Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.

Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister; that it may be well with me for thy sake, and that my soul may live because of thee.

Say, therefore, I pray thee, that thou art my sister: that I may be well used for thee, and that my soul may live for thy sake.

say, I pray thee, thou art my sister, so that it is well with me because of thee, and my soul hath lived for thy sake.'

Say, then, that you are my sister, and so it will be well with me because of you, and my life will be kept safe on your account.

Therefore, I beg you to say that you are my sister, so that it may be well with me because of you, and so that my soul may live by your favor."

Dic nunc quod soror mea sis, ut bene sit mihi propter to, et vivat anima mea propter to.

Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister - Abram did not wish his wife to tell a falsehood, but he wished her to suppress a part of the truth. From Genesis 20:12, it is evident she was his step-sister, i.e., his sister by his father, but by a different mother. Some suppose Sarai was the daughter of Haran, and consequently the grand-daughter of Terah: this opinion seems to be founded on Genesis 11:29, where Iscah is thought to be the same with Sarai, but the supposition has not a sufficiency of probability to support it.

Say, I pray thee, thou [art] my (m) sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.
(m) By this we learn not to use unlawful means nor to put others in danger to save ourselves, (Genesis 12:20). Though it may appear that Abram did not fear death, so much as dying without children, he acts as though God's promise had not taken place; in which appeared a weak faith.

Say, I pray thee, that thou art my sister,.... Which though it was not putting a direct lie into her mouth, she being his sister in some sense, as appears from Genesis 20:12 yet it was done to conceal truth, and to deceive the Egyptians, and tended to endanger his wife's chastity, as well as showed great timorousness in him, and distrust of the divine care and protection of him; and upon the whole it must be criminal in him, and shows that the best of men are liable to sin, and the strongest believer to fall, and that a saint may fail in the exercise of that grace for which he is most eminent, as Abram was for his faith, and yet fell into unbelief, and through that into other sins; this he said to his wife, and desired her to say on occasion, when she found it necessary:
that it may be well with me for thy sake; his life spared, as follows:
and my soul shall live because of thee; his life be safe and secure for her sake, being reckoned her brother, whereas he feared it would be in the utmost danger should it be known she was his wife.

Say thou art my sister - The grace Abram was most eminent for was faith, and yet he thus fell through unbelief and distrust of the divine Providence, even after God had appeared to him twice. Alas, What will become of the willows, when the cedars are thus shaken