Genesis 20:16
in Genesis 20And he said to Sarah, “See, I am giving your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is your vindication before all who are with you; you are completely cleared.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, it is for thee a covering of the eyes to all that are with thee; and in respect of all thou art righted.
KJV
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.
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This verse in Genesis 20
Commentary
6 notes on this verseAnd unto Sarah he said - But what did he say? Here there is scarcely any agreement among interpreters; the Hebrew is exceedingly obscure, and every interpreter takes it in his own sense. A thousand pieces of silver - Shekels are very probably meant here, and so the Targum understands it. The Septuagint has χιλια διδραχμα, a thousand didrachma, no doubt meaning shekels; for in Gen 23:15, Gen 23:16, this translation uses διδραχμα for the Hebrew שקל shekel.
This site's exposition
a thousand pieces of silver
The king calls Abraham your brother, the word the two of them had hidden behind. The Hebrew of the clause is hard, and Clarke says the interpreters do not agree on it. The sense taken is her vindication, that she is completely cleared before all who are with her.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
Behold, I have given a thousand pieces of silver to your brother; this will be a veil of the eyes to all who are with you, wherever you shall go; and remember that you have been discovered.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Thy brother is to thee a covering of the eyes - Thou must look at no other, nor desire to be looked at by any other. Yoke-fellows must be to each other for a covering of the eyes. The marriage- covenant is a covenant with the eyes, like Job's, Job xxxi, 1.
The law appointed that when restitution was made something should be added to it, Lev. vi. Or, [2.] To engage Abraham's prayers for him; not as if prayers should be bought and sold, but we should endeavour to be kind to those of whose spiritual things we reap, 1 Cor. ix.
And unto Sarah he said, behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver,.... Or shekels of silver, as the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem, which, if two shillings and sixpence of our money, amount to one hundred and twenty five pounds; though perhaps little pieces of silver, current in this country, may be meant, that were not worth so much. Some think that the sheep, oxen, &c.
The words behind it
18 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וּלְשָׂרָ֣ה | ulesarah | and to Sarah | H8283 → | 38 times |
| אָמַ֗ר | ʾamar | he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| הִנֵּ֨ה | hineh | here! | H2009 → | 843 times |
| נָתַ֜תִּי | natati | I give | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| אֶ֤לֶף | ʾelef | a thousand | H505 → | |
| כֶּ֙סֶף֙ | kesef | silver | H3701 → | 403 times |
| לְאָחִ֔יךְ | leachikh | to brother your | H251 → | 630 times |
| הִנֵּ֤ה | hineh | there! | H2009 → | 843 times |
| הוּא־ | hu'- | it | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| לָךְ֙ | lokh | for <the> you | ||
| כְּס֣וּת | kesut | [is] a covering of | H3682 → | |
| עֵינַ֔יִם | ʾeinayim | eyes | H5869 → | 887 times |
| לְכֹ֖ל | lekhol | to all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾasher | who | H834 → | 5497 times |
| אִתָּ֑ךְ | ʾitakh | [are] with you | H854 → | 929 times |
| וְאֵ֥ת | veet | and with | H854 → | 929 times |
| כֹּ֖ל | kol | everyone | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| וְנֹכָֽחַת׃ | venokhachat | <and> [you are] vindicated | H3198 → | 59 times |
וּלְשָׂרָ֣הand to Sarah
ulesarahH8283 →38 times
אָמַ֗רhe said
ʾamarH559 →5305 times
הִנֵּ֨הhere!
hinehH2009 →843 times
נָתַ֜תִּיI give
natatiH5414 →2011 times
אֶ֤לֶףa thousand
ʾelefH505 →
כֶּ֙סֶף֙silver
kesefH3701 →403 times
לְאָחִ֔יךְto brother your
leachikhH251 →630 times
הִנֵּ֤הthere!
hinehH2009 →843 times
הוּא־it
hu'-H1931 →1879 times
לָךְ֙for <the> you
lokh
כְּס֣וּת[is] a covering of
kesutH3682 →
עֵינַ֔יִםeyes
ʾeinayimH5869 →887 times
לְכֹ֖לto all
lekholH3605 →5413 times
אֲשֶׁ֣רwho
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
אִתָּ֑ךְ[are] with you
ʾitakhH854 →929 times
וְאֵ֥תand with
veetH854 →929 times
כֹּ֖לeveryone
kolH3605 →5413 times
וְנֹכָֽחַת׃<and> [you are] vindicated
venokhachatH3198 →59 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Proverbs 27:5Better an open rebuke than love that is concealed.
it leads to
- Proverbs 28:23
He who rebukes a man will later find more favor than one who flatters with his tongue.
- 1 Timothy 5:20
But those who persist in sin should be rebuked in front of everyone, so that the others will stand in fear of sin.
- Galatians 2:14
When I saw that they were not walking in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “If you, who are a Jew, live like a…
- Matthew 18:15
If your brother sins against you, go and confront him privately. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.
- Proverbs 28:23
Through
Jonah 1:6The captain approached him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call upon your God. Perhaps this God will consider us, so that we may not perish.”
it leads to
- Jonah 3:9
Who knows? God may turn and relent; He may turn from His fierce anger, so that we will not perish.”
- Psalms 107:28–29
Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He brought them out of their distress.
- 2 Samuel 12:22
David answered, “While the child was alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let him live.’
- Mark 4:37–41
Soon a violent windstorm came up, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was being swamped.
- Jonah 3:9
Where this verse is studied
About Genesis
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Bede, Commentary on Genesis (Hexaemeron); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.