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April Trout
Supporter
Did Sarah sleep with Pharaoh? No. Genesis 20:6 "And God said to him (pharaoh, Abimelech) in a dream, “Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her (Sarai/Sarah)." Parentheses added for clarification.
Melody Sutter-fisher
Supporter
Because of the differential in longevity at that time, according to Jesus Walk Bible Study Ministries, "Sarai's sixties would therefore presumably correspond with our thirties or forties and her ninety years at Isaac's birth with perhaps our late fifties." The scripture doesn't say (as it does in the case of Abimelech in 20:6) that Pharaoh didn't consummate this marriage, however it does state that God afflicted Pharaoh and his house with terrible sickness, which one could argue prevented him from consummating this marriage. Abram and Sarai were sojourners in Egypt, which in translation means, aliens in another land. The Egyptians of the time viewed sojourners as a disposable lower class and often killed husbands for their wives or men for their possessions. This was at the time of a great famine when many sojourned to Egypt to avoid death from starvation. And so Abram's fear of being killed for his wife was real.
donovan fletcher
Supporter
Although the scripture does not specifically say that Pharaoh consummated his union with Sarai, Abram's wife, the text strongly suggest that is the case. First, Pharaoh treats Abram extremely well, "for her sake." Gen 12:16. Enriching Abram with sheep, oxen, donkeys, camels and servants (including Hagar which we meet later). Therefore, Abram was in Egypt for an extended period of time and Sarai was in Pharaoh's household during most of that time. It is difficult to imagine that Pharaoh did not have sexual relations with Sarai even once over this extended period. Second, something changed that caused God to afflict Pharaoh's household where it had not been afflicted before during Sarai's stay. It is likely that Pharaoh slept with Sarai as he did the other women in his harem and then the affliction came. It is at that point where Pharaoh's attitude toward Abram changes, the gift giving ceases and he realizes, without being told that Sarai isn't the sibling of Abram, but rather his wife. Genesis 12:17-19. Finally, "Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife." Genesis 16:3. This was done expressly for the purpose of sexual relations and the reason why Hagar's status changes to a "wife." The same term is used in Genesis 12:19 when Pharaoh confronts Abram about his deception, "Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her for my wife?"
OLANREWAJU TOPE ONIFADE
Supporter
The reaction of Pharaoh to Abraham speaks volumes in this regard that, he (Pharaoh) did not have any sexual relationship with Sarah. In Genesis 12 verse 19, while looking into different versions of the scripture, Pharaoh's statement was that, "Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her as my wife? (Or might have taken her to be my wife) This shows a form of question or voicing of his disappointment on the action of Abraham. If he had had sexual intimacy with Sarah, the reaction would never have been a form of "......so that I took her as my wife? Or might have taken her to be my wife" This implies that he and his household were plagued by God before he could perfect all marital rituals of the Egyptians on a new wife (especially a stranger) before proceeding to have sexual intimacy with Sarah as his wife. Moreover, he handed Sarah back to Abraham as Abraham's (untouched) wife, and hence ordered him to leave his domain.
Adam Ayarna
Supporter
Pharaoh's words in Gen. 12:19 for me makes it clear that there was no intimacy between pharaoh and Sarai. God ensuring that Pharaoh does not have familiarity with Sarai shows us the awesomeness of God. The promise came through Sarai, and one cannot imagine if Pharaoh had had any intimacy with Sarai.
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