Genesis 12:13 (KJV)

Passage

Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.

Nearby Context

Genesis 12:11 And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon:

Genesis 12:12 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive.

Genesis 12:13 Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.

Genesis 12:14 And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair.

Genesis 12:15 The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "pray", "thee", "thou", "sister", "well", "sake", "soul", and "shall". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "pray" and "thee", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "Therefore it shall come to pass when..." into verse 14's "And it came to pass that when...", so "pray" and "thee" belong inside that flow. In Genesis context, the local focus is creation, human rebellion, covenant promise, and God's providence.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "pray" and "thee" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.