וַיְהִ֞י כַּאֲשֶׁ֧ר הִתְע֣וּ אֹתִ֗י אֱלֹהִים֮ מִבֵּ֣ית אָבִי֒ וָאֹמַ֣ר לָ֔הּ זֶ֣ה חַסְדֵּ֔ךְ אֲשֶׁ֥ר תַּעֲשִׂ֖י עִמָּדִ֑י אֶ֤ל כָּל־הַמָּקוֹם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר נָב֣וֹא שָׁ֔מָּה אִמְרִי־לִ֖י אָחִ֥י הֽוּא׃
Ketika Allah membuat aku mengembara dari rumah ayahku, aku berkata kepadanya: ‘Inilah kebaikan yang harus kaulakukan kepadaku: di setiap tempat yang kita datangi, katakanlah tentang aku: “Dia saudaraku.”’”
Bereshit Rabbah
“Avimelekh called Abraham, and said to him: What have you done to us, and by what have I sinned against you, that you have brought upon me and upon my kingdom a great sin? Deeds that should not be done, you have done to me” (Genesis 20:9).
“Avimelekh called Abraham, and said to him” – “what have I sinned against you?” “What have you done to us?” – this is [referring to] what it says: “You will die because of the woman that you have taken…” (Genesis 20:3). “What have I sinned against you?” – [this is referring to what it says:] “If you do not return her, know you that you will die” (Genesis 20:7). “That you have brought upon me and upon my kingdom a great sin [ḥata’a]” – “for the Lord had obstructed all wombs of the house of Avimelekh” (Genesis 20:18).29The Midrash interprets ḥata’a to mean punishment (see Zechariah 14:19). “Deeds that should not be done” – Rabbi Ḥelbo said: [Avimelekh said to Abraham:] ‘Everywhere else [you went], prosperity used to go before you,30That is, it used to accompany you. but [when you came] here, famine goes before you.’31Situations that did not usually occur elsewhere in your travels, have occurred here. ]That is what he meant by:] “Deeds that are not done [you have done to me].” [This paragraph is the explanation of the subsequent verse:] “Avimelekh said to Abraham: What did you see, that you did this matter?” (Genesis 20:10).
“Avimelekh called Abraham, and said to him” – “what have I sinned against you?” “What have you done to us?” – this is [referring to] what it says: “You will die because of the woman that you have taken…” (Genesis 20:3). “What have I sinned against you?” – [this is referring to what it says:] “If you do not return her, know you that you will die” (Genesis 20:7). “That you have brought upon me and upon my kingdom a great sin [ḥata’a]” – “for the Lord had obstructed all wombs of the house of Avimelekh” (Genesis 20:18).29The Midrash interprets ḥata’a to mean punishment (see Zechariah 14:19). “Deeds that should not be done” – Rabbi Ḥelbo said: [Avimelekh said to Abraham:] ‘Everywhere else [you went], prosperity used to go before you,30That is, it used to accompany you. but [when you came] here, famine goes before you.’31Situations that did not usually occur elsewhere in your travels, have occurred here. ]That is what he meant by:] “Deeds that are not done [you have done to me].” [This paragraph is the explanation of the subsequent verse:] “Avimelekh said to Abraham: What did you see, that you did this matter?” (Genesis 20:10).
Bereshit Rabbah
“Abraham said: Because I said: Surely there is no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me over the matter of my wife” (Genesis 20:11).
“And also, indeed, she is my sister; the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife” (Genesis 20:12).
“Abraham said: Because I said: Surely there is no fear of God…and also, indeed, she is my sister; the daughter of my father…” – he answered them in accordance with their practice.32They permitted marrying one’s paternal sister but not one’s maternal sister. Thus, Abraham was explaining to them that his marriage to Sarah, according to the prevailing practice, was valid.
“It was, when God caused me to wander from my father's house, I said to her: This is your kindness that you shall perform for me; at every place that we will come, say of me: He is my brother” (Genesis 20:13).
“It was, when God caused me to wander [hitu] from my father’s house…” – Rabbi Ḥanin said: If only we could expound this verse in three ways and thereby satisfy our obligation.33The verse contains two difficulties. First, the fact that the verb hitu is plural, as if there were many gods commanding Abraham; second, the fact that hitu indicates that God corrupted him, as the root of that word, ta’a, can mean either to wander away or to become corrupt. By proposing these following three interpretations, my hope is that I have fulfilled my obligation to address these difficulties. [Abraham was saying:] When the nations of the world sought to fight against me while I was still in my father’s house, the Holy One blessed be He protected me.34The subject of the plural verb hitu, then is not God, but the nations of the world. The word God is expressing a separate thought; that God saved me from them. When the nations of the world sought to lead me astray [lehatot], the Holy One blessed be He revealed Himself to me and said to me: “Go, you” (Genesis 12:1). When the nations of the world sought to stray [litot] from the ways of the Holy One blessed be He, He appointed for them two prominent leaders from my father’s family, Shem and Ever, who would give them warning [to repent].
“And also, indeed, she is my sister; the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife” (Genesis 20:12).
“Abraham said: Because I said: Surely there is no fear of God…and also, indeed, she is my sister; the daughter of my father…” – he answered them in accordance with their practice.32They permitted marrying one’s paternal sister but not one’s maternal sister. Thus, Abraham was explaining to them that his marriage to Sarah, according to the prevailing practice, was valid.
“It was, when God caused me to wander from my father's house, I said to her: This is your kindness that you shall perform for me; at every place that we will come, say of me: He is my brother” (Genesis 20:13).
“It was, when God caused me to wander [hitu] from my father’s house…” – Rabbi Ḥanin said: If only we could expound this verse in three ways and thereby satisfy our obligation.33The verse contains two difficulties. First, the fact that the verb hitu is plural, as if there were many gods commanding Abraham; second, the fact that hitu indicates that God corrupted him, as the root of that word, ta’a, can mean either to wander away or to become corrupt. By proposing these following three interpretations, my hope is that I have fulfilled my obligation to address these difficulties. [Abraham was saying:] When the nations of the world sought to fight against me while I was still in my father’s house, the Holy One blessed be He protected me.34The subject of the plural verb hitu, then is not God, but the nations of the world. The word God is expressing a separate thought; that God saved me from them. When the nations of the world sought to lead me astray [lehatot], the Holy One blessed be He revealed Himself to me and said to me: “Go, you” (Genesis 12:1). When the nations of the world sought to stray [litot] from the ways of the Holy One blessed be He, He appointed for them two prominent leaders from my father’s family, Shem and Ever, who would give them warning [to repent].