Exegeting NARRATIVE Genre

– Genesis 12:10-20
Exegesis for Sermon + Bible
Study
*
PCJB
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devised and prepared
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and leading group Bible studies
may be copied for non-commercial use only
June 2009
Why Bible Study version?

 It is good for preacher and congregation to

work together to understand and apply God’s
Word
 Exegesis can be done by anybody –
including members of a Bible Study Group!
 The message of a sermon can be more
effective if worked on in a Bible Study Group
afterwards
Genesis 12:10-20

Part 1
Exegeting
for
A SERMON
Interpreting NARRATIVE
Narratives vary in length.
They do not always lend themselves to
breaking up into units of thought
and shaping their grammatical structure.

But in shorter narratives

such analysis can still be useful
to determine
the over-all subject of a particular narrative
Genesis 12:10-20 The TEXT
Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to
live there for a while because the famine was severe. As he was
about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a
beautiful woman you are. When the Egyptians see you, they will
say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. Say
you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my
life will be spared because of you.’ When Abram came to Egypt, the
Egyptians saw that she was a very beautiful woman. And when
Pharoah’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. And she
was taken into his palace. He treated Abram well for her sake, and
Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys,
menservants and maidservants, and camels. But the Lord inflicted
serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of
Abram’s wife Sarai. So Pharaoh summoned Abram, ”What have you
done to me?” he said. Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife?
Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife?
Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!” Then Pharaoh gave
orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with
his wife and everything he had.
UNITS of Thought
Now there was a famine in the land,
and Abram went down to Egypt
to live there for a while
because the famine was severe.
As he was about to enter Egypt,
he said to his wife Sarai,
“I know what a beautiful woman you are.
When the Egyptians see you,
they will say, ‘This is his wife.’
Then they will kill me
but will let you live.
Say you are my sister,
so that I will be treated well
for your sake
and my life will be spared
because of you.”
UNITS of Thought (cont.)
When Abram came to Egypt,
the Egyptians saw that
she was a very beautiful woman.
And when Pharoah’s officials saw her,
they praised her to Pharaoh.
And she was taken into his palace.
He treated Abram well for her sake,
and Abram acquired sheep and cattle,
male and female donkeys,
menservants and maidservants,
and camels.
UNITS of Thought (cont.)
But the Lord inflicted serious diseases
on Pharaoh and his household
because of Abram’s wife Sarai.
So Pharaoh summoned Abram,
”What have you done to me?” he said.
“Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife?
Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’
so that I took her to be my wife?
Now then, here is your wife.
Take her and go!”
Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram
to his men,
and they sent him on his way,
with his wife
and everything he had.
STRUCTURE Genesis 12:10-20 TOPICS
In the next frame we will combine:
.

 Shaping the text to show its grammatical

STRUCTURE
.

 Grammatical ANALYSIS (Identifying who does

what where, when, how and why)
.

 Identifying the various TOPICS

For reasons of space the text is divided into three frames

 STRUCTURE Genesis 12:10-20
TOPICS
Now there was a famine in the land, FAMINE
and
Abram went down to Egypt ABRAM
to live there for a while RESETTLEMENT
because the famine was severe.
As he was about to enter Egypt,
he said to his wife Sarai,
“I know what a beautiful woman you are. FEMALE BEAUTY
When the Egyptians see you, ATTITUDE TO WOMEN
they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ FEAR OF WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN
Then they will kill me
but will let you live. SURVIVAL
Say you are my sister, DECEIT
so that I will be treated well for your sake SELF-PRESERVATION
and
my life will be spared because of you.’
SHIFTING RESPONSIBILITY
 STRUCTURE Genesis 12:10-20
TOPICS When Abram came to Egypt,
the Egyptians saw that
she was a very beautiful woman. FEMALE BEAUTY
And
when Pharoah’s officials saw her,
they praised her to Pharaoh. ATTITUDE TO WOMEN
And
she was taken into his palace. ABDUCTION
He treated Abram well for her sake, ABRAM PROVED RIGHT
and & PROSPERED
Abram acquired sheep and cattle, POSSESSIONS
male and female donkeys,
menservants and maidservants,
and
camels.
STRUCTURE Genesis 12:10-20 TOPICS
But the Lord inflicted serious diseases DIVINE INTERVENTION
on Pharaoh and his household
because of Abram’s wife Sarai. ABRAM
So Pharaoh summoned Abram,
”What have you done to me?” he said. BLAME
“Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife?
Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’
so that I took her to be my wife?
Now then, here is your wife. (FEAR)
Take her and go!” EXPULSION
Then
Pharaoh gave orders about Abram
to his men,
and they sent him on his way,
with his wife
and
everything he had. POSSESSIONS
Gen 12:10-20 Summary of TOPICS
 Famine
 Abram (throughout)
 Resettlement
 Female beauty & attitude to women (twice)
 Fear of what might happen (twice)
 Survival
 Deceitful scheme
 Self-advancement and self-preservation
 Shifting responsibility (twice)
 Attitude to women
 Abduction of a beautiful female (twice)
 Abram proved right
 Abram prospered
 Possessions (twice)
 Divine intervention
 Expulsion
Gen 12:10-20 Over-all SUBJECT
Possible subjects:
Worldly-wise behaviour towards women ***

Abram (predominately)
But what about Abram?

Self preservation through public deception ***

Attitude to women and marriage, ****
Attitude to life and truthfulness **
God’s gracious blessing of His servant **
God over-ruling Abram’s mistaken scheme ****
Abram’s worldly-wise behaviour regarding his wife *****
Over-all SUBJECT Gen 12:10-20
What is
the over-all subject of the passage
that
covers every aspect of the story?

(God’s response to)

the worldly-wise behaviour
of Abram
(regarding his wife)
TEACHING on the over-all SUBJECT
Gen 12:10-20
The Worldly-wise Behaviour of Abram:
 Rather than stay in the land God had promised him, he goes
his own way by seeking refuge from starvation in Egypt
 He is ready to compromise his wife for his own benefit
 A shrewd understanding of the world reaps only temporary
benefits; sooner or later worldly behaviour reaps its own
consequences
God’s response:
 He allows Abram to make his own decisions and face the
consequences
 He also intervenes to stop Pharaoh’s adultery with Sarai
 He brings Abram back on track to the promised land along
with his worldly gains
The HEART-BEAT Gen 12:10-20

God graciously protects and restores

believers
who compromise with the world,
but also makes them suffer
the consequences of their behaviour.
Genesis 12:10-20

Part 2
Exegeting
for
A BIBLE STUDY
Interpreting NARRATIVE
INTRODUCTION
We interpret stories
 Intuitively and subjectively as we listen

and
 Objectively as we read (and re-read) and

make detailed observations

NARRATIVE Genre:
Interpreting Objectively
In narrative distinguish:
 Structure

 Setting
 Characters
 Plot
 Context
 Other clues (significant elements)

These all inter-act with each other

NARRATIVE: Setting
Background to the Plot

The Setting Explored

Questions to ask
of the text
and
of external sources
about the background
NARRATIVE: Setting
Setting: Where and when does the event or
episode being related happen?
Look at:
 Physical aspects: places, objects, activities
 Cultural aspects: customs, social values, belief
systems, world view, attitudes
 Temporal aspects: political, national, world
events
 NARRATIVE: Setting Gen 12:10-20

Physical aspects: places, objects, activities

An activity?
 A long journey
A place?
 Egypt, a foreign land
 Pharoah’s palace
An object?
 Various material possessions of Abram
 NARRATIVE: Setting Gen 12:10-20

Cultural aspects: customs, social values, belief

systems, world view, attitudes
Any social values?
 Egyptians held absolute truthfulness above non-violence:
murder did not matter – telling lies did!
 Possessions as status
A belief?
 Illness seen as Divine retribution
A custom / attitude?
 Palace harem:
 Polygamy OK, but adultery not!
 Pharaoh’s power
 When the pharaoh or king, who is the law in his realm, demands a
beautiful woman for his harem, there is no saying, "No."
 NARRATIVE: Setting Gen 12:10-20
Temporal aspects: political, national, world
events

An event?
 Middle East famine
 Migration to Egypt
 Egypt escapes famine because the Nile always

supplies water
STRUCTURE - Divisions
Divisions within the text

Divide the text

into
sections and sub-sections
to highlight settings and actions
Gen 12:10-20 The TEXT : WORKSHEET
Divide into main episodes
Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live
there for a while because the famine was severe. As he was about to
enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman
you are. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’
Then they will kill me but will let you live. Say you are my sister, so that I
will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of
you.’ When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that she was a
very beautiful woman. And when Pharoah’s officials saw her, they
praised her to Pharaoh. And she was taken into his palace. He treated
Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male
and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants, and camels. But
the Lord inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household
because of Abram’s wife Sarai. So Pharaoh summoned Abram, ”What
have you done to me?” he said. Why didn’t you tell me she was your
wife? Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my
wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!” Then Pharaoh
gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with
his wife and everything he had.
Gen 12:10-20 The TEXT: 3 Episodes
Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to
live there for a while because the famine was severe. As he was
about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a
beautiful woman you are. When the Egyptians see you, they will
say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. Say
you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my
life will be spared because of you.’
When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that she was a very
beautiful woman. And when Pharoah’s officials saw her, they
praised her to Pharaoh. And she was taken into his palace. He
treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and
cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants,
and camels.
But the Lord inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household
because of Abram’s wife Sarai. So Pharaoh summoned Abram,
”What have you done to me?” he said. Why didn’t you tell me she
was your wife? Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took
her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!”
Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent
him on his way, with his wife and everything he had.
General STRUCTURE

Further Divisions
within the text

The Plot Outlined

Questions to Ask
about
Its Structure
NARRATIVE: Plot
Plot:
The Problem
 What is the problem or point of conflict or
tension?
The Plan
 What is the plan to solve the problem?
How the Plan worked out
 How is the plan followed through?
Unexpected Intervention
 What was unexpected?
The Outcome
 How was the matter resolved?
 Gen 12:10-20 - The TEXT divided
1st Part
The (double) Problem:
Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to
Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was
severe.
As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I
know what a beautiful woman you are. When the Egyptians
see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me
but will let you live.
On which aspect of the Problem does this story focus?
When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’
Then they will kill me but will let you live.
 Gen 12:10-20 - The TEXT divided
1st Part
The Plan to solve the Problem:
Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your
sake and my life will be spared because of you.’
Gen 12:10-20 – The TEXT
2nd Part
How the Plan worked out:
When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that she
was a very beautiful woman.
And when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to
Pharaoh. And she was taken into his palace.
He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired
sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys,
menservants and maidservants, and camels.
Gen 12:10-20 – The TEXT
3rd Part
Unexpected Intervention:
But the Lord inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh
and his household because of Abram’s wife
Sarai.
Gen 12:10-20 – The TEXT
3rd Part
The Outcome:
So Pharaoh summoned Abram, ”What have you
done to me?” he said. Why didn’t you tell me she
was your wife? Why did you say, ‘She is my
sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now
then, here is your wife. Take her and go!”
Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his
men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife
and everything he had.
NARRATIVE: Plot Gen 12:10-20
The Problem: What is the problem or point of
conflict or tension?

 Abram’s personal insecurity over his wife’s

exceptional beauty
 Wife abduction highly likely in Egypt.
 Adultery taken seriously, murder held lightly!
NARRATIVE: Plot Gen 12:10-20

The Plan: What is the plan to solve the problem?

 Pass off Sarai as Abram’s sister, not his

wife.
 The choice before Abram:
 as “wife” of beautiful Sarai he could expect death;
 as “brother” he could be treated well.
 The action: that of a man desperate to survive.
NARRATIVE: Plot Gen 12:10-20

The Execution of the Plan: How is the plan

followed through?

 Abram’s fears are realised when Sarai is

abducted to Pharaoh's palace
 On the surface Abram himself not only survives but
prospers because of being thought Sarai’s brother
 Doubts must remain:
 Has Pharaoh consummated his marriage to his latest
wife, Sarai?
 What now of God’s promise of offspring for Abram?
NARRATIVE: Plot Gen 12:10-20

Complication: What unexpected intervention

occurs?

 God intervenes by sending diseases upon

Pharaoh
NARRATIVE: Plot Gen 12:10-20
Plot: How is the matter resolved? How do the
characters respond?

Pharaoh
 Realises the real status of Sarai
 Takes Abram to task for deceit
 Expels Abram and all his possesses from Egypt
Abram and Sarai
 Say nothing and leave Egypt
The CHARACTERS Gen 12:10-20
The Main Characters:

 Abram
 Sarai
 Pharaoh
 God
The CHARACTERS’ Behaviour

Their Behaviour
 How is their behaviour portrayed (e.g. as
admirable, or otherwise)?
 Is it appropriate for the situation?
 Why do they act in the way portrayed?
 What are the consequences of their behaviour?
The CHARACTERS Gen 12:10-20 WORKSHEET

Behaviour: How…? Why…? What results…?

 Adam and Sarai

 Pharaoh

 God
The CHARACTERS Gen 12:10-20
Behaviour
 Adam and Sarai
 Conform to Egypt’s cultural norms of behaviour
 Let fear dominate their action
 Compromise their integrity
 Lose face before Pharaoh
 Lose their refugee status & forced to return to famine
 Pharaoh
 Gets scared by the diseases
 Blames it all on Abram
 God
 Protects and even blesses Abram despite his behaviour
Other ELEMENTS Gen 12:10-20
Other significant elements within the text: Do
other elements contribute significantly to the
plot?

 Abram’s increased possessions

 show God’s grace towards Abram despite Abram’s
unethical scheming
Other ELEMENTS Gen 12:10-20

 Order of story information:

 We don’t know at this point of Abraham’s statement
that Sarai is his half-sister. The focus is on God’s
intervention, not the integrity of A’s scheme!*
 See wider context for the fuller story!

---------------------------------------------------------------------
*Should we believe Abraham’s claim anyway, given his
previous deceptions? Gen 11:31 recounts Terah as
taking his “daughter-in-law” Sarai with him from Ur.
Abraham & Sarai’s Close
Relationship
2 Genesis
11:27-32 Accounts 20:11-13 (Abimalech)
(Pharaoh)
(A’s “Wife”) (A’s “Wife” / “Half-sister”?)

? = T E R A H ------------------------------- = ??
|_____________________ |
| | | |*
| Haran = ? ABRAM = SARAI
| _____|______ (*according to Abram!)

| | | |
Nahor = Milcah Iscah Lot
?: The Bible gives no name to these wives
NARRATIVE: Context

Contexts in narrative:
 Literary: the immediate context of the story

in the text
 Canonical: the context of the whole of

Scripture’s story
NARRATIVE: Literary Context
The wider context: How does the literary context
affect how the narrative should be understood?

 History repeats itself later with Hagar and with

Isaac and Rebecca, with equally unpleasant
consequences.
 Deceit and sub-ethical attitudes to the marriage
state continue amongst God’s people
NARRATIVE: Canonical Context
Theology: How does the total story of the Bible
(the canonical context) affect how we should
interpret the text?

 The Bible as God’s Story concerns how

graciously God deals with His people, forgiving
those who repent and guiding those who trust
in Him.
 God’s people are not set up as models for us,
though we can learn from their good examples
and as well as from their mistakes.
APPLICATION Gen 12:10-20
Discussion
What are
the main lessons
you have learnt from this story?
The End