11
Whenוַיְהִי כַּאֲשֶׁרhe was aboutהִקְרִיבto enterלָבוֹאEgypt,מִצְרָיְמָהhe saidוַיֹּאמֶרto Saraiאֶל שָׂרַיhis wife,אִשְׁתּוֹ“Look,הִנֵּה נָאI knowיָדַעְתִּיthatכִּיyouאָתְּare a womanאִשָּׁהbeautifulיְפַתin appearance.מַרְאֶה
Genesis 12:11
Study it in the app“When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “Look, I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance.”
With the Hebrew beneath
Genesis 12:11, word by word
- Whenיְהִיyehi
happen
For something to occur or take place; many stories open with this word.
Where else “yehi” appears- he was aboutהִקְרִיבhikriv
come near
To come near to someone or something.
Where else “hikriv” appears- to enterבוֹאvo
enter
To go into a place.
Where else “vo” appears- Egyptמִצְרָיְמָmitsrayma
Egypt, Mizraim
See it on the mapWhere else “mitsrayma” appears- he saidיֹּאמֶרyomer
say
To say with the mouth to someone what one thinks or wants, or to answer him.
Where else “yomer” appears- to Saraiשָׂרַיsaray
Sarai
Sarai, the name of Sarah before God changed it (Genesis 17:15).
Where else “saray” appears- his wifeאִשְׁתּisht
wife
Literally "his woman": the one married to him.
Where else “isht” appears- I knowיָדַעְתִּיyadati
know
To know something, realize.
Where else “yadati” appears- beautifulיְפַתyefat
beautiful
Beautiful, handsome, of fine appearance.
Where else “yefat” appears- in appearanceמַרְאֶהmare
appearance
The appearance of someone or something: how it looks, beautiful or ugly.
Where else “mare” appears
Places in this verse
Egypt
Today: Egypt (Nile Valley)
A country in northeast Africa along the Nile River, southwest of Israel.
Joseph was sold into it, and his family went down to live there (Gen 37:28; 46:6). God brought Israel out of it with a mighty hand (Exod 12:41). The child Jesus fled there with his parents (Matt 2:14).
The context
10There was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to reside as an alien there, for the famine was severe in the land.
11 · This verse (above)
12When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ And they will kill me, but you they will keep alive.
To study Genesis 12 in a group
1. What it says
What did YHWH command and promise Abram, and what did he do (vv. 1-4)?
2. What it means
What does it mean that in Abram all the families of the earth will be blessed (v. 3)?
3. How I live it
What step of trust can you take today, even without seeing the whole road, as Abram did?