Genesis 20 · Verse 12

Genesis 20:12

And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.
Genesis 20:12, King James Version

Genesis 20:12 in other translations

BSBBesides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father—though not the daughter of my mother—and she became my wife.
WEBBesides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.
ASVAnd moreover she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife:
YLTand also, truly she is my sister, daughter of my father, only not daughter of my mother, and she becometh my wife;
DARBYBut she is also truly my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.
BBEAnd, in fact, she is my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife:
WebsterAnd yet indeed she is my sister: she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.

What does Genesis 20:12 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
12. yet indeed she is my sister--(See on Ge 11:31). What a poor defense Abraham made. The statement absolved him from the charge of direct and absolute falsehood, but he had told a moral untruth because there was an intention to deceive (compare Ge 12:11-13). "Honesty is always the best policy." Abraham's life would have been as well protected without the fraud as with it: and what shame to himself, what distrust to God, what dishonor to religion might have been prevented! "Let us speak truth every man to his neighbor" [Zec 8:16; Ep 4:25].

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 12 She is my sister - I have not told a lie; I have suppressed only a part of the truth. In this place it may be proper to ask, What is a lie? It is any action done or word spoken, whether true or false in itself, which the doer or speaker wishes the observer or hearer to take in a contrary sense to that which he knows to be true. It is, in a word, any action done or speech delivered with the intention to deceive, though both may be absolutely true and right in themselves. See note on Gen 12:13. The daughter of my father, but not - of my mother - Ebn Batrick, in his annals, among other ancient traditions has preserved the following: "Terah first married Yona, by whom he had Abraham; afterwards he married Tehevita, by whom he had Sarah." Thus she was the sister of Abraham, being the daughter of the same father by a different mother.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Genesis 20:9-13

See here much to blame, even in the father of the faithful. Mark his distrust of God, his undue care about life, his intent to deceive. He also threw temptation in the way of others, caused affliction to them, exposed himself and Sarah to just rebukes, and yet attempted an excuse. These things are written for our warning, not for us to imitate. Even Abraham hath not whereof to glory. He cannot be justified by his…

Read the full comment on Genesis 20:9-13 →

Genesis 20:12 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְגַם\־ve.gam-and alsoH1571
אָמְנָ֗ה'a.me.NahtrulyH546
אֲחֹתִ֤י'a.cho.Ti[is] sister myH269
בַת\־vat-[the] daughter ofH1323
אָבִי֙'a.Vifather myH1
הִ֔ואhi'sheH1931
אַ֖ךְ'akhonlyH389
לֹ֣אlo'notH3808
בַת\־vat-[the] daughter ofH1323
אִמִּ֑י'i.Mimother myH517
וַתְּהִי\־va.te.hi-and she becameH1961
לִ֖יliof me
לְאִשָּֽׁה\׃le.'i.Shah<into> a wifeH802

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Genesis 20:12

  • Genesis 11:29

    And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.

  • Genesis 12:13

    Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.

  • 1 Thessalonians 5:22

    Abstain from all appearance of evil.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
And yet.
11:29; 12:13; 1Th 5:22
she is the.Ebn Batrik, in his annals, among other ancient traditions, has preserved the following: "Terah first married Yona, by whom he had Abraham; afterwards he married Tehevita, by whom he had Sarah."

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Genesis 20:11

    And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife’s sake.

  • Genesis 20:12

    And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.

  • Genesis 20:13

    And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.

Read all of Genesis 20

Genesis 20:12 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y á la verdad también es mi hermana, hija de mi padre, mas no hija de mi madre, y toméla por mujer.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et aussi, à la vérité, elle est ma sœur, fille de mon père; seulement elle n’est pas fille de ma mère, et elle est devenue ma femme.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Auch ist sie wahrhaftig meine Schwester, die Tochter meines Vaters, nur nicht die Tochter meiner Mutter; und sie ist mein Weib geworden.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		alias autem et vere soror mea est, filia patris mei, et non filia matris meæ, et duxi eam in uxorem.