Rehash
In a sweeping saga of faith and survival, Abraham sets out from Hebron to the lands of the Philistines, marking the 25th year of his sojourn in Canaan. Settling in the mountainous terrain of Gerar, he instructs his wife Sarah to present herself as his sister to shield them from the sinister intentions of the locals. This cunning ploy draws the attention of King Abimelech, who, captivated by Sarah’s beauty, takes her into his palace, unknowingly inviting divine wrath upon his kingdom. The tension between truth and survival reaches a boiling point, with Abraham elevated in status by Abimelech’s favor, unaware of the perilous line he walks.
As darkness envelops the Philistine kingdom, Abimelech is haunted by a terrifying vision of an angel threatening his life for abducting Sarah. In a desperate plea, Abimelech defends his innocence, prompting the angel to warn him of the dire consequences unless Sarah is returned to Abraham. That night, chaos reigns as the land is struck by a divine plague, sealing every womb and spreading fear throughout the kingdom. In a desperate bid for redemption, Abimelech restores Sarah to Abraham, showering him with gifts and imploring him to pray for the kingdom’s healing. With Abraham’s prayer, the curse is lifted, restoring life and hope to the beleaguered land.
In the aftermath of these divine trials, Abraham embarks on a new journey, settling at the Well of the Oath. This sacred site symbolizes renewal and a fresh start, where past tensions are left behind, and Abraham embraces his destiny with renewed purpose. The echoes of divine intervention linger in the air, closing this chapter of Abraham’s epic tale with a sense of serene closure and the promise of new beginnings.
Major Characters
Minor Characters
Insignificant Characters
Watch an explainer video for the Rehash chapter:
Genesis
36%
Jasher
60%
Jubilees
4%
Exposition
Jubilee: 42
Year: 2048
Month: 4
Abraham goes to Gerar
Genesis 20:1
Jasher 20:1
Jubilees 16:10
Rising Action
Abraham asks Sarai again to say she is his sister
Jasher 20:2
King Abimelech takes Sarah
Genesis 20:2
Jasher 20:3-5
King Abimelech questions Sarah and honors Abraham
Jasher 20:6-11
Climax
King Abimelech’s dream
Genesis 20:3-7
Jasher 20:12-14
The angel of YHWH smites the people of Gerar
Jasher 20:15-17
King Abimelech shares his dream
Genesis 20:8
Jasher 20:18
A servant recalls a similar story when Abraham was in Egypt
Jasher 20:19-23
King Abimelech questions Abraham
Genesis 20:9-10
Jasher 20:24
Falling Action
Abraham explains himself and receives possessions and servants
Genesis 20:11-16
Jasher 20:25-26
Abraham dwells in Gerar
Jasher 20:27-29
Abraham prays for healing for the people of Gerar
Genesis 20:17-18
Jasher 20:30
Resolution
Month: 5
Day: 15
Abraham dwells at the Well of the Oath
Jubilees 16:11
Jubilee: 42
Year: 2048
Month: 4
Abraham goes to Gerar i
Genesis 20:1
1 And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar.
Jasher 20:1
1 And at that time Abraham journeyed from the plain of Mamre, and he went to the land of the Philistines, and he dwelt in Gerar; it was in the twenty-fifth year of Abraham’s being in the land of Canaan, and the hundredth year of the life of Abraham, that he came to Gerar in the land of the Philistines.
Jubilees 16:10
10 And in this month Abraham moved from Hebron, and departed and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur in the mountains of Gerar.
Abraham asks Sarah again to say she is his sister
Jasher 20:2
2 And when they entered the land he said to Sarah his wife, Say thou art my sister, to any one that shall ask thee, in order that we may escape the evil of the inhabitants of the land.
King Abimelech questions Sarah and honors Abraham
Genesis 20:2
2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.
Jasher 20:3-5
3 And as Abraham was dwelling in the land of the Philistines, the servants of Abimelech, king of the Philistines, saw that Sarah was exceedingly beautiful, and they asked Abraham concerning her, and he said, She is my sister.
4 And the servants of Abimelech went to Abimelech, saying, A man from the land of Canaan is come to dwell in the land, and he has a sister that is exceeding fair.
5 And Abimelech heard the words of his servants who praised Sarah to him, and Abimelech sent his officers, and they brought Sarah to the king.
King Abimelech takes Sarah
Jasher 20:6-11
6 And Sarah came to the house of Abimelech, and the king saw that Sarah was beautiful, and she pleased him exceedingly.
7 And he approached her and said to her, What is that man to thee with whom thou didst come to our land? And Sarah answered and said He is my brother, and we came from the land of Canaan to dwell wherever we could find a place.
8 And Abimelech said to Sarah, Behold my land is before thee, place thy brother in any part of this land that pleases thee, and it will be our duty to exalt and elevate him above all the people of the land since he is thy brother.
9 And Abimelech sent for Abraham, and Abraham came to Abimelech.
10 And Abimelech said to Abraham, Behold I have given orders that thou shalt be honored as thou desirest on account of thy sister Sarah.
11 And Abraham went forth from the king, and the king’s present followed him.
King Abimelech’s dream
Jasher 20:12-13
12 As at evening time, before men lie down to rest, the king was sitting upon his throne, and a deep sleep fell upon him, and he lay upon the throne and slept till morning.
13 And he dreamed that an angel of the Lord came to him with a drawn sword in his hand, and the angel stood over Abimelech, and wished to slay him with the sword, and the king was terrified in his dream, and said to the angel, In what have I sinned against thee that thou comest to slay me with thy sword?
Genesis 20:3
3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man’s wife.
Jasher 20:14
14 And the angel answered and said to Abimelech, Behold thou diest on account of the woman which thou didst yesternight bring to thy house, for she is a married woman, the wife of Abraham who came to thy house; now therefore return that man his wife, for she is his wife; and shouldst thou not return her, know that thou wilt surely die, thou and all belonging to thee.
Genesis 20:4-7
4 But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, LORD, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation?
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.
6 And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.
7 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.
The angel of YHWH smites the people of Gerar
Jasher 20:15-17
15 And on that night there was a great outcry in the land of the Philistines, and the inhabitants of the land saw the figure of a man standing with a drawn sword in his hand, and he smote the inhabitants of the land with the sword, yea he continued to smite them.
16 And the angel of the Lord smote the whole land of the Philistines on that night, and there was a great confusion on that night and on the following morning.
17 And every womb was closed, and all their issues, and the hand of the Lord was upon them on account of Sarah, wife of Abraham, whom Abimelech had taken.
King Abimelech shares his dream
Genesis 20:8
8 Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid.
Jasher 20:18
18 And in the morning Abimelech rose with terror and confusion and with a great dread, and he sent and had his servants called in, and he related his dream to them, and the people were greatly afraid.
A servant recalls a similar story when Abraham was in Egypt
Jasher 20:19-23
19 And one man standing amongst the servants of the king answered the king, saying, O sovereign king, restore this woman to her husband, for he is her husband, for the like happened to the king of Egypt when this man came to Egypt.
20 And he said concerning his wife, She is my sister, for such is his manner of doing when he cometh to dwell in the land in which he is a stranger.
21 And Pharaoh sent and took this woman for a wife and the Lord brought upon him grievous plagues until he returned the woman to her husband.
22 Now therefore, O sovereign king, know what happened yesternight to the whole land, for there was a very great consternation and great pain and lamentation, and we know that it was on account of the woman which thou didst take.
23 Now, therefore, restore this woman to her husband, lest it should befall us as it did to Pharaoh king of Egypt and his subjects, and that we may not die; and Abimelech hastened and called and had Sarah called for, and she came before him, and he had Abraham called for, and he came before him.
King Abimelech questions Abraham
Genesis 20:9
9 Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? And what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? Thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.
Jasher 20:24
24 And Abimelech said to them, What is this work you have been doing in saying you are brother and sister, and I took this woman for a wife?
Genesis 20:10
10 And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?
Abraham explains himself and receives possessions and servants
Genesis 20:11-15
11 And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife’s sake.
12 And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.
13 And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.
14 And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife.
15 And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee.
Jasher 20:25-26
25 And Abraham said, Because I thought I should suffer death on account of my wife; and Abimelech took flocks and herds, and men servants and maid servants, and a thousand pieces of silver, and he gave them to Abraham, and he returned Sarah to him.
26 And Abimelech said to Abraham, Behold the whole land is before thee, dwell in it wherever thou shalt choose.
Genesis 20:16
16 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.
Abraham continues to dwell in Gerar
Jasher 20:27-29
27 And Abraham and Sarah, his wife, went forth from the king’s presence with honor and respect, and they dwelt in the land, even in Gerar.
28 And all the inhabitants of the land of the Philistines and the king’s servants were still in pain, through the plague which the angel had inflicted upon them the whole night on account of Sarah.
29 And Abimelech sent for Abraham, saying, Pray now for thy servants to the Lord thy God, that he may put away this mortality from amongst us.
Abraham prays for healing for the people of Gerar
Genesis 20:17-18
17 So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children.
18 For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham’s wife.
Jasher 20:30
30 And Abraham prayed on account of Abimelech and his subjects, and the Lord heard the prayer of Abraham, and he healed Abimelech and all his subjects.
Month: 4
Day: 15
Abraham dwells at the Well of the Oath
Jubilees 16:11
11 And in the middle of the fifth month he moved from thence, and dwelt at the Well of the Oath.
Notes
i
Abram was 99, not 100.
Exposition
Jubilee: 42
Year: 2048
Month: 4
Abraham goes to Gerar
Genesis 20:1
Jasher 20:1
Jubilees 16:10
At that time, Abraham traveled from the plain of Mamre in Hebron to the land of the Philistines, heading toward the southern region between Kadesh and Shur. He settled in the mountains of Gerar. This happened in the 25th year of Abraham’s time in the land of Canaan, and in the 100th year of his life, when he arrived in Gerar, in the land of the Philistines.
Rising Action
Abraham asks Sarai again to say she is his sister
Jasher 20:2
When they entered the land, Abraham said to Sarah his wife, “Tell anyone who asks that you are my sister, so we can avoid the evil intentions of the people here.”
King Abimelech takes Sarah
Genesis 20:2
Jasher 20:3-5
While Abraham was living in the land of the Philistines, the servants of Abimelech, king of the Philistines, noticed how stunningly beautiful Sarah was. They asked Abraham about her, and he told them, “She is my sister.”
The servants then went to Abimelech and said, “A man from the land of Canaan has come to settle here, and he has a sister who is extremely beautiful.”
When Abimelech heard what his servants said about Sarah, he sent his officers to bring her to him.
King Abimelech questions Sarah and honors Abraham
Jasher 20:6-11
When Sarah arrived at Abimelech’s house, he saw how beautiful she was, and she pleased him greatly. He approached her and asked, “Who is the man who came here with you?”
Sarah replied, “He is my brother. We came from the land of Canaan, looking for a place where we could settle.”
Abimelech then said, “Look, my land is open before you. Settle your brother wherever you choose, and we will make sure he is honored above all the people of the land, since he is your brother.”
Abimelech sent for Abraham, and when Abraham arrived, the king said to him, “I have given instructions for you to be honored in whatever way you desire, because of your sister Sarah.”
Abraham left the king’s presence, and the king’s gift followed him.
Climax
King Abimelech’s dream
Genesis 20:3-7
Jasher 20:12-14
That evening, as people were preparing for rest, the king sat on his throne. He fell into a deep sleep and remained there until morning. In his dream, an angel of the Lord appeared, holding a drawn sword. The angel stood over Abimelech, intending to kill him, and the king was terrified.
In the dream, Abimelech asked, “What have I done to deserve this? Why are you here to kill me with your sword?”
The angel replied, “You will die because of the woman you brought into your house last night. She is married—Abraham’s wife. Return her to her husband, because she is his wife. If you don’t, you will surely die, along with everyone belonging to you.”
But Abimelech hadn’t gone near Sarah, and he said, “LORD, will you destroy an innocent nation? Didn’t he tell me, ‘She is my sister’? And even she said, ‘He is my brother.’ I’ve done this with a clear conscience and clean hands.”
God responded in the dream, “Yes, I know you acted with integrity, and that’s why I kept you from sinning against me—I didn’t let you touch her. Now return the man his wife; he is a prophet and will pray for you so that you will live. But if you don’t return her, know for certain you will die, along with everyone connected to you.”
The angel of YHWH smites the people of Gerar
Jasher 20:15-17
That night, a great outcry arose in the land of the Philistines. The people saw a figure of a man with a drawn sword standing, and he struck the people of the land continuously. The angel of the Lord struck the entire Philistine region that night, causing great confusion then and into the next morning. Every womb was closed, and all bodily functions were afflicted. The hand of the Lord was against them because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife, whom Abimelech had taken.
King Abimelech shares his dream
Genesis 20:8
Jasher 20:18
In the morning, Abimelech woke up terrified and confused, filled with dread. He immediately summoned his servants and shared his dream with them. The people were very afraid.
A servant recalls a similar story when Abraham was in Egypt
Jasher 20:19-23
One of the king’s servants stepped forward and said, “O sovereign king, return the woman to her husband, for she is truly his wife. A similar thing happened with the king of Egypt when this same man went there. He claimed his wife was his sister—that’s his usual way when he settles in a foreign land. Pharaoh took the woman to be his wife, and the Lord struck him with severe plagues until he returned her. So now, O king, remember what happened last night throughout the land—there was terrible panic, pain, and mourning. We know it was because of the woman you took. Return her to her husband, or the same disaster that struck Pharaoh and his people will come upon us, and we will die.”
Abimelech quickly summoned Sarah, and she appeared before him. He also summoned Abraham, and he came as well.
King Abimelech questions Abraham
Genesis 20:9-10
Jasher 20:24
Abimelech asked Abraham, “What have you done to us? You claimed you were brother and sister, and I took her to be my wife! How have I wronged you, that you would bring such a terrible offense upon me and my kingdom? What you’ve done to me is completely wrong!”
Falling Action
Abraham explains himself and receives possessions and servants
Genesis 20:11-16
Jasher 20:25-26
Abraham replied, “I thought, ‘Surely there’s no fear of God in this place, and they’ll kill me because of my wife.’ And, in fact, she really is my sister—she’s the daughter of my father, though not of my mother—and she became my wife. When God led me to leave my father’s house, I told her, ‘This is the kindness you can do for me—wherever we go, say about me, ‘He is my brother.’”
Then Abimelech gave Abraham sheep, oxen, male and female servants, and 1,000 pieces of silver. He returned Sarah to him and said, “My land is before you—settle wherever you like.”
To Sarah, he said, “I’ve given your brother 1,000 pieces of silver. This is a public vindication for you, to everyone with you, and to all others.” And so she was publicly cleared.
Abraham dwells in Gerar
Jasher 20:27-29
Abraham and Sarah left the king’s presence with honor and respect and continued living in the land—in Gerar. But the people of the Philistines and the king’s servants were still suffering from the plague the angel had brought on them all night because of Sarah. So Abimelech sent for Abraham and said, “Please pray to the Lord your God for your servants, so that this deadly affliction may be lifted from us.”
Abraham prays for healing for the people of Gerar
Genesis 20:17-18
Jasher 20:30
Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his maidservants so that they could have children again. For the Lord had completely closed every womb in Abimelech’s household because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
Resolution
Month: 5
Day: 15
Abraham dwells at the Well of the Oath
Jubilees 16:11
In the middle of the 5th month, Abraham left that place and settled at the Well of the Oath.