Biblical Parallels Index – Bereshit 20
Overview
This index is meant to help the reader explore Biblical parallels, be they two accounts of the same event, stories with similar motifs and themes, or units of text which are linguistically similar and perhaps alluding one to the other. The page includes links to tools that aid in comparison, primary sources that touch upon the parallels, and summaries of and links to articles which analyze them in depth.Wives and Sisters
There are several stories in Sefer Bereshit where someone passes off their wife as their sister.
Tools
- See Makbilot Bamikra that Avraham’s claim that Sarah is his sister is parallel to two similar stories, one earlier in the narrative of of Avraham and Sarah (Bereshit 12) and one in the narrative of Yitzchak and Rivka (Bereshit 26).
- Tanakh Lab indicates though Bereshit 12 (the wife-sister story of Avraham in Egypt) and Bereshit 26 (the wife-sister story of Yitzchak in Gerar) contain a significant number of linguistic parallels (as seen here), Bereshit 20 has many fewer parallels to Bereshit 26, despite both taking place in the same locale (see here).
Articles
- See המוטיב 'אשתי-אחותי ומלך' שלושה סיפורים וארבעה וקריאה אחרת by Prof. Moshe Zipor who compares and analyzes the wife-sister stories, using the comparison as a paradigm for how to do comparative readings of Tanakh in general.
- See Endangering Sarai in Egypt for an exploration of the moral and strategic questions that arise from the behavior of the Patriarchs in this and the other narratives in which they claim that their wives are their sisters. The article traces the approaches of various commentators to the question. Some maintain that Avraham did not intend to endanger Sarai, while others suggest that while he did knowingly endanger her honor, this was justified by the need to save his own life. A third group of exegetes finds fault with Avraham’s actions.