The Skeptics Annotated Bible (31 page)

4 But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation?

5 Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this.

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.

7 Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.

8 Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid.

9 Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.

10 And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?

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.

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.

(20.12)
“She is my sister; she is the daughter of my father.”
Abraham married his sister, and God blessed their marriage (17.15-16).
55 Is incest forbidden?

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.

14 And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife.

15 And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee.

16 And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved.

17 So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children.

18 For
the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham’s wife.

(20.18)
“The LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham’s wife.”
God “closed all the wombs” because Abimelech believed Abe’s lie.
41 Are we punished for the sins of others?

21
And
the LORD visited Sarah
as he had said,
and
the LORD
did unto Sarah as he had spoken.

(21.1)
“The LORD visited Sarah … and … did unto Sarah as he had spoken.”
And “Sarah conceived and bare Abraham a son.” (God-assisted conceptions never result in daughters.) It is strange that the 100 year old Abraham required God’s help in fathering Isaac (See Rom 4.19 and Heb 11.12), yet later (Gen 25.1-2) he marries again and has six more children without any help from God.
53 How many sons did Abraham have?

2 For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.

3 And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac.

4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him.

5 And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him.

6 And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me.

7 And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have born him a son in his old age.

8 And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.

9 And
Sarah saw the son of Hagar
the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham,
mocking.

10
Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son
: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.

(21.9-10)
“Sarah saw the son of Hagar … mocking … Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son.”
What did Sarah see? Was there something sexual going on between Isaac and Ishmael?