Genesis 20:16
New International Version
To Sarah he said, “I am giving your brother a thousand shekels of silver. This is to cover the offense against you before all who are with you; you are completely vindicated.”

New Living Translation
And he said to Sarah, “Look, I am giving your ‘brother’ 1,000 pieces of silver in the presence of all these witnesses. This is to compensate you for any wrong I may have done to you. This will settle any claim against me, and your reputation is cleared.”

English Standard Version
To Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is a sign of your innocence in the eyes of all who are with you, and before everyone you are vindicated.”

Berean Standard Bible
And he said to Sarah, “See, I am giving your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is your vindication before all who are with you; you are completely cleared.”

King James Bible
And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved.

New King James Version
Then to Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver; indeed this vindicates you before all who are with you and before everybody.” Thus she was rebuked.

New American Standard Bible
To Sarah he said, “Look, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is your vindication before all who are with you, and before everyone you are cleared.”

NASB 1995
To Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver; behold, it is your vindication before all who are with you, and before all men you are cleared.”

NASB 1977
And to Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver; behold, it is your vindication before all who are with you, and before all men you are cleared.”

Legacy Standard Bible
To Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother one thousand pieces of silver; behold, it is your vindication before all who are with you, and before all you are cleared.”

Amplified Bible
Then to Sarah he said, “Look, I have given this brother of yours a thousand pieces of silver; it is to compensate you [for all that has happened] and to vindicate your honor before all who are with you; before all men you are cleared and compensated.”

Christian Standard Bible
And he said to Sarah, “Look, I am giving your brother one thousand pieces of silver. It is a verification of your honor to all who are with you. You are fully vindicated.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
And he said to Sarah, “Look, I am giving your brother 1,000 pieces of silver. It is a verification of your honor to all who are with you. You are fully vindicated.”

American Standard Version
And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, it is for thee a covering of the eyes to all that are with thee; and in respect of all thou art righted.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And to Sara he said, “Behold, I have given one thousand silver pieces to your brother, and behold, that also has been given to you because you were concealed from the eyes of everyone that is with me, and about everything you proved me wrong.”

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And to Sarrha he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver, those shall be to thee for the price of thy countenance, and to all the women with thee, and speak the truth in all things.

Contemporary English Version
Then he said to Sarah, "I have given your brother 1,000 pieces of silver as proof to everyone that you have done nothing wrong."

Douay-Rheims Bible
And to Sara he said: Behold I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: this shall serve thee for a covering of thy eyes to all that are with thee, and whithersoever thou shalt go: and remember thou wast taken.

English Revised Version
And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, it is for thee a covering of the eyes to all that are with thee; and in respect of all thou art righted.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
He said to Sarah, "Don't forget, I've given your brother 25 pounds of silver. This is to silence any criticism against you from everyone with you. You're completely cleared."

Good News Translation
He said to Sarah, "I am giving your brother a thousand pieces of silver as proof to all who are with you that you are innocent; everyone will know that you have done no wrong."

International Standard Version
Abimelech also told Sarah, "Look! I am giving your brother 1,000 pieces of silver to vindicate you in the eyes of all who are with you. As a result, you will be completely vindicated."

JPS Tanakh 1917
And unto Sarah he said: 'Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver; behold, it is for thee a covering of the eyes to all that are with thee; and before all men thou art righted.'

Literal Standard Version
and to Sarah he has said, “Behold, I have given one thousand pieces of silver to your brother; behold, it is to you a covering of eyes, to all who are with you”; and by all this she is reasoned with.

Majority Standard Bible
And he said to Sarah, “See, I am giving your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is your vindication before all who are with you; you are completely cleared.”

New American Bible
To Sarah he said: “I hereby give your brother a thousand shekels of silver. This will preserve your honor before all who are with you and will exonerate you before everyone.”

NET Bible
To Sarah he said, "Look, I have given a thousand pieces of silver to your 'brother.' This is compensation for you so that you will stand vindicated before all who are with you."

New Revised Standard Version
To Sarah he said, “Look, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver; it is your exoneration before all who are with you; you are completely vindicated.”

New Heart English Bible
To Sarah he said, "Look, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. Look, it is to cover the offense against you before all who are with you. In front of all you are vindicated."

Webster's Bible Translation
And to Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, to all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved.

World English Bible
To Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. Behold, it is for you a covering of the eyes to all that are with you. In front of all you are vindicated.”

Young's Literal Translation
and to Sarah he hath said, 'Lo, I have given a thousand silverlings to thy brother; lo, it is to thee a covering of eyes, to all who are with thee;' and by all this she is reasoned with.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Abraham, Sarah, and Abimelech
15And Abimelech said, “Look, my land is before you. Settle wherever you please.” 16And he said to Sarah, “See, I am giving your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is your vindication before all who are with you; you are completely cleared.” 17Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maidservants, so that they could again bear children—…

Cross References
Genesis 20:5
Didn't Abraham tell me, 'She is my sister'? And she herself said, 'He is my brother.' I have done this in the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands."

Genesis 20:17
Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maidservants, so that they could again bear children--


Treasury of Scripture

And to Sarah he said, Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to you a covering of the eyes, to all that are with you, and with all other: thus she was reproved.

thy.

Genesis 20:5
Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this.

Proverbs 27:5
Open rebuke is better than secret love.

thousand.

Genesis 23:15
My lord, hearken unto me: the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that betwixt me and thee? bury therefore thy dead.

Genesis 23:16
And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, current money with the merchant.

behold.

Genesis 26:11
And Abimelech charged all his people, saying, He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.

a covering.

Genesis 24:65
For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself.

thus.

1 Chronicles 21:3-6
And Joab answered, The LORD make his people an hundred times so many more as they be: but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord's servants? why then doth my lord require this thing? why will he be a cause of trespass to Israel? …

Proverbs 9:8,9
Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee…

Proverbs 12:1
Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish.

Jump to Previous
Bits Clear Cleared Cover Covering Eyes Front Honour Offense Pieces Reasoned Reproved Respect Right Sarah Shekels Silver Silverlings Thousand Vindicated Vindication Wrong
Jump to Next
Bits Clear Cleared Cover Covering Eyes Front Honour Offense Pieces Reasoned Reproved Respect Right Sarah Shekels Silver Silverlings Thousand Vindicated Vindication Wrong
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.














(16) A thousand pieces of silver.--Heb., a thousand of silver. This was the total value of Abimelech's present, and not an additional gift. A thousand shekels would be about 125, a large sum at a time when silver was scarce and dear.

He is to thee a covering of the eyes.--This speech of Abimelech is full of difficulty. It begins with a touch of irony in calling Abraham "thy brother." Next, if the pronoun is translated in the masculine, he, the meaning would be that Abraham ought to have been Sarah's protector, but had failed in this duty; but, more probably, it is neuter, and refers to the gift. The "covering of the eyes" may mean a veil to protect her from the wanton desires of others, or to conceal her shame at the wrong done to her. Finally, the verb rendered "reproved" is equivocal, and should rather be translated righted. It may also be the third person singular feminine, as in our version, or the second person, in which case it is part of Abimelech's speech. The clause "and with all" must then be taken with this verb, and the whole be rendered, and in everything thou art even righted. The correct rendering probably is, "And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother (a gift worth) a thousand (pieces) of silver: behold, it shall be to thee for a covering of the eyes to all that are with thee (that is,--so large a compensation for the wrong done thee in taking thee from thy husband, will be a proof to all thy friends and attendants that thou hast not been disgraced, but treated with honour); and in respect of all that has happened thou art thus righted."

Verse 16. - And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy Brother a thousand pieces of silver. Literally, a thousand of silver, the exact weight of each piece being uncertain. If sacred shekels (Gesenius, Keil, Kalisch) their value would be over £130, if shekels ordinary somewhat less. Behold, he - i.e. thy brother; or it, i.e. the present (LXX., Vulgate, Targums, Syriac) - is to thee a covering of the eyes. כְּסוּת עֵינַיִם (from a root signifying to cover over) has been understood as

(1) a propitiatory gift - τιμὴ (LXX.), or

(2) a veil for the protection of the face;

and, according as the subject of the sentence has been regarded as Abraham or the sum of money, the sense of the clause has been given as either . . .

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
And he said
אָמַ֗ר (’ā·mar)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

to Sarah,
וּלְשָׂרָ֣ה (ū·lə·śā·rāh)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 8283: Sarah -- 'princess', a wife of Abraham

“See,
הִנֵּ֨ה (hin·nêh)
Interjection
Strong's 2009: Lo! behold!

I am giving
נָתַ֜תִּי (nā·ṯat·tî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

your brother
לְאָחִ֔יךְ (lə·’ā·ḥîḵ)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct | second person feminine singular
Strong's 251: A brother, )

a thousand [pieces]
אֶ֤לֶף (’e·lep̄)
Number - masculine singular
Strong's 505: A thousand

of silver.
כֶּ֙סֶף֙ (ke·sep̄)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3701: Silver, money

It [is]
הוּא־ (hū-)
Pronoun - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

your
לָךְ֙ (lāḵ)
Preposition | second person feminine singular
Strong's Hebrew

vindication
כְּס֣וּת (kə·sūṯ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 3682: A cover, a veiling

before all
לְכֹ֖ל (lə·ḵōl)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

who
אֲשֶׁ֣ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

are with you;
אִתָּ֑ךְ (’it·tāḵ)
Preposition | second person feminine singular
Strong's 854: Nearness, near, with, by, at, among

you are completely
כֹּ֖ל (kōl)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

cleared.”
וְנֹכָֽחַת׃ (wə·nō·ḵā·ḥaṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Participle - feminine singular
Strong's 3198: To be right, reciprocal, to argue, to decide, justify, convict


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OT Law: Genesis 20:16 To Sarah he said Behold I have (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 20:15
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