The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum Did Abraham Lie?

I thought I would bring a Bible question to the board today.

Did Abraham sin when he told Pharaoh (Gen. 12:10-20) and later Abimelech (Gen. 20: 1-18) that Sarah was his sister?

If I remember correctly, almost every sermon I heard on the matter actually said Abraham did sin.

However, a Reformed friend who is an elder in his Church believes they are mistaken.

He says the following:



Tom

1. Sarah may have been Abraham's "step-sister' but he married her and thus she was his covenant bound wife.
2. All else he wrote concerning Abraham's statement concerning Sarah is total sophistry.

Conclusion: Joseph Fletcher would be proud of James B. Jordon. Jordon is guilty of using Situation Ethics to justify the lie that Abraham spoke.

1. "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." (Gen. 20:2) It is God's truth that states that Sarah was Abraham's wife and not his step-sister and thus Abimelech was guilty of sin.

2. The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree for Isaac was guilty of the same sin of lying when Abimelech saw him fondling Rebekah his wife and told Abimelech that she was his sister.

I am not a highly educated man kinda went to the school of hard knocks had to look up situational ethics boy is that a rabbit hole awaiting . i dont think the Bible is that difficult here sin is sin wrong is wrong thats my two cents worth think i will go look up sophisty. good topic thought thanks bob

Hey Bob,

There's an article on this very subject on The Highway website which doubtless will help you understand what "Situation Ethics" is and why it is totally contrary to biblical truth.

Here ya go: "Situation Ethics" by J.I. Packer

And... here is an old thread from 2004 which you may find interesting as well: Is it OK to lie?

hello Pilgrim thank you for sharing those two articles
Bob

[I] Think God viewed him as actually commiting a lie, and showing lack of faith and trust in Yahweh as being able to protect him and his wife

Did Abraham tell the truth? or did he lie about Sarah being his sister? Can there be any doubt that Abimelech clearly understood Abraham's words and believed that Sarah was not married to him. Why would you think that God viewed what Abraham told Abimelech to be truthful?

Pilgrim

To be clear, I agree with you. The only reason I brought this subject to the board, is because my friend is a very solid Christian. It is quite rare, when him and I disagree with each other.

My reply was that Abraham lied and showed lack of faith in God to protect them

My understanding is the same as yours. Mainly that Abraham did lie, as a result of a lack of faith.
This as far as I can tell, from reading about other biblical characters like David and even Peter, having a lack of faith. Even the most faithful characters in the Bible had their moments.

I see this as descriptive, rather than prescriptive.

Tom

This is a bit of an older thread and I need to state that I have not changed my opinion on the matter.

However, I heard something recently that if true (which I am going to look into).
James Jordan’s position is not alone in his beliefs.

I was told John Calvin, John Gill, Augustine, James Montgomery Boice, Matthew Henry and Johnathan Edwards are in Jordan’s corner.


Here is a list of the theologians mentioned, along with the works where they address the incident of Abraham and Sarah, specifically regarding whether Abraham lied. Each source either defends Abraham as not lying or treats his words as technically true but perhaps unwise or lacking in trust, rather than sinful deception.

1. John Calvin
• Work: Commentary on the Book of Genesis (specifically on Genesis 12 and Genesis 20)
• Position: Calvin acknowledges Abraham concealed the truth but maintains it was not an outright lie. He calls it a “pretense” and a “deficiency of faith,” not a falsehood.
• Quote:

“She is in truth my sister, the daughter of my father… It appears, therefore, that he did not fabricate a falsehood, but that the declaration, though true, was not ingenuously made.”

2. John Gill
• Work: Exposition of the Old and New Testaments (Commentary on Genesis 20:12)
• Position: Gill argues that Abraham told the truth. Sarah was his half-sister, and Abraham’s words were not a lie, though the situation involved a prudent concealment.
• Quote:

“This was no lie, but a truth… for she was the daughter of his father, though not of his mother.”

3. Augustine of Hippo
• Work: City of God, Book XVI, Chapter 19
• Position: Augustine explains Abraham’s statement as technically true. He notes that while it may seem deceptive, it was not a lie because Sarah was truly his sister.
• Quote:

“For she was in truth his sister, being the daughter of his father, not of his mother… it was not a lie, but a concealment of part of the truth.”

4. James Montgomery Boice
• Work: Genesis: An Expositional Commentary, Volume 1 (Genesis 1–11) and Volume 2 (Genesis 12–36)*
• Position: Boice describes Abraham’s act as a lapse in faith and a failure to trust God, but not a moral falsehood. He emphasizes the cultural and ethical complexity of the situation.
• Quote (paraphrased summary from his commentary):

“Abraham’s problem was not so much dishonesty as distrust. What he said was technically true. His fault lay in fearing man more than God.”

5. Matthew Henry
• Work: Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible (Genesis 12 and 20)
• Position: Henry calls Abraham’s strategy a weakness in faith, but not a lie. He affirms the factual basis of Abraham’s claim.
• Quote:

“Though it was no lie, it was a prevarication… it was a weakness in Abraham, and a blemish in his conduct.”

