Genesis 12:18 (YLT)

Passage

And Pharaoh calleth for Abram, and saith, `What <FI>is<Fi> this thou hast done to me? why hast thou not declared to me that she <FI>is<Fi> thy wife?

Nearby Context

Genesis 12:16 and to Abram he hath done good because of her, and he hath sheep and oxen, and he-asses, and men-servants, and handmaids, and she-asses, and camels.

Genesis 12:17 And Jehovah plagueth Pharaoh and his house--great plagues--for the matter of Sarai, Abram's wife.

Genesis 12:18 And Pharaoh calleth for Abram, and saith, `What <FI>is<Fi> this thou hast done to me? why hast thou not declared to me that she <FI>is<Fi> thy wife?

Genesis 12:19 Why hast thou said, She <FI>is<Fi> my sister, and I take her to myself for a wife? and now, lo, thy wife, take and go.'

Genesis 12:20 And Pharaoh chargeth men concerning him, and they send him away, and his wife, an all that he hath.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "pharaoh", "calleth", "abram", "saith", "thou", "hast", and "done". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "pharaoh" and "calleth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "And Jehovah plagueth Pharaoh and his house--great..." into verse 19's "Why hast thou said She FI is...", so "pharaoh" and "calleth" 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 "pharaoh" and "calleth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.