Genesis 12:17 (LSB)

Passage

But Yahweh struck Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.

Nearby Context

Genesis 12:15 And Pharaoh’s officials saw her and praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house.

Genesis 12:16 Therefore he treated Abram well because of her; and sheep and oxen and donkeys and male and female servants and female donkeys and camels came into his possession.

Genesis 12:17 But Yahweh struck Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.

Genesis 12:18 Then Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?

Genesis 12:19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for myself as a wife? So now, here is your wife, take her and go.”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "yahweh", "struck", "pharaoh", "house", "great", "plagues", "sarai", and "abram". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "yahweh" and "struck", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "Therefore he treated Abram well because of..." into verse 18's "Then Pharaoh called Abram and said What...", so "yahweh" and "struck" 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 "yahweh" and "struck" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.