Genesis 20:9
ESV
Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, "What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me things that ought not to be done."
NIV
Then Abimelek called Abraham in and said, "What have you done to us? How have I wronged you that you have brought such great guilt upon me and my kingdom? You have done things to me that should never be done."
NASB
Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, 'What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me things that ought not to be done.'
CSB
Then Abimelech called Abraham in and said to him, "What have you done to us? How did I sin against you that you have brought such enormous guilt on me and on my kingdom? You have done things to me that should never be done."
NLT
Then Abimelech called for Abraham. 'What have you done to us?' he demanded. 'What crime have I committed that deserves treatment like this, making me and my kingdom guilty of this great sin? No one should ever do what you have done!
KJV
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.
NKJV
And Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? How have I offended you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done deeds to me that ought not to be done.”
What does Genesis 20:9 mean?
Abimelech appears to be rightfully angry. He calls Abraham before him and confronts him with very similar questions to those asked of Abraham by an Egyptian Pharaoh many years earlier (Genesis 12:18–19). Here, though, the questions have a more pointed tone. Abraham has lied and told Abimelech that Sarah is his sister, leaving out the full truth that they are actually married. When Abimelech took Sarah into his house as an additional wife, he was stricken with a disease and confronted by God in a dream (Genesis 20:3).Abimelech wants to know what he has ever done to Abraham. It's a question asked by a reasonable person: Did I do something to deserve this terrible treatment from you? Unlike the Pharaoh, Abimelech also identifies this near-adultery as a great sin with consequences for himself and his whole kingdom. He seems to agree with God that adultery is wrong. He says clearly to Abraham: You shouldn't have done this.
Genesis 20:1–18 describes what happens when Abraham once again moves to a new place and insists on lying that Sarah is merely his sister and not his wife. Abimelech, the king of Gerar, takes Sarah as one of his wives. He is soon struck with an illness and visited in a dream with a warning from God that he will die if he doesn't return Sarah to Abraham and if Abraham doesn't pray for him. Sarah is returned untouched, Abraham prays, and all are healed.
Here, Abraham practically duplicates one of the oddest episodes in his earlier life. As he did with the Egyptians in Genesis chapter 12, Abraham moves through a new area and claims that Sarah is his sister. The king of Gerar, Abimelech, takes Sarah for one of his wives, but he is soon struck ill. God appears and tells Abimelech he will die for taking a married woman. Abimelech insists he did not know and has not slept with Sarah. The Lord says that if he returns her, and if Abraham prays for them, all will be healed.
