Genesis 12:11 (GNV)

Passage

And when he drewe neere to enter into Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, Beholde nowe, I know that thou art a faire woman to looke vpon:

Nearby Context

Genesis 12:9 Againe Abram went forth going and iourneying toward the South.

Genesis 12:10 Then there came a famine in the land: therefore Abram went downe into Egypt to soiourne there: for there was a great famine in the lande.

Genesis 12:11 And when he drewe neere to enter into Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, Beholde nowe, I know that thou art a faire woman to looke vpon:

Genesis 12:12 Therefore it will come to passe, that when the Egyptians see thee, they will say, She is his wife: so will they kill me, but they will keepe thee aliue.

Genesis 12:13 Say, I pray thee, that thou art my sister, that I may fare well for thy sake, and that my life may be preserued by thee.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "drewe", "neere", "enter", "egypt", "said", "sarai", "wife", and "beholde". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "drewe" and "neere", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "Then there came a famine in the..." into verse 12's "Therefore it will come to passe that...", so "drewe" and "neere" 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 "drewe" and "neere" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.