Genesis 12

Genesis · Chapter 12

Genesis 12:17

1Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.4So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.5And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.6And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.7And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.8And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.9And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.10And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.11And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon:12Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive.13Say, 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.14And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair.15The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house.16And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels.17And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram’s wife.18And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife?19Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way.20And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
17And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram’s wife.The LORD, however, afflicted Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Abram’s wife Sarai.And Jehovah plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
and he struckוַיְנַגַּ֨עvay-na-GA'H5060
to touch

נָגַע (na.ga) 1) to touch, reach, strike 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to touch 1a2) to strike 1a3) to reach, extend to 1a4) to be stricken 1a4a) stricken (participle) 1b) (Niphal) to be stricken, be defeated 1c) (Piel) to strike 1d) (Pual) to be stricken (by disease) 1e) (Hiphil) to cause to touch, reach, approach, arrive 1e1) to cause to touch, apply 1e2) to reach, extend, attain, arrive, come 1e3) to approach (of time) 1e4) to befall (of fate)

Yahwehיְהוָ֧ה׀YAH-wehH3068G
Lord

אֲדֹנָי (a.do.nai) Lord - a title, spoken in place of Yahweh in Jewish display of reverence Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G)

Pharaohפַּרְעֹ֛הpar-'OHH6547G
Pharaoh

פַּרְעֹה (par.oh) A man of the Egyptians living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.12.15 § Pharaoh = "great house" the common title of the king of Egypt

plaguesנְגָעִ֥יםne-ga-'IMH5061
plague

נֶ֫גַע (ne.ga) 1) stroke, plague, disease, mark, plague spot 1a) stroke, wound 1b) stroke (metaphorical of disease) 1c) mark (of leprosy)

greatגְּדֹלִ֖יםge-do-LIMH1419A
great: large

גָּדוֹל (ga.dol) adj 1) great 1a) large (in magnitude and extent) 1b) in number 1c) in intensity 1d) loud (in sound) 1e) older (in age) 1f) in importance 1f1) important things 1f2) great, distinguished (of men) 1f3) God Himself (of God) subst 1g) great things 1h) haughty things 1i) greatness Also means: ga.dol (גָּדוֹל ": old" H1419K) § Haggedolim = "the great one" (CLBL) Haggedolim, the great man?, father of Zabdiel

house hisבֵּית֑וֹbei-TOH1004MNo entry
onעַל־'al-H5921A
upon

עַל (al) prep 1) upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against 1a) upon, on the ground of, on the basis of, on account of, because of, therefore, on behalf of, for the sake of, for, with, in spite of, notwithstanding, concerning, in the matter of, as regards 1b) above, beyond, over (of excess) 1c) above, over (of elevation or pre-eminence) 1d) upon, to, over to, unto, in addition to, together with, with (of addition) 1e) over (of suspension or extension) …

[the] matter ofדְּבַ֥רde-VARH1697M
word

דָּבָר (da.var) : word/speech/command 1) speech, word, speaking, thing 1a) speech 1b) saying, utterance 1c) word, words 1d) business, occupation, acts, matter, case, something, manner (by extension)

Saraiשָׂרַ֖יsa-RAIH8297
Sarai

שָׂרַי (sa.ray) A woman living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.11.29; daughter of: Terah (H8646); sister of: Abraham (H0085), Nahor (H5152H) and Haran (H2039); married to Abraham (H0085); mother of: Isaac (H3327); also called Sarai at Gen.11.29,30,31; 12.5,11,17; 16.1,2,3,5,6,8; 17.15; Another name of sa.rah (שָׂרָה "Sarah" H8283) § Sarai = "princess" original name of Sarah the wife of Abram or Abraham

[the] wife ofאֵ֥שֶׁת'E-shetH0802H
woman

אִשָּׁה (ish.shah) : woman 1) woman, wife, female 1a) woman (opposite of man) 1b) wife (woman married to a man) 1c) female (of animals) 1d) each, every (pronoun)

Abramאַבְרָֽם׃'av-RAMH0087
Abram

אַבְרָם (av.ram) A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.11.26; son of: Terah (H8646); brother of: Nahor (H5152H), Haran (H2039) and Sarah (H8283); married to Sarah (H8283), Hagar (H1904) and Keturah (H6989); father of: Ishmael (H3458), Isaac (H3327), Zimran (H2175), Jokshan (H3370), Medan (H4091), Midian (H4080), Ishbak (H3435) and Shuah (H7744); also called Abram at Gen.11.26--17.5; 2x Another name of av.ra.ham (אַבְרָהָם "Abraham" H0085) § Abram = "exalted father" original name of Abraham

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.