The Meaning of Genesis 20:7 Explained

Genesis 20:7

KJV: Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.

YLT: and now send back the man's wife, for he is inspired, and he doth pray for thee, and live thou; and if thou do not send back, know that dying thou dost die, thou, and all that thou hast.'

Darby: And now, restore the man's wife; for he is a prophet, and will pray for thee, that thou mayest live. And if thou do not restore her, know that thou shalt certainly die, thou and all that is thine.

ASV: Now therefore restore the man's wife. For he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live. And if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Now therefore restore  the man  [his] wife;  for he [is] a prophet,  and he shall pray  for thee,  and thou shalt live:  and if thou restore  [her] not, know  thou that thou shalt surely  die,  thou, and all that [are] thine. 

What does Genesis 20:7 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 20:7 mean?

Now restore wife the man's for a prophet he [is] and he will pray for you and you shall live But if not you do restore [her] know that surely you shall die you and all who [are] yours
וְעַתָּ֗ה הָשֵׁ֤ב אֵֽשֶׁת־ הָאִישׁ֙ כִּֽי־ נָבִ֣יא ה֔וּא וְיִתְפַּלֵּ֥ל בַּֽעַדְךָ֖ וֶֽחְיֵ֑ה וְאִם־ אֵֽינְךָ֣ מֵשִׁ֗יב דַּ֚ע כִּי־ מ֣וֹת תָּמ֔וּת אַתָּ֖ה וְכָל־ אֲשֶׁר־ לָֽךְ

וְעַתָּ֗ה  Now 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb
Root: עַתָּה  
Sense: now.
הָשֵׁ֤ב  restore 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: שׁוּב  
Sense: to return, turn back.
אֵֽשֶׁת־  wife 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
הָאִישׁ֙  the  man's 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
נָבִ֣יא  a  prophet 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: נָבִיא  
Sense: spokesman, speaker, prophet.
ה֔וּא  he  [is] 
Parse: Pronoun, third person masculine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
וְיִתְפַּלֵּ֥ל  and  he  will  pray 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hitpael, Conjunctive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: פָּלַל 
Sense: to intervene, interpose, pray.
בַּֽעַדְךָ֖  for  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine singular
Root: בַּעַד 
Sense: behind, through, round about, on behalf of, away from, about.
וֶֽחְיֵ֑ה  and  you  shall  live 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: חָיָה  
Sense: to live, have life, remain alive, sustain life, live prosperously, live for ever, be quickened, be alive, be restored to life or health.
וְאִם־  But  if 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Conjunction
Root: אִם  
Sense: if.
מֵשִׁ֗יב  you  do  restore  [her] 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine singular
Root: שׁוּב  
Sense: to return, turn back.
דַּ֚ע  know 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: דָּעָה 
Sense: to know.
כִּי־  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
מ֣וֹת  surely 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive absolute
Root: מוּת  
Sense: to die, kill, have one executed.
תָּמ֔וּת  you  shall  die 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: מוּת  
Sense: to die, kill, have one executed.
וְכָל־  and  all 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
אֲשֶׁר־  who  [are] 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
לָֽךְ  yours 
Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular