Commento su Genesi 12:16

ולאברם הטיב בעבורה AND TO ABRAM HE DEALT WELL — he means Pharaoh — בעבורה FOR HER SAKE.

ולאברם היטיב בעבורה, as soon as the king had taken Sarai he showered Avram with favours, seeing that she had described him as her brother. The favours consisted of the king sending him livestock, as well as other gifts which he could enjoy personally, so that he would give his consent to the marriage. Afterwards, when he had been punished by G’d, he did not ask Avram for forgiveness but deported him, as opposed to Avimelech (Genesis 20,14) The meaning of the words

ותקח האשה ולאברם היטיב, the members of Pharaoh’s household did not even waste time to seduce Sarai but abducted her forcefully. They thought that seeing that it was a compliment for Sarai to be desired by the king himself, she would automatically consent to such an elevation of her status. Seeing that she had described herself only as Avram’s sister and not his wife, they had no reason to believe that there was a legal obstacle to such a union. Pharaoh himself said “I took her as a wife for myself,” not a concubine, not a mistress. In verse 19 he explains that he had taken Sarai as a wife, feeling certain that she was not legally linked to any other man.

ולאברם היטיב בעבורה, “He conferred benefits on Avram on her account.” Even though Avraham did not want to accept gifts from the King of Sodom (later on), here he was forced to accept the gifts or they would have realized that he was Sarai’s husband.

ויהי לו צאן ובקר, “he retained sheep and cattle.” The word ויהי in this instance does not mean that he now acquired them, but that he retained the flocks and herds he had owned previously. He did not purchase them in Egypt and made profit there. After all, Avram had only asked that his life be spared.

ולאבדם היטיב בעבורה, “and he had done Avram favours on her account.” Rashi quotes the verse without offering any commentary on it.

ויהי לו, is that these gifts which used to belong to Pharaoh remained in Avram’s possession.