Genesis 12:19
New International Version
Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!”

New Living Translation
Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ and allow me to take her as my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and get out of here!”

English Standard Version
Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife; take her, and go.”

Berean Standard Bible
Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her as my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!”

King James Bible
Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way.

New King James Version
Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here is your wife; take her and go your way.”

New American Standard Bible
Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for myself as a wife? Now then, here is your wife, take her and go!”

NASB 1995
“Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife, take her and go.”

NASB 1977
“Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife, take her and go.”

Legacy Standard Bible
Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for myself as a wife? So now, here is your wife, take her and go.”

Amplified Bible
Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her as my wife? Now then, here is your wife; take her and go!”

Christian Standard Bible
Why did you say, ‘She’s my sister,’ so that I took her as my wife? Now, here is your wife. Take her and go! ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Why did you say, ‘She’s my sister,’ so that I took her as my wife? Now, here is your wife. Take her and go!”

American Standard Version
why saidst thou, She is my sister, so that I took her to be my wife? Now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And why did you say ‘She is my sister’, and I have taken her to me as a wife? Now, behold, take your wife and go.”

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Wherefore didst thou say, She is my sister? and I took her for a wife to myself; and now, behold, thy wife is before thee, take her and go quickly away.

Contemporary English Version
Why did you make me believe she was your sister? Now I've married her. Take her and go! She's your wife."

Douay-Rheims Bible
For what cause didst thou say, she was thy sister, that I might take her to my wife? Now therefore, there is thy wife, take her, and go thy way.

English Revised Version
Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so that I took her to be my wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Why did you say, 'She's my sister' and allow me to take her for my wife? Here's your wife! Take her and go!"

Good News Translation
Why did you say that she was your sister, and let me take her as my wife? Here is your wife; take her and get out!"

International Standard Version
Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her as a wife for myself? Now, here is your wife! Take her and get out!"

JPS Tanakh 1917
Why saidst thou: She is my sister? so that I took her to be my wife; now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way.'

Literal Standard Version
Why have you said, She [is] my sister, and I take her to myself for a wife? And now, behold, your wife, take and go.”

Majority Standard Bible
Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her as my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!”

New American Bible
Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now, here is your wife. Take her and leave!”

NET Bible
Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her to be my wife? Here is your wife! Take her and go!"

New Revised Standard Version
Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife, take her, and be gone.”

New Heart English Bible
Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her to be my wife? Now therefore, look, your wife is before you. Take, and go."

Webster's Bible Translation
Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me for a wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way.

World English Bible
Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now therefore, see your wife, take her, and go your way.”

Young's Literal Translation
Why hast thou said, She is my sister, and I take her to myself for a wife? and now, lo, thy wife, take and go.'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Abram and Sarai in Egypt
18So Pharaoh summoned Abram and asked, “What have you done to me? Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? 19Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her as my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!” 20Then Pharaoh gave his men orders concerning Abram, and they sent him away with his wife and all his possessions.…

Cross References
Genesis 12:18
So Pharaoh summoned Abram and asked, "What have you done to me? Why didn't you tell me she was your wife?

Genesis 12:20
Then Pharaoh gave his men orders concerning Abram, and they sent him away with his wife and all his possessions.


Treasury of Scripture

Why said you, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold your wife, take her, and go your way.

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Genesis 12
1. God calls Abram, and blesses him with a promise of Christ.
4. He departs with Lot from Haran, and comes to Canaan.
6. He journeys through Canaan,
7. which is promised to him in a vision.
10. He is driven by famine into Egypt.
11. Fear makes him feign his wife to be his sister.
14. Pharaoh, having taken her from him, is compelled to restore her.
18. Pharaoh reproves Abram, whom he dismisses.














(19) So I might have taken her to me to wife.--The Hebrew is, and I took her to me to wife: that is, I took her with the intention of making her my wife. During the interval before the marriage Pharaoh and his household were visited with such marked troubles that he became alarmed, and possibly Sarai then revealed to him her true relationship to Abram. We find in Esther 2:12 that in the case of maidens there was a probation of twelve months duration before the marriage took place, and Sarai was probably saved by some such formality. The conduct of Pharaoh is upright and dignified; nor ought we to disbelieve his assurance that he had acted upon the supposition that Sarai might lawfully be his. The silence of Abram seems to indicate his consciousness that Pharaoh had acted more righteously than himself, and yet his repetition of the offence (Genesis 20) shows that he did not feel much self-reproach at what he had done; nor, possibly, ought we to judge his conduct from the high standpoint of Christian morality. When, however, commentators speak of it as Abram's fall, they forget that he arranged this matter with Sarai at the very time when he was quitting Haran (Genesis 20:13).



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Why
לָמָ֤ה (lā·māh)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

did you say,
אָמַ֙רְתָּ֙ (’ā·mar·tā)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

‘She is
הִ֔וא (hî)
Pronoun - third person feminine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

my sister,’
אֲחֹ֣תִי (’ă·ḥō·ṯî)
Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 269: Sister -- a sister

so that I took
וָאֶקַּ֥ח (wā·’eq·qaḥ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 3947: To take

her as my wife?
לְאִשָּׁ֑ה (lə·’iš·šāh)
Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 802: Woman, wife, female

Now then,
וְעַתָּ֕ה (wə·‘at·tāh)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb
Strong's 6258: At this time

here
הִנֵּ֥ה (hin·nêh)
Interjection
Strong's 2009: Lo! behold!

is your wife.
אִשְׁתְּךָ֖ (’iš·tə·ḵā)
Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 802: Woman, wife, female

Take
קַ֥ח (qaḥ)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 3947: To take

her and go!”
וָלֵֽךְ׃ (wā·lêḵ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk


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OT Law: Genesis 12:19 Why did you say 'She is my (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 12:18
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