Genesis 20:8

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.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
Abimelech	אֲבִימֶ֜לֶךְ 'a.vi.Me.lekh	H40	Abimelek · proper noun, a man's name
early	וַיַּשְׁכֵּ֨ם vai.yash.Kem	H7925	literally · conjunction + verb, hiphil sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
morning	בַּבֹּ֗קֶר ba.Bo.ker	H1242	properly · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
called	וַיִּקְרָא֙ vai.yik.Ra'	H7121	to call out to (i.e. properly · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
servants	עֲבָדָ֔יו 'a.va.Dav	H5650	a servant · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
told	וַיְדַבֵּ֛ר vay.da.Ber	H1696	perhaps properly · conjunction + verb, piel sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
things	הַדְּבָרִ֥ים ha.de.va.Rim	H1697	a word · definite article + noun, common masculine plural absolute
ears	בְּאָזְנֵיהֶ֑ם be.'a.ze.nei.Hem	H241	broadness. i.e. (concrete) the ear (from its form in ma… · preposition + noun, common feminine dual construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
men	הָאֲנָשִׁ֖ים ha.'a.na.Shim	H582	a man in general (singly or collectively) · definite article + noun, common masculine plural absolute
sore	מְאֹֽד me.'Od	H3966	properly · cardinal number, masculine singular absolute
afraid	וַיִּֽירְא֥וּ vai.yi.re.'U	H3372	to fear · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Genesis 20:8-13

Abimelech, being thus warned of God in a dream, takes the warning, and, as one truly afraid of sin and its consequences, he rises early to obey the directions given him. I. He has a caution for his servants, Gen 20:8. Abraham himself could not be more careful than he was to command his household in this matter. Note, Those whom God has convinced of sin and danger ought to tell others what God has done for their souls, that they also may be awakened and brought to a like holy fear. II. He has a chiding for Abraham. Observe, 1. The serious reproof which Abimelech gave to Abraham, Gen 20:9, Gen 20:10. His reasoning with Abraham upon this occasion was very strong, and yet very mild. Nothing coul…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Genesis 20:3

But God came to Abimelech in a dream--In early times a dream was often made the medium of communicating important truths; and this method was adopted for the preservation of Sarah.

Adam Clarke on Genesis 20:8

Abimelech rose early, etc. - God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and we find as the day broke he arose, assembled his servants, (what we would call his courtiers), and communicated to them what he had received from God. They were all struck with astonishment, and discerned the hand of God in this business. Abraham is then called, and in a most respectful and pious manner the king expostulates with him for bringing him and his people under the Divine displeasure, by withholding from him the information that Sarah was his wife; when, by taking her, he sought only an honorable alliance with his family.

John Gill on Genesis 20:8

Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning,.... Awaking upon the dream, could sleep no more, his thoughts running upon what had been said to him by the Lord in it: wherefore as soon as it was light he rose from his bed: and called all his servants; his household servants, and particularly his courtiers and counsellors, who had advised him to take Sarah for his wife, and had been assisting in it: and told all those things in their ears: how that God appeared to him in a dream, and told him that Sarah, whom he had taken into his house, was another man's wife, and that if he did not immediately return her to her husband, he would die, and all that belonged to him: and the men were sore af…

The Church Fathers

Do you see how it was not idly or to no purpose that the good man had shifted place? I mean, had he remained at his former encampment, how would all the people of Gerar have been able to realize the degree of favor he enjoyed from God? "But all the people were very frightened." A great fear fell on them; they worried about everything. Then "Abimelech summoned Abraham," the text goes on. Consider, I ask you, the degree of notoriety with which the just man is now brought into the presence of the king after being treated a little before as beneath contempt, in the manner of a vagabond and stranger. When everyone is assembled in haste, the patriarch is summoned, for the time being ignorant of all this, and he then learns from the king in person what has happened to him on his account at God's hands.
— John Chrysostom, HOMILIES ON GENESIS 45.16

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Abimelech — My father a king, or father of a king, a common name of the Philistine kings, as “Pharaoh” was of the Egyptian kings. (1.) The Philistine king of Gerar in the time of Abraham (Gen. 20:1-18). By an…
Abraham — Father of a multitude, son of Terah, named (Gen. 11:27) before his older brothers Nahor and Haran, because he was the heir of the promises. Till the age of seventy, Abram sojourned among his kindred…
Cowardice · .Abraham, in — .Abraham, in
Ignorance · .Abimelech — .Abimelech
Rising · .Abimelech — .Abimelech
Sarah · Gerar, takes her; she is restored to Abraham by means of a dream — Gerar, takes her; she is restored to Abraham by means of a dream

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Genesis 20:8

Word by word — the Hebrew

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Genesis 20:8-13

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Genesis 20:3

Adam Clarke on Genesis 20:8

John Gill on Genesis 20:8

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Genesis 20:8

Word by word — the Hebrew

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Genesis 20:8-13

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Genesis 20:3

Adam Clarke on Genesis 20:8

John Gill on Genesis 20:8

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Genesis 20:8

Keil & Delitzsch on Genesis 20:8-9

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Genesis 20:8-10

Rashi on Genesis 20:7