page_title: Wife–sister narratives in the Book of Genesis
section_title: Isaac and Abimelech
hierarchical_section_title: Wife–sister narratives in the Book of Genesis / Synopsis of the three narratives / Isaac and Abimelech
caption_attribution_description: English: Isaac and Abimilech swear an oath of friendship to each other, as in Genesis 26:31, "And they rose up betimes in the morning, and sware one to another: and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace."; illustration from the 1728 Figures de la Bible; illustrated by Gerard Hoet (1648-1733) and others, and published by P. de Hondt in The Hague; image courtesy Bizzell Bible Collection, University of Oklahoma Libraries
context_page_description: There are three wife-sister narratives in Genesis, part of the Torah, all of which are strikingly similar. The narratives occur in Genesis 12, 20 and 26. At the core of each is the story of a Biblical Patriarch, who has come to be in the land of a powerful foreign overlord who misidentifies the Patriarch's wife as the Patriarch's sister, and consequently attempts to wed her himself. The overlord later finds out his error. Two of the three stories are similar in many other details, including the ruler's name, Abimelech.
context_section_description: The third episode appears in Genesis 26:1-33. Here it is Isaac who, in order to avoid a famine, emigrates to the southern region of Gerar, whose king is named Abimelech. Isaac has been told to do so by God, who also orders him to avoid Egypt, and promises to him the fulfillment of the oath made with Abraham. Isaac states that Rebekah, his wife, is really his sister, as he is worried that the Philistines will otherwise kill him in order to marry Rebekah. After a while, Abimelech sees Isaac sporting (Hebrew "mitsahek") with Rebekah and states that she must be Isaac's wife rather than his sister.
  Abimelech then orders that Rebekah be left alone by the denizens of Gerar, on pain of death. Isaac goes on to spend a year in the area, and becomes wealthy, leading the Philistines in Gerar to envy him, so Abimelech sends Isaac away.
caption: Isaac and Abimelech Swear Friendship. This occurred at Beersheba.
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