Bible Strands
Genesis 12:11
As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “Look, I know that you are a beautiful woman,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Abram addresses his wife Sarai at the exact moment he approaches the border of Egypt to flee a severe famine.
The words — The Hebrew הִקְרִיב לָ/ב֣וֹא (hik.Riv la/Vo') literally means "he drew near to enter," pinning the dialogue to the threshold of arrival.
The thread — The narrative later confirms the observation in Genesis 12:14 when the Egyptians see her beauty, and the structural pattern of a patriarch naming his wife his sister appears in Genesis 26:7.
Why it lands — The text explicitly records Abram stating Sarai's beauty as a factual premise before he formulates his survival plan, leaving the reader to observe how the verse establishes the immediate cause of the ensuing deception.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon:
Cross-references
- Genesis 26:7 But when the men of that place asked about his wife, he said, “She is my sister.” For he was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” since he thought to himself, “The men of this place will kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is so beautiful.”
- Genesis 12:14 So when Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful.
- Genesis 29:17 Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel was shapely and beautiful.
- Proverbs 21:30 There is no wisdom, no understanding, no counsel that can prevail against the LORD.
- Genesis 39:6 So Potiphar left all that he owned in Joseph’s care; he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well-built and handsome,
- 2 Samuel 11:2 One evening David got up from his bed and strolled around on the roof of the palace. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing—a very beautiful woman.
- Song of Solomon 1:14 My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms in the vineyards of En-gedi.