The KJV Holy Bible

 

Genesis Chapter Twenty

 

1 And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar.

2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.

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.

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.

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.

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.

10 And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?

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.

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.

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.

 

 

Esoteric Interpretation & Commentary

 

The Hermetic Blueprint of Genesis: The Law of Rhythm and the Higher Octave of the Trial

"Upon reading Genesis Chapter Twenty, the analytical Mind often asks: 'Why does Abraham repeat the exact same mistake he made in Egypt?' In Hermetic philosophy, this is a Perfect demonstration of the Principle of Rhythm and the Alchemical process of Distillation. Spiritual Evolution is not a straight line; it is a Spiral. The Adept must repeatedly face similar Psychological trials at progressively Higher octaves to ensure Absolute Purification. While Pharaoh represented the dense, base material passions, King Abimelech represents a Higher, more Refined State of the worldly intellect—the moral ego. This chapter illustrates that even a Highly Advanced Spiritual Will can temporarily lapse into fear, and that the Pure Spiritual Soul (Sarah) cannot be possessed by the Uninitiated Intellect, no matter how 'righteous' that intellect may seem."

 

Verses 1-2: The Journey South and the Cycle of Iteration - "And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country... and said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister..." 

Having just witnessed the apocalyptic Alchemical Fire of Sodom, Abraham (the Awakened Will) moves toward the "south country" (Gerar). The Psychic shock of the previous chapter causes the Adept to temporarily regress into an old defense mechanism. He once again presents Sarah (the Highly Activated Spiritual Soul) merely as his "sister" rather than his wife. Esoterically, he is downplaying the Absolute Authority and Sacred Union of the Higher Spiritual Marriage to avoid friction with the local worldly ruling power. King Abimelech (representing the rational, moral intellect) naturally attempts to absorb this beautiful, Radiant Spiritual Energy into his own house.

 

Verses 3-7: The Divine Dream and the Integrity of the Moral Ego - "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..." 

Unlike Pharaoh, who was plagued physically, Abimelech is warned Mentally through a dream. This indicates that Abimelech operates at a much Higher Frequency of Consciousness. He immediately argues his "integrity of heart" and "innocency of hands," and the Infinite Mind acknowledges this Truth. The moral, rational intellect is not inherently evil; it genuinely desires to do what is right. However, the Universal Law is Absolute: the Pure Spiritual Soul (Sarah) belongs exclusively to the Awakened Spiritual Will (Abraham). The rational Mind, no matter how good or moral, is fundamentally incapable of acting as the true husband (the ruling authority) of the Highest Divine Light. To attempt to force this union results in Spiritual Sterility (death).

 

Verses 8-13: The Confrontation and the Illusion of the Half-Truth - "Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? ... And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place..." 

When the moral intellect confronts the Spiritual Will about this deception, Abraham defends himself by stating she is technically his half-sister. This is the Adept using the analytical Mind's own logic to justify a lapse in Faith. Abraham admits he was driven by fear, believing the environment lacked the "fear of God" (alignment with Universal Law). This is a profound lesson for the Spiritual Seeker: even after Achieving High States of Illumination, the localized ego can still project its own fears onto the external world, causing it to compromise its Highest Spiritual Truths for the sake of temporary physical security.

 

Verses 14-18: The Alchemical Restoration and the Adept as Healer - "So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children." 

Because the moral intellect (Abimelech) unlawfully held the Spiritual Soul (Sarah), his entire household was rendered barren—meaning the rational Mind had completely lost its ability to generate new, healthy, or creative Thoughts. Once Sarah is restored to her rightful place alongside Abraham, the Alchemical balance of the Psyche is corrected. The chapter ends with Abraham acting in his true capacity as an Adept. He prays (channels High-Frequency Divine Energy), and successfully heals the worldly intellect. This proves that the Spiritual Will's Ultimate purpose is not to destroy the rational Mind, but to Heal it, Guide it, and Restore its proper function within the Cosmic Hierarchy.