Morrison 1
Kenya Morrison
Professor Jacobs
College Comp I
23 November 2015
Abram in Egypt
Abram in Egypt.
Although Abram is considered one of the biggest religious figures in religious text, the story of Abram in Egypt showcases Abram in a completely new light. Writers of Genesis wanted the story to be interpreted in the reader's own way­ something that could surprise and intrigue a multitude of readers. Through extensive research, sources, and opinions, it can be found that the story of Abram is meant to be what the reader makes of it. So, who was
Abram? A Hero? A man of wealth? Someone trying to ecsape death? Or someone who simply abandoned their marriage?
Abram. A name many hold in high regards, even deeming him a hero, the true prophet of
God. In Thomas Pangle’s,
Political Philosophy and the God of Abraham, Pangle analyzes the story of Abram’s time in Egypt­ challenging readers to interpret the text for themselves. Pangle explains that readers need to look at every perspective of Abram’s time in the promise land;
Abram the Hero, Abram the Sinner, Abram the Liar, and an Abram who simply decided to watch his own back. Pangle also asks readers to question their own views if God himself didn’t punish nor congratulate Abram. So, what is it about Abram? Opening the passage with an analysis of
Abram as an Hero, Pangle showcases how some readers could become quite annoyed with the labeling of Abram as a “Hero”. Being God’s chosen one, the absolute highest of Heroes, one

asks­ Would a Hero abandoned the one true love they had? Would a Hero leave his wife without protection? Pangle explains, “When self­preservation
Morrison 2 requires, he is a man fully prepared not only to lose his beloved wife, together with her honor, but also to tell grave lies” (135). Abram, at least in this context, can be seen as not a Hero at all, but instead a man who was only interested in protecting himself. With this, readers can question
Abram as a Liar as well. Abram lies to the Egyptians, