The Meaning of Genesis 20:6 Explained

Genesis 20:6

KJV: And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.

YLT: And God saith unto him in the dream, 'Yea, I -- I have known that in the integrity of thy heart thou hast done this, and I withhold thee, even I, from sinning against Me, therefore I have not suffered thee to come against her;

Darby: And God said to him in a dream, I also knew that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart, and I, too, have withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore have I not suffered thee to touch her.

ASV: And God said unto him in the dream, Yea, I know that in the integrity of thy heart thou has done this, and I also withheld thee from sinning against me. Therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And God  said  unto him in a dream,  Yea,  I know  that thou didst  this in the integrity  of thy heart;  for I also withheld  thee from sinning  against me: therefore suffered  I thee not to touch  her. 

What does Genesis 20:6 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 20:6 mean?

And said to him God in a dream Yes I know that in the integrity of your heart you did this for withheld also you from sinning against Me upon thus not I did let you touch her
וַיֹּאמֶר֩ אֵלָ֨יו הָֽאֱלֹהִ֜ים בַּחֲלֹ֗ם גַּ֣ם אָנֹכִ֤י יָדַ֙עְתִּי֙ כִּ֤י בְתָם־ לְבָבְךָ֙ עָשִׂ֣יתָ זֹּ֔את וָאֶחְשֹׂ֧ךְ גַּם־ אֽוֹתְךָ֖ מֵחֲטוֹ־ לִ֑י עַל־ כֵּ֥ן לֹא־ נְתַתִּ֖יךָ לִנְגֹּ֥עַ אֵלֶֽיהָ

וַיֹּאמֶר֩  And  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֵלָ֨יו  to  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
הָֽאֱלֹהִ֜ים  God 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
בַּחֲלֹ֗ם  in  a  dream 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֲלֹום  
Sense: dream.
גַּ֣ם  Yes 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: גַּם  
Sense: also, even, indeed, moreover, yea.
יָדַ֙עְתִּי֙  know 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: דָּעָה 
Sense: to know.
כִּ֤י  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
בְתָם־  in  the  integrity 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: תֹּם  
Sense: integrity, completeness.
לְבָבְךָ֙  of  your  heart 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: לֵבָב  
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, soul, understanding.
עָשִׂ֣יתָ  you  did 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
זֹּ֔את  this 
Parse: Pronoun, feminine singular
Root: זׄאת  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, such.
וָאֶחְשֹׂ֧ךְ  for  withheld 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular
Root: חָשַׂךְ  
Sense: to withhold, restrain, hold back, keep in check, refrain.
גַּם־  also 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: גַּם  
Sense: also, even, indeed, moreover, yea.
מֵחֲטוֹ־  from  sinning 
Parse: Preposition-m, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: חָטָא 
Sense: to sin, miss, miss the way, go wrong, incur guilt, forfeit, purify from uncleanness.
לִ֑י  against  Me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
עַל־  upon 
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.
כֵּ֥ן  thus 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֵּן 
Sense: so, therefore, thus.
נְתַתִּ֖יךָ  I  did  let  you 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular, second person masculine singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
לִנְגֹּ֥עַ  touch 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: נָגַע  
Sense: to touch, reach, strike.
אֵלֶֽיהָ  her 
Parse: Preposition, third person feminine singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).