6. Jonathan Edwards
• Work: While Edwards doesn’t comment extensively on this specific text in his sermons or treatises, in his Miscellanies and History of Redemption, he speaks more broadly about God’s providence in redemptive history.
• Position: Edwards does not explicitly call Abraham’s act a lie; rather, he views these events as providentially used by God to demonstrate divine protection and covenantal faithfulness.
• Reference: The Works of Jonathan Edwards, Volume 1 (History of the Work of Redemption)
• Summary: Edwards’ focus is not on moral analysis but on how God uses even flawed human choices for redemptive purposes.

That which is not of faith is sin. Seeing he didn’t fully trust God to protect him from Pharaoh, he told Sarah(wasn’t she Sarai at that time?) to lie. By saying she was his sister, was her way of lying about being his wife. So, they both lied, imo.

As I said before, I believe Abraham did indeed lie.

There is however, an argument I read from people who believe Abraham did not lie.

“If Abraham lied, why was he not at least reprimanded by God? In fact, it was Pharoah and Abimalech that were reprimanded.”

Although I believe that Abraham lied. It should be stated that Sarah was Abraham’s half sister. Yet he said this, to deceive out of a lack of faith.

Tom

Ppl can believe whatever they want, but as you, and others, have said, he lied and also told Sarai to lie. It’s just like a few years ago, there were some trying to say David raped Bathsheba, which is patently false. I said that only to say this, ppl can believe anything they want to, but if the Bible doesn’t back it up, they believe errantly.

BUT...... Abraham married her and thus regardless of the familial relationship between them, Sarah was in fact Abraham's wife! The key to this whole matter is easily seen in the CONTEXT which totally discredits all those who reject the truth of the matter; Abraham LIED and so did Sarah who was Abraham's covenant-bound wife in order to deceive Abimelech and save his own life. Here is what GOD preserved for our instruction:

It would have been a gross sin for Abimelech to take Sarah since she was Abraham's wife. That she was his half sister doesn't even enter into the matter! All attempts to avoid what God's intent of including this event are futile, erroneous, an affront to the Spirit Who had this written down and those who do this miss the value the truth revealed about God could belong to them otherwise. God's sovereignty, providence and holiness are perspicuously displayed and man's sin, fear and lack of faith though also pitifully displayed are no stumbling block to God's eternal purpose to save a people for Himself in the Lord Jesus Christ.

What is the definition of "lie"? Cambridge Dictionary says:

to say or write something that is not true in order to deceive someone:

Merriam-Webster says this:

: to make an untrue statement with intent to deceive
: to create a false or misleading impression

In the application of saying something that isn't true, he did not lie as his statement was true albeit only half true; in the application of misleading or having intent to deceive, in this maybe, since he withheld information with an obvious intent to deceive; However, the question now is, does withholding information constitute a lie? It seems that the general understanding of a lie is to say something that is not true, and misleading or deception is generally considered a different sin entirely.

So did he lie in the traditional sense of saying something that was not true? No... Because he did tell a partial truth. But did he fear for his life and have little faith by withholding the whole truth? Yes! The truth is though, that if he would have said she was his wife, then God would have protected him anyway.!

So the issue here isn't that he lied, but that he had little faith by not sharing the whole truth. In this case, if there was a sin, it would be deception, not lieing..

"(2) If a soul sin, and commit a trespass against the LORD, ... or hath deceived his neighbour;" {Lev 6:2 KJV}

So if it is not a lie to not tell the whole truth, then the question becomes, is it a sin to have little faith? The bible does not indicate this to be true. The King James Version (KJV) of the Bible does not explicitly label having little faith as a sin, nor does it label not sharing all the facts as a lie, but it does indicate that Jesus expressed disappointment in those with little faith, suggesting a lack of trust in God. Verses like Matthew 17:20 highlight that even a small amount of faith, like a mustard seed, can achieve great things. However in this specific situation, God did not express any disappointment with Abraham...

The term "little faith" is used by Jesus to describe a lack of trust or confidence in God. This phrase appears in several passages, including:

Matthew 6:30: Jesus addresses worry about basic needs, saying, "O ye of little faith."
Matthew 8:26: During a storm, He rebukes His disciples for their fear, stating, "Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?"
Matthew 17:20: Jesus explains that their inability to perform miracles is due to "your unbelief" and refers to their "little faith."

Encouragement to Grow: The Bible suggest that Jesus encourages believers to strengthen their faith. He emphasizes that even a small amount of faith, like a mustard seed, can achieve great things, which in this case, even the little faith that Abraham had ended up with him obtaining great riches. It also allowed God to make a show of strength, and as someone earlier said, this was strategic as it was planned out before they even got to town which indicates wisdom and forsight.

And one final though to consider, the law as obtained by Moses had not been established yet at this time and although there were laws that appear to have been known by Abraham, God said in Gen 26

"(5) Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws." {Gen 26:5 KJV}

So in summary, Abraham did not lie in the traditional sense, it may be considered deception but he was never punished for it which indicates that God was not angry with him about it, and finally God himself says that Abraham kept His laws...