough in God's protection and were honest with the Egyptians.  Does it show the person propensity to fear?  It shows Abram being quite human, you have an unnamed God, that his father and brothers did not know, lead him from Ur to Haran to Canaan and briefly in the land of Egypt, which is quite the travel plans for a person at the time.  Yet, twice, he is put into this situation and both times fails. 

Failure is relative to the situation. He survived. That may be success for the situation.

It wasn't like he had what we know at his disposal.

[John92]

well there is the angle about faith as well, why didn't Abram trust enough in God's protection and were honest with the Egyptians.  Does it show the person propensity to fear?  It shows Abram being quite human, you have an unnamed God, that his father and brothers did not know, lead him from Ur to Haran to Canaan and briefly in the land of Egypt, which is quite the travel plans for a person at the time.  Yet, twice, he is put into this situation and both times fails. 

Yes, this is one of my favorite things about the Old Testament.  Its figures, even those highly favored by God, even those to whom God revealed himself face-to-face (perhaps God the Son, as many of the Church Fathers averred), were fragile, weak, sinful, sometimes blasphemous people.  It gives me some hope to see the failings of the patriarchs and the kings and prophets, because, even in their sinfulness, God loved them (and chastised them), and they were the highest personages of their time.  Same goes for the apostles.

I hope God lets me into heaven so I can talk to Abraham and get the whole story!  That's one of the frustrating things about some of the patriarchal stories; it seems like much is left out, for whatever reason.  I also get frustrated at times because, while I might be able to grasp the literal meaning of a passage, I can't wrap my mind around its didactic import.  Then again I guess we should be cautious about being too allegorizing in interpretation, like some of the Church Fathers were, especially Origen - he wrote a 9-volume work about Lamech's Song of Swords alone! (which is, unfortunately, lost).

Yesterday I kept reading to the story of Abrahams dividing of the land with his nephew Lot, and the war with the five kings.  The Haydock commentary points out that the king of Elam exacting tribute from the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah was a fulfillment of Noah's blessing of Shem (the nation of Elam sprung from him) and cursing of Canaan, and a prefiguring of Israel's subjugation of the same, and of course Melchizedek is a type of Christ.  Abraham, faithful servant of God, represents the Church, and Melchizedek is Christ who feeds us with His most holy sacrifice of the Mass.  Abraham's dividing of the land with Lot and his later rescue of him shows fraternal love, and Abraham giving up all his spoils from the war with the five kings is a good show of love of neighbor - also note that Abraham gives up his spoils after receiving the offering of Melchizedek (and paying tithes to him), sorta like how Holy Communion strengthens our bond with Christ and leads us to further devotion in good works.  Still though I feel like there should be some greater "unity" of message here that I'm just missing.  I bet the Church Fathers would be a help here.

[glgas]

Here is the sister story with Isaac in Gerara

Gen 26:6 So Isaac abode in Gerara. 7 And when he was asked by the men of that place, concerning his wife, he answered: She is my sister; for he was afraid to confess that she was his wife, thinking lest perhaps they would kill him because of her beauty. 8 And when very many days were passed, and he abode there, Abimelech king of the Palestines looking out through a window, saw him playing with Rebecca his wife. 9 And calling for him, he said: It is evident she is thy wife: why didst thou feign her to be thy sister? He answered: I feared lest I should die for her sake. 10 And Abimelech said: Why hast thou deceived us? Some man of the people might have lain with thy wife, and thou hadst brought upon us a great sin. And he commanded all the people, saying:
11 He that shall touch this man's wife, shall surely be put to death. 12 And Isaac sowed in that land, and he found that same year a hundredfold: and the Lord blessed him. 13 And the man was enriched, and he went on prospering and increasing, till he became exceeding great: 14 And he had possessions of sheep and of herds, and a very great family. Wherefore the Palestines envying him, 15 Stopped up at that time all the wells, that the servants of his father Abraham had digged, filling them up with earth:

Genesis 12:10-20

"Now there was a famine in the land.  So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land.  When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, "I know that you are a woman beautiful to behold; and when the Egyptians see you, they will say 'This is his wife'; then they will kill me, but they will let you live.  Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared on your account."  When Abram entered Egypt the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful.  And when the princes of Pharoah saw her, they praised her to Pharoah.  And the woman was taken into Pharoah's house.  And for her sake he dealt well with Abram; and he had sheep, oxen, he-donkeys, menservants, maidservants, she-donkeys, and camels.

But the LORD afflicted Pharoah and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife.  So Pharoah called Abram, and said, "What is this you have done to me?  Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?  Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her for my wife?  Now then, here is your wife, take her, and be gone."  And Pharoah gave men orders concerning him; and they set him on the way with his wife and all that he had."

The Manicheans (and I'd think Marcionists, etc.) liked to think that this passage basically has Abram giving his wife in prostitution so that he'd be kept safe, but obviously this isn't the truth.  So is this right, based on my understanding of the Haydock commentary:

There was a famine in Canaan, so Abraham went down to Egypt with Sarah.  He was worried that the Egyptians would like Sarah and want to marry her or sleep with her and would then kill him, so he tells her to say that she's his sister (not a lie even - she was either his half-sister or his niece).  When they go to Egypt, Abraham's suspicions are affirmed.  The Pharoah's ministers recommend Sarah to him, and he takes her into his house, but doesn't sleep with her.  Rather he tries to court her to get her to marry him, and as part of this he gives the man he believes to be her brother, Abraham, wealth, etc.  God watches out for them though, obviously He doesn't like the way this is going - there'd be a real chance of Sarah being ultimately raped, or led off to an adulterous marriage by force, so he sends infirmities and plagues against Pharoah.  Naturally, Pharoah is peeved and sends Abraham and Sarah off.  This was a bad situation for Abraham and Sarah, obviously, but better than if the Egyptians had known Sarah to be married - then they just would've killed Abraham and taken Sarah directly, instead of keeping Abraham alive and trying to woo Sarah peaceably, as well as by showing favor to Abraham.

Does this make sense?  Hopefully someone more learned in scripture can help me out (Rosarium I'm lookin' at you :D).

Also, if anyone happens to know Hebrew, in Genesis 12:6-7 when Abraham comes to the Oak of Moreh and God promises the land to his offspring, in the Hebrew is "offspring" in the singular or plural?  I'm wondering this because Galations 3:16 argues that this passage, being in the singular, is a reference to Christ, which may be the case in the Septuagint, just wondering if the Hebrew backs it up as well.

[iggyting]

During Abraham's time, women, wives and daughters, were properties, like slave, cattle and sheep. The survival of the male members took precedent in the clan-tribe especially during hard times. The two episodes where Abraham called Sarah his sister were indicative of this customary practice as a ruse for Abraham personal survival as well as the other households in his clan-tribe in which he was the head. Since Abraham was considered righteous by God, his actions should be judged by the moral standards of his time. In this light, Abraham took a personal sacrifice to surrender his wife for the survival-preservation of the clan-tribe from which come Israel. But the central message in both episodes was the intervention of God on behalf of Abraham and his clan-tribe. God preserved Sarah being violated because of His promise to Abraham that Sarah would bear a child, that gave rise to Israel, and ensured a successive line for the coming of the Messiah. Indeed in Gen 21, the Lord visited Sarah in her old age and she bore Abraham Isaac. My 2-cent!