Genesis 20:12

Plain English Version

But anyway, Sarah really is my sister. We have the same father, but different mothers.” You see, in Abraham’s culture, men could marry their half-sisters.

Cross References

Genesis 12:13

So listen. You have to tell everyone that you are my sister. Then they will be good to me, and they will not kill me.”

Genesis 20:11

Abraham said, “I’m sorry. I thought that nobody here respected God, so I was frightened of you mob. I reckoned that you would kill me so that you can marry Sarah.

Genesis 20:13

Then Abraham said, “God told me to leave my father’s country, so we moved around from place to place, and I was frightened of the people. So I told Sarah, ‘Be good to me and tell everyone that you are my sister. Then I will be safe.’ ”

Genesis 20:2

While Abraham and Sarah were in Gerar, Abraham told everyone that his wife Sarah was his sister, not his wife. The big boss of Gerar was called Abimelek. He believed Abraham, so he sent somebody to get Sarah so that he could marry her.

Genesis 26:7

The men in Gerar saw Isaac’s wife Rebekah, and they asked Isaac, “Who is that woman?” You know, Rebekah was very beautiful. So Isaac got worried about those men. He thought, “Maybe those men want to marry Rebekah. If I tell them that she is my wife, maybe they will kill me to get her.” So Isaac lied and said, “She is my sister.”

1 Thessalonians 5:22

But if it is wrong, or if it tells you to do a bad thing, don’t do it. Keep away from every sort of bad thing, and don’t listen to messages that don’t come from God.