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Why did Abraham claim that Sarah was his sister in Egypt?
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Abraham
The March of Abraham, painting by JĆ³zsef MolnĆ”r, 19th century; in the Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest.
In the biblical account of Abraham, he claimed that his wife, Sarah, was his sister to protect himself while traveling in Egypt.1
Fearing that the Egyptians might kill him to take his beautiful wife, Abraham chose to pass her off as his sister. This deception resulted in Sarah being taken into the pharaoh's harem. While Abraham is often portrayed as a man of great faith and spiritual depth, this narrative highlights his human weaknesses, specifically his willingness to act as an unscrupulous liar to save his own life.1