Now there was a famine in the land,
and Avram went down to Egypt, to sojourn there,
for the famine was heavy in the land.
It was when he came near to Egypt that he said to Sarai his wife: Now here, I know well that you are a woman fair to look at. It will be, when the Egyptians see you and say: She is his wife, that they will kill me, but you they will allow to live.
Pray say that you are my sister so that it may go well with me on your account, that I myself may live thanks to you.
What do you see happening here, in this portion of the text? Do you find this troublesome at all? If so, or if not, why?
Please post your response no later than 4pm on Thursday, January 31.
41 comments:
There are a couple of things that I find disturbing. Is this were we learn how to be decietful for our own gain? How can Avram lie about his wife and still reap rewards. Isn't this backwards? Second, does God have favorites. I see him giving Avram sheep, oxen and so forth however he plagued Pharaoh when Pharaoh was tricked by Avram and Sarai. I also feel like this text is saying that Sarai is her husbands property to do with as he wishes. Is this really fair?
It is odd that God doesn't seem to care that Avram lies about Sarai being his sister. I guess if they both came from Adam and Havva, the truth may have just been stretched. It also could be argued that humankind has not been commanded not to lie, yet, so they are still in an innocent state. The specific command is implied later in Exodus 20:13 in the 10 commandments (You are not to testify against your fellow as a false witness) and directly commanded in Leviticus 19:11.
i never thought of it that way. in my eyes it was ok for avram to say she was his sister, it kept them both safe and allowed him to stay with sarai. but then reading what ginger writes i can see where she is coming from. it is pretty decietful. and to answer why god showed favor to avram i think it was because he was a follower of god and pharaoh was not.
Because Abraham mentions Sarah's beauty, it is easy to see that he thought the Egyptians, specifically Pharaoh, would try to steal Sarah away. Since Abraham told Sarah to say she was his sister, the Pharaoh saw no problem taking her as a wife. I think that since it is apparent that Abraham knew what could happen in these circumstances, that he purposely wanted Sarah to be put in a bad position just so his life would be spared. Ethically, this disturbs me greatly: a husband should never do such an awful thing to his wife. I think Abraham was being very selfish and not a good "protector" as men generally strive to be. He just used his own wife to get ahead, a deceitful and despicable act indeed.
I think Ginger raises some good questions-However I don't know that he is treating her as his property so blatantly in this specific passage. I feel like this is definitely reminiscient of the snake tempting Isha...Which in class we discussed was actually not so bad of her to give into. He presented something good for her to eat and much to gain by eating it. As a human not knowing much else, we decided, it wasn't the worst decision maybe. Here, Avram seems to be tempting her by saying that if he lives it will be on her account. This is interesting, considering what the authors of these texts have continuously said to us about the way they perceived women-and that they seem to be blaming certain situations on women. By pretending to be his sister, she is doing something good, according to her husband, to help save his life. However, as Kate says, we see later that this does backfire on them and is not the situation as Avram originally thought out. Either that or as Kate suggests, he thought that all along.
-Amy Leigh Schutts
This passage is ethically blurred. If we are to assume that Avram is right in thinking he will be killed if the Egyptians know he is Sarai's wife, then presumably whether or not Avram is killed, the Egyptians will take Sarai.
As Meg points out though, there has been no commandment from God regarding lying, so I dont think that this is ethically disturbing. At this point we have to assume the characters can only act morally is so far as what God has taught them. This is somewhat confusing however when you think of how Kane was punished for killing Abel despite the fact that God never forbode killing, nor was there even any real concept of death.
What struck me immediately about this passage however was the continuing theme of women as just being something 'fair to look at'. I first noticed this in Genesis 6:2 when the godlings took human women as mates because of how beautiful they are but no man was ever considered. It does seem up until this point in the story that women like Sarai and even Havva are only there for looking beautiful, tempting man into sin and producing children.
I definitely find this passage disturbing. As Kate stated, Avram wanted to spare his own life and so he asked Sarai to say she was his sister, but I have to disagree that he did it with the intention of putting her in danger. I think this is just one more example of these characters' humanity. Avram is considering himself and his gain, not Sarai's life or comfort. I want to believe that if he would have been less narcissistic and actually thought out the situation, he would realize that by asking Sarai to lie was putting her in danger.
I can see both sides of this story. I agree with what kate said in that it is morally wrong for any husband to do to his wife. Even though it may let them be together in the end, it was putting her in a dangerous poisition. I think that this passage is especially degrading to women. For one, when Avram tells his wife to lie for him, it shows that this woman, Sarai is supposed to do what he tells her to. Then also, when they travel to Egypt and they take her to the Pharaoh, she is required to go with him.
It sounds to me like the beginning sentences are trying to make it very clear that these were desperate times. Maybe I am just naïve, but I merely see a man who cares about living (as most all of us do) and a woman who cares about her husband (as we do when we love someone). I will not claim that it is a right decision to lie (meg) or that it is right to be selfish (sarah) or that he intentionally wanted her to be taken by an Egyptian (kate). Maybe the message is that life takes tough decisions and maybe how the plan later backfires is to get us to re-think his decision (deceitfulness). As for the repetitiveness of the portrayal of women as belonging to men and being just good to look at, that wouldn’t settle with anyone (ginger) but many people in history have had to get over those simplistic gender beliefs and we’ve acknowledged that the culture that existed in the time of the bible fell victim to that as well.
Avram told a half-truth when he said that Sarai was his sister. As Avraham explains in Genesis 20:12 after again passing Sara off as his sister to yet another ruler, Avimelekh, "Then, too, she is truly my sister, my father's daughter, however not my mother's daughter- so she became my wife." In Avram's culture, it was perfectly acceptable to marry a half-sister as long as she hadn't been birthed by the same mother or didn't have "milk kinship" with her husband.
Another thing I want to bring up is the idea of female agency. While it seems normal and natural to us that a woman should make her own decisions, it was a concept that was totally foreign in Avram and Sarai's culture. The modern day Azawagh Arab culture of northern Africa still has many of the same norms that nomadic tribes have been practicing for centuries. I think it's important that we don't judge other cultures as "wrong" simply because they aren't the same as our own.
I don't think half-truths are any more acceptable than flat out lies, but "technically" Avram didn't lie, though it was his intent to deceive. To me an intent to deceive is the same as a lie. I've thought about it a lot, but I still don't have any idea why God allowed Avram to gain materially from this encounter. What do you guys think?
I do not feel that Avram was not being a good "protector" as Kate said. I think that ultimately it was Sarai's decision to make. This therefore, brings up another theme we have been seeing. It seems to me to be another shift in roles. Normally the women are not mentioned, but where ever they are it seems they are given some sort of leadership/Godly role. As it is here it seems she now has the upper hand is now above the man that is supposed to have leadership of her.
Kieran’s point about “whether or not Avram is killed, the Egyptians will take Sarai” is similar to how I interpreted this text, and is interesting because it raises a few issues. Is Avram not willing to die for his wife, for her dignity and for his own? Has true love and the theme of undying devotion even been introduced at this point? Is marriage just an arrangement created as a product of functionality? Would Avram sincerely rather see his wife with another than stand beside her and risk execution?
-Bet$y Robbins.
Maybe we should look at the context to see why Abram (a bet in Hebrew can sound like a V or a B) did what he did.
The point: he needed to keep his wife alive.
Remember in 12:1-3, God had promised Abram that he would be given many things, land, descendants, and a blessing. These promises are crucial if anyone wants to understand the Bible as a whole (cf. Romans 4, Gal 3, etc). Verse 7 brings it up again, yet concerning the land promise.
So, Abram, being old, knew that he was promised these blessings including a multitude of descendants. He is then put in a situation where that could be placed in danger. So, he does whatever it takes to keep those promises alive.
Note at this point in the narrative, Abram is not known for his righteousness (tsedek in Hebrew has an alternate meaning of "covenant membership"). That happens in Gen. 15:6, where this whole descendant motif through Sarah comes to the climax.
By the way, it’s interesting that Abram is considered a righteous Gentile before he became circumcised. If anything, he is a model Gentile primarily and a model Jew secondarily.
Dustin
I find this excerpt both troublesome and non-troublesome at the same time. When I first read it, I found problems with Avram lying about Sarai being his sister. Meg brought up a good point; God had not yet told humans not to lie. Avram may not have seen lying as morally wrong. I also feel that Avram did not demand that she lie; rather he asked if she would. He states, “pray say that you are my sister” not “Say you are my sister!”. If she cared for her husband and had no obligation to lying, it seems that she would lie to save his life.
The aspect that I found troublesome was that no matter what Sarai said, if Avram was her brother or her husband, she was still going to be taken by the Egyptians. She had no power where her own future was concerned, however, she could save the life of her husband. In this instance, I feel that lying about Avram’s status would be okay; yet, I find it disturbing that Sarai could do nothing for herself. I agree with Shaina that she does hold some power in this situation, but it is the power over another persons life and not her own.
From personal experience, I grew up always being taught that lying was not okay. However, my parents consistently told me that if it meant saving someones life that it was okay to lie, but only then was it okay. Maybe this is where my parents got this philosophy. I guess I can tell them that there is a section in the Bible that backs up their theory. Ha ha.
I do not believe this is where we got our deceitful tendencies from. People were deceitful long before this. Eve tricked Adam into eating the Apple (That is if he was not present when she picked it and had the discussion with the snake). Deceit has always been present since the "falling out" of the garden. Avram did not want to die, I do not see anything wrong in asking his wife to cover for him. I do not think God would want him to die simply because he is married to someone who is pretty.
It was very interesting
that DAYE pointed out about
Abvram and Sarai are actually
Brothers and sisters from different mothers.
It is true that Abvram and Sarai are half sisters and brothers
but I think it's not necessary for
Genesis 12.
In my perspective,
This verse showed me
how WEAK Abvram was
even though he always
obey God's bidding and prospering.
This verse showed me
how Avram could make mistakes
even though he was known to be
a perfect man.
"Pray say that you are my sister.."
- It was for his own safety to tell Sarai a lie to Egyptians.
-This was an SELFISH action that made Sarai's purity worthless.
Monkeys also fall from trees
just like Abvram made mistakes.
It was extremely interesting
that this happenings are
also appearing in today's
society.
For example,
sometimes you need to
USE someone who is very important
to you or forsake them
to take you OWN advantages.
Wow...everyone has brought up so many great points, many of which I had never thought of. Initially I had remembered that Sara and Abraham were in fact half siblings, yet I agree with Daye that the intent was still to deceive.
However, I hadn't yet thought about the idea that the Egyptians would take her if they wanted her. I wonder if Abraham also had this lapse of thought. I guess I am defending Abraham here. My initally thought was that at that time women relied heavily on a husband to provide for them in many ways, one was expected to be married, and also that it was a very dramatic and forever mournful event if someone was widowed.
Although the marriage was probably more for functional purposes than love (although I'm sure Abraham didn't mind that she was very pretty!) perhaps Abraham did have Sara's best interest in mind. Perhaps he was just trying to insure that he could continue to provide and take care of her. It could even be that along their way Sara had expressed fear about them being seperated. It's not written, but I'm willing to guess they weren't traveling in complete silence the whole time. I also think this idea can be reinforced by what Noelle said about Abraham ASKING her to say she was his sister. I simply do not get the connotation that Abraham is acting superior, but rather it seems he is putting Sara superior to himself by, in his eyes, putting his life in her hands.
I have to agree with something from nearly every comment, but I think there is one troubling issue that really hasn't been brought up. If Avram is correct about his circumstance, then isn't it more troubling to think that he would be killed for being married to a beautiful woman? And I don't mean to question the integrity of anyone in this course but if you knew without a doubt that your life would be ended because of who you are married to then wouldn't you find some way to avoid such an outcome? I agree with everyone who believes Avram should stand up and accept his responsibilities (just like Adam, Eve, Cain, etc), but looking at it from his perspective, and being human myself, I can understand his "selfishness" to live. And either way what outcome is good for his wife? Either the Pharaoh takes her as his own and kills her husband or the Pharaoh takes her as his own. And it was a tragic fact of that time, that women were not as empowered to stand up for themselves as they are today. I guess my question for everyone is, what would make a braver woman, standing up to Avram or going along with his plan?
~Dan K
The bothersome part isn't the lying part to me. I think God would let that slide because he's just trying to prevent an unjust death. The reason they'd kill him is because they want his wife, and he is just going to let that happen since now she is just his "sister". He should find another way that doesn't involve them doing whatever with her. Like others said, he's putting her in danger to save his skin. I'd say just find an alternate to both of those outcomes.
In this passage, I saw a lack of trust that Avram once had. When God had told him that he would have all this land and all these descendants, you don't see Avram really question it. But yet when he comes to Egypt and this issue with his wife comes up, you see a lack of trust and he doesn't turn to God as he had in the past. It is interesting even at the end how the pharaoh questioned his motives of doing such a thing. I think this is also another situation that you question why God would punish the pharaoh when Avram was the one to put him in this situation. I know ginger and amy leigh both touched on this a little, but just this also being another point where women seem out of control and vulnerable to a man.
Much like several other people, the first thing that I thought of while reading this was that Avram had been deceitful in his actions. I liked the question that Ginger posed about God having favorites. While I've always liked to think that he does not, this passage could be used to further the opposing argument. Avram relied more on himself (and the things he could control)in this time of personal unrest rather than on God. He asked Sarai to help him; he did not ask God for protection. Yet when all was said and done with this situtation with the Pharaoh, Avram came out ahead. God gave Avram many things, but plagued Pharaoh. It's bewildering and almost frustrating how this turned out.
This passage has the possibility to make Sarai out to be unusually empowered or usually obedient. I do see how Avram is treating her like his property- that is very clear. But to Avram, his life is in her hands and he is in desperate need her to do this, for her to go along with his plan. This is a unique situation as Avram is sure of his fate if she does not cooperate.
wow...there really is just way too much to reply to. I think this is a little harder than just talking about it in class.
anyways, i agree with danielle. i see it the same way. and i also agree with dustin, we have to look at it in the context. God just made a promise to Abraham, what happens after that only makes sense to me. I'm not bothered that Abraham tells his wife what to do or that he supposedly put her life in danger (which I don't beleive he did). I don't see anything here that degraded women or their love.
we can only read as far as the words on the page, anything else is just an assumption.
that comment from aaron was actually from Katie Dill (me) I for some reason can not get my password to work on my account! sorry
Avram, Lot, and Sarai needed to find food and had to travel to Egypt to get it. Avram knew that the Egyptians would think Sarai was beautiful and want to “get to know her”. Not being able to help that, he tells Sarai to say she is his sister so that they will not kill him because he is her husband. Avram is being a complete coward. I find it troubling that he would so easily let Sarai be taken away from him. In a larger context, I do no find it troubling to be in the bible because, to me, it’s more believable. Avram is more human for wussing out. To say God doesn’t stick up Sarai or is ok with the situation doesn’t make sense to me because He goes to work plaguing the Egyptians. Avram does seem to get away with lying, but I didn’t know Avram and Sarai were half brothers and sisters, so technically he wasn’t lying... ;)
Avram is obviously put in a difficult situation and when most of us are put in compromising situations our choices don't always seem to make sense, but Avram's does.
We should look to the end of the story where God plagues Pharoh on account of Sarai. So in the end, not only has Avram kept his life, but he regains his wife because God intervened.
We also need to keep in mind the context of this stoy and the events pior to it. Avram finds great favor with God. The covenant God makes with him is a common thread throughout the entire bible and no doubt of incredible importance. While eveyone has different opinions of whether or not Avram made the right decision in this passage, the fact is that Avram did need to keep his own life and his wife's and Sarai, in the end, was taken care of by God and returned to her husband.
Something that was pointed out earlier was the fact that we cannot judge Avram and Sarai's culture with the same eyes that we judge our own. Yes, today women are more likely to make their voice and opinions heard, but can any of us as women honestly say that we would have behaved differently as Sarai and allowed our husband to be killed knowing also the promises God had made to him? I also don't think we can say that God doesn't care about lying. Men now, because of Adam and Eve, live in a sinful world and are not pefect. But this doesn't make void God's hatred of lying.
Through the glass of the many social "advancements" our society has made though the years, I am quick to throw down the Chivalry card. When I read this passage, I tend to side with what Bet$y said about Avram upholding his wife's dignaty. Thanks to Disney movies, chick flicks, and all kinds of other sources, I sit hoping Avram will say, 'This is my WIFE, and I will die for her!'
However, we get this polar opposite response. To us, in a moment of what seems to be cowardice, Avram is concerned for his own life.
That said, I can't cast judgement so quickly as to call his actions 'SELFISH' and 'WEAK', because I very much relate to this--not in the sense that I would sell out my wife so I could live, but the idea that everyone makes mistakes. We see these great "Godly" characters in the Bible, and not a single one is perfect [spare Jesus]. Joseph kills a guy and hides the body in the sand. David knocks a girl up and arranges it so her husband will get killed on the front lines of war. Stories, it seems, we should be watching on E!.
Because we're reading this passage from thousands of years of "progression", I think Kieran said it well that this passage is "ethically blurred". Every person can have a different take on what this passage means. I know my Women's Studies professor would probably tear this story apart... but that's just my take on it all.
Daye brought up so many good points. Clearly a few of us, myself included, didn't realize that Avram and Sarai were half-siblings much more interesting and confusing. Also I think it is important that we, at the least, try to take into account the culture in which Avram and Sarai lived. It is hard to disregard how we live and what we believe is 'right' and 'wrong,' but should we allow the ways of their culture to take at least some of the blame?
I agree with many of the points made before. I find it hard to understand how easy it was for Avram to give his wife to another man so he would live. After reading this passage I had the same questions that bet$y brought up. "Has true love and the theme of undying devotion even been introduced at this point? Is marriage just an arrangement created as a product of functionality?" Does his wife actually mean something to him? I think that this is another example from the bible where women seem almost property of men. The men can do whatever they want with them, and the women has no say.
I liked Amy's comment about Avram lacking trust in God. This is bothersome considering how close to God Avram seemed to be. I am not necessarily disturbed by Avram's actions because I don't view it as selling his wife out, I view it as giving her a huge responsibility and putting his life in her hands.
I do think Sarai loved her husband and knew she should honor his wishes and his life, so I think she was noble in accepting Avram's request. I believe Avram was desperate and thought lying was his only way out of the situation. Although, we are taught lying is wrong, we also have an innate human instinct to protect ourselves under any circumstance when our life seems to be in danger.
When I read it through I immediately saw deceit and use of others to build one's own status and wealth. Although I would have to say that deceit probably existed before this as God was so upset with the way humankind was behaving that he brought upon the Earth a flood. If humans were behaving that poorly deceit had to be in there somewhere.
I did wonder why God showed favor on Avram and punished the Pharaoh, but someone mentioned (and I can't find who now) that Avram was walking with God and so automatically is in God's favor.
This seems to me to be a section where someone who should speak up (Sarai) is silent. I know the idea of considering the culture at the time and today an increase in female agency has been brought up, however, I can't see how when Avram pleas with Sarai that she did not have some sort of response. I enjoy Ian's comment about using the chivarly card as to wishing to see Avram placing his life on the line for his wife. I think that is exactly why when first reading through the text it frustrated me so much how Avram treated Sarai.
What makes something right or wrong? I don't consider myself well versed in the philosophy of ethics, so I did a little research. Upon my stumbling of Wikipedia, I found that Socrates saw human life as the goal of ethics and to Aristotle, self-realization, or happiness. With these definitions, I see Avram and Sarai's decision justified, as they chose Avram's life to be important. And, though in the short run it would not be so (especially for Sarai), in the end, with both being alive, it would be the happier outcome.
Avram and Sarai did not have the Greek philosophers on which to base their ethics, so upon what was it to be? As Meg, Noelle, and others have noted, their ethics came from YHWH. So, the question is: was their decision "in accord with God?" From the text, we cannot tell whether any law or command was given prior not to lie; however, we do know that they had the "knowledge of good and evil." For example, though the command against adultery was not given Pharaoh was still plagued. As Dustin and Amy mentioned, YHWH gave the promise to Avram in 12:1-3. "YHWH said to Avram: ...I will make a great nation of you...I will bless those who bless you, he who curses you, I will damn." Given this, Avram is going against the 'accordance of God.' This is seen as Avram is making a judgment call on behalf of YHWH (in light of YHWH's promise). This is similar to the judgment call made in Eden by Adam and Havva on behalf of YHWH. This system of ethics is quite different from that of the Greek philosophers, in that it is not based upon self-realization, but 'God-realization.'
Other questions:
> If this was wrong, why didn't God punish Avram?
- Has Avram's punishment yet to come?
> Was Avram trying to justify the inevitability of Sarai being taken?
Other Comments:
> This is another example of God stepping back and letting consequences of decisions take effect.
> Whether or not Avram and Sarai were brother and sister, it was the absence of the fact that they were married that mattered in whether Pharaoh would have taken Sarai.
Let me play Devil's advocate in this sitution. I do not nessecary believe any or all these points I bring.
First, isn't is human nature to try and survive by any means possible. Not only that isn't also human nature to protect those closest to you. So I guess in that sense what Avram did to Sarai is fine. I'm not trying to justify how he use her to survive but in that lense to me it's fine.
Second, Ian brought up chivarly. In some ways to me this is very chivarous. Isn't it noble to do your best to survive and protect those you love. As long Avram was alive he was able to watch over and protect Sarai and preventing abuse. Now if he was dead he wouldn't be able to that very well at all. So in that lense this is also very noble as well.
Now back from devil advocate. Avram should never have profited for lying and using Sarai like that. But I believe that the hard sitution Avram was put in he made the right choice to save his life and protect Sarai. Althought the Pharaoh was the one who was plagued Sarai was the real loser in this ordeal.
This is one of the stories in the Bible that will never have a correct interperation no matter how many there are.
Andrew Beck
A lot of people have mentioned that Avram did this purely for his own benefit and to save his own life, but I think he did it to save her as well. Let me explain: when I read it I immediately thought of something my mom taught me when I was little. When little kids get teased (I will use an older brother and a younger sister, for clarity's sake), often times it is because the brother simply enjoys the response from his sister. If she does not respond, or pretends what he is doing does not bother her at all, the brother will often walk away because he's not getting the response he wants.
The same thing applies here. Perhaps Avram thought that if the Egyptians thought Sarai was only his sister, they would not be interested in her because it wouldn't get a response from Avram. Of course, these plans backfire sometimes, as it did here. It seems to me that if he had just told the truth, they would have left her alone because she is, after all, his wife.
I don't really find this passage troublesome. I don't deny that he had the intent to deceive, but as several have mentioned, that deception was for noble purposes. Again, I want to clarify that I don't believe he did it for his own personal gain; he did it for his wife, too.
One last comment: even if it were for his own gain, I think Sarai still would have done it as a favor to her husband, the man she loves and would do anything for to save.
This may not be the first example of pasing the blame or trying to sneak around the truth that we see in the bible, but its one of the most clear. I mean, people back there were not different than we are now, if they could get someone to cover for them then why not do it? If they didnt have to put themselves out there on the line, then why not make up a lie to cover it up? This is just another example of how humans were almost in a way doing whatever they wanted w/o reguards to what God had to say. It is a little disturbing that a man would have to almost disown his wife, but its human nature in a way that he would want to pass the blame or get someone to cover for him.
In response to Dan's question, "what would make a braver woman, standing up to Avram or going along with his plan?" When I first read this it got me thinking of what makes up bravery in a person. Is someone's bravery static or is it more dynamic? Really I think it comes down to not necessarily which choice is right or wrong according to laws or society but rather what feels right to us as individuals. I see more bravery in trusting the opinion and advice of someone you love.
I see that Avram is worried about his life and well being. He has this thought that he will be killed if they know that his wife is this very pretty lady. I am not sure why they would kill him for having a beautiful wife, was it because they would want her for themselves and so would then have to kill the husband? If that is true Avram's plan didn't work the best because he ended up temporarily loosing his wife. I also then question why Pharaoh was not more upset or did not punish Avram for lying to him about Sarai.
I think that it is disturbing for Avram to put himself above his wife but on the other hand if I knew my husband would be killed for being married to him, I would lie and say I was his sister so that we could both live and be together in the end. Maybe he does not go about it the right way. He commands her to do it, or so they portray it that way, instead of saying "Hunnie they will kill me if you do not lie and say you are my sister. Will you do that for me? Thanks".
Although I agree with Andrews first thought of human nature willing to do almost anything to save themselves. Survival of the fittest!
~Chelsea
It is interesting how God does not even mention being dissapointed in Avram for this act. God does follow through with what he promised Avram at the beginning of the chapter. God damns the ones who curses Avram. It is seemingly so that to Ginger's question of whether God finds favor more or less in different people, that the answer would be, in this case, yes. It also seems weird how after the pharaoh was plagued, he just simply asked Avram why would he lie about Sarai being his wife, and then the pharoah does not even touch Avram, but rather sends some of his men to escort Avram and his wife out, as well as everything they recieved.
So maybe Avram had to wait for God to do something (plague the pharaoh) so him and his wife would both survive their time in Egypt.
I agree with Danielle- Avram is like the other characters we’ve met so far in the Bible who haven’t always thought things through and often times have never considered the consequences that could arise from their choices. Along with Valerie’s thoughts, I believe that Sarai was just as excited as Avram about God’s covenant with Avram. I like to picture more of a dialogue between the two characters, as Addie mentioned (what should we do? You’re pretty hot and they’ll want you. I’ll be in their way and they’ll want to get rid of me…what if we say that you’re my sister…)
As far as Amy’s comment about Avram’s lack of trust in God, I believe that Avram’s character hasn’t got to that point yet. Like I mentioned before, at this point in the story he is like the other characters we’ve seen who don’t think things through, who come up with their own solutions, and who have a lack of trust. But later, Avram’s character will certainly have transitioned when he is willing to sacrifice his son (who’s life is equally as important to keeping God’s covenant as Sarai’s and his own) without doubting or questioning God. (I know we will discuss those inconsisencies later).
Dan, thanks for bringing up Sarai's bravery! It's not an aspect I'd really considered before. I think it took a lot of bravery on her part and a lot of respect for Avram for her to follow through with his plan. I wonder what she thought of the plan? Sure wish scripture told us. Sounds like a great topic for a midrash. Monica, are there any female midrash authors? Would you consider Ostriker to be one?
Daye--yes, there are definitely writers of midrash who are female. Ostriker actually calls herself a midrashist. Ellen Frankel would be another one, as well as Marge Piercy.
I agree with Meg when she says that it is odd that God does not stop Avram from telling Pharaoh that Sarai is his sister. I also agree with Kieran that the passage is ethically irresponsible. In today’s society, you would not even tell someone that your girlfriend is just your friend let alone that your wife is your sister. However, I was taking this over with my mother, and she told me that Sarai was actually Avram’s half sister. They had the same father and different mothers. I found this to be very odd because nowhere in the story does this mention this relation.
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