The destruction of Sodom induced Abraham to journey to Gerar.
Accustomed to extend hospitality to travellers and wayfarers, he no
longer felt comfortable in a district in which all traffic had ceased
by reason of the ruined cities. There was another reason for Abraham's
leaving his place; the people spoke too much about the ugly incident
with Lot's daughters.[189]
Arrived in the land of the Philistines, he again, as aforetime in
Egypt, came to an understanding with Sarah, that she was to call
herself his sister. When the report of her beauty reached the king, he
ordered her to be brought before him, and he asked her who her
companion was, and she told him that Abraham was her brother. Entranced
by her beauty, Abimelech the king took Sarah to wife, and heaped marks
of honor upon Abraham in accordance with the just claims of a brother
of the queen. Toward evening, before retiring, while he was still
seated upon his throne, Abimelech fell into a sleep, and he slept until
the morning, and in the dream he dreamed he saw an angel of the Lord
raising his sword to deal him a death blow. Sore frightened, he asked
the cause, and the angel replied, and said: "Thou wilt die on account
of the woman thou didst take into thy house this day, for she is the
wife of Abraham, the man whom thou didst cite before thee. Return his
wife unto him! But if thou restore her not, thou shalt surely die, thou
and all that are thine."
In that night the voice of a great crying was heard in the whole land
of the Philistines, for they saw the figure of a man walking about,
with sword in hand, slaying all that came in his way. At the same time
it happened that in men and beasts alike all the apertures of the body
closed up, and the land was seized with indescribable excitement. In
the morning, when the king awoke, in agony and terror, he called all
his servants and told his dream in their ears. One of their number
said: "O lord and king! Restore this woman unto the man, for he is her
husband. It is but his way in a strange land to pretend that she is his
sister. Thus did he with the king of Egypt, too, and God sent heavy
afflictions upon Pharaoh when he took the woman unto himself. Consider,
also, O lord and king, what hath befallen this night in the land; great
pain, wailing, and confusion there was, and we know that it came upon
us only because of this woman."[190]
There were some among his servants who spake: "Be not afraid of dreams!
What dreams make known to man is but falsehood." Then God appeared unto
Abimelech again and commanded him to let Sarah go free, otherwise he
would be a dead man.[191] Abimelech replied: "Is this Thy way? Then, I
ween, the generation of the flood and the generation of the confusion
of tongues were innocent, too! The man himself did say unto me, She is
my sister, and she, even she herself said, He is my brother, and all
the people of their household said the same words." And God said unto
him: "Yea, I know that thou hast not yet committed a trespass, for I
withheld thee from sinning. Thou didst not know that Sarah was a man's
wife.[192] But is it becoming to question a stranger, no sooner does he
set foot upon thy territory, about the woman accompanying him, whether
she be his wife or his sister? Abraham, who is a prophet, knew
beforehand the danger to himself if he revealed the whole truth.[193]
But, being a prophet, he also knows that thou didst not touch his wife,
and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live."
The smoke was still rising from the ruins of Sodom, and Abimelech and
his people, seeing it, feared that a like fate might overtake
them.[194] The king called Abraham and reproached him for having caused
such great misfortune through his false statements concerning Sarah.
Abraham excused his conduct by his apprehension that, the fear of God
not being in the place, the inhabitants of the land slay him for his
wife.[195] Abraham went on and told the history of his whole life, and
he said: "When I dwelt in the house of my father, the nations of the
world sought to do me harm, but God proved Himself my Redeemer. When
the nations of the world tried to lead me astray to idolatry, God
revealed Himself to me, and He said, 'Get thee out of thy country, and
from thy kindred, and from thy father's house.' And when the nations of
the world were about to go astray, God sent two prophets, my kinsmen
Shem and Eber, to admonish them."[196]
Abimelech gave rich gifts to Abraham, wherein he acted otherwise than
Pharaoh in similar circumstances. The Egyptian king gave gifts to
Sarah, but Abimelech was God fearing, and desired that Abraham pray for
him.[197] To Sarah he gave a costly robe that covered her whole person,
hiding her seductive charms from the view of beholders. At the same
time it was a reproach to Abraham, that he had not fitted Sarah out
with the splendor due to his wife.[198]
Though Abimelech had done him great injury, Abraham not only granted
him the forgiveness he craved, but also he prayed for him to God. Thus
he is an exemplar unto all. "Man should be pliant as a reed, not hard
like the cedar." He should be easily appeased, and slow to anger, and
as soon as he who has sinned against him asks for pardon, he should
forgive him with all his heart. Even if deep and serious injury has
been done to him, he should not be vengeful, nor bear his brother a
grudge in his heart.[199]
Abraham prayed thus for Abimelech: "O Lord of the world! Thou hast
created man that he may increase and propagate his kind. Grant that
Abimelech and his house may multiply and increase!"[200] God fulfilled
Abraham's petition in behalf of Abimelech and his people, and it was
the first time it happened in the history of mankind that God fulfilled
the prayer of one human being for the benefit of another.[201]
Abimelech and his subjects were healed of all their diseases, and so
efficacious was the prayer offered by Abraham that the wife of
Abimelech, barren hitherto, bore a child.[202]