The Meaning of Genesis 20:3 Explained

Genesis 20:3

KJV: But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife.

YLT: And God cometh in unto Abimelech in a dream of the night, and saith to him, 'Lo, thou art a dead man, because of the woman whom thou hast taken -- and she married to a husband.'

Darby: But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, because of the woman that thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife.

ASV: But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, because of the woman whom thou hast taken. For she is a man's wife.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

But God  came  to Abimelech  in a dream  by night,  and said  to him, Behold, thou [art but] a dead man,  for the woman  which thou hast taken;  for she [is] a man's  wife. 

What does Genesis 20:3 Mean?

Context Summary

Genesis 20:1-18 - Abraham Again Denies His Wife
It is wonderful that Abraham should fall like this. He had walked with God for so many years, and experienced so many deliverances, that we should have expected him to have reached an unassailable position. But the best of men are men at the best; and God, who knows us better than we know ourselves, remembers that we are dust. He often steps in by His providence to intercept the full consequences of our wrongdoing, provided always that our heart is really true to Him. There is delightful reassurance in the words, "I withheld thee." God may have to chastise His children for their backslidings, but He will not hand them over to the will of their enemies, nor allow His covenant to fail. He rebukes king's for the sake of His people. See Psalms 105:15. There is a high-toned morality in some who are outside our religious pale, which may put us to shame. It crops up in unexpected places, as here in Abimelech's remonstrance. It was terrible that He was compelled to address Abraham as in Genesis 20:9. God has direct dealings with such men, but they need our prayer and help. See Genesis 20:3; Genesis 20:17. [source]

Chapter Summary: Genesis 20

1  Abraham sojourns at Gerar
2  Denies his wife, who is taken by Abimelech
3  Abimelech is reproved for her in a dream
9  He rebukes Abraham
14  Restores Sarah;
16  and reproves her
17  Abimelech and his family are healed at Abraham's prayer

What do the individual words in Genesis 20:3 mean?

But came God to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him behold you are as good as dead because of the woman whom you have taken for she [is] is married to a man
וַיָּבֹ֧א אֱלֹהִ֛ים אֶל־ אֲבִימֶ֖לֶךְ בַּחֲל֣וֹם הַלָּ֑יְלָה וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ל֗וֹ הִנְּךָ֥ מֵת֙ עַל־ הָאִשָּׁ֣ה אֲשֶׁר־ לָקַ֔חְתָּ וְהִ֖וא בְּעֻ֥לַת בָּֽעַל

וַיָּבֹ֧א  But  came 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
אֱלֹהִ֛ים  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
אֲבִימֶ֖לֶךְ  Abimelech 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲבִימֶלֶךְ  
Sense: king of Gerar in Abraham’s time.
בַּחֲל֣וֹם  in  a  dream 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֲלֹום  
Sense: dream.
הַלָּ֑יְלָה  by  night 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: לַיִל 
Sense: night.
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר  and  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
ל֗וֹ  to  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
הִנְּךָ֥  behold 
Parse: Interjection, second person masculine singular
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
מֵת֙  you  are  as  good  as  dead 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: מוּת  
Sense: to die, kill, have one executed.
עַל־  because 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
הָאִשָּׁ֣ה  of  the  woman 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
אֲשֶׁר־  whom 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
לָקַ֔חְתָּ  you  have  taken 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
וְהִ֖וא  for  she  [is] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, third person feminine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
בְּעֻ֥לַת  is  married 
Parse: Verb, Qal, QalPassParticiple, feminine singular construct
Root: בְּעוּלָה 
Sense: to marry, rule over, possess, own.
בָּֽעַל  to  a  man 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: בָּעַל 
Sense: owner, husband, lord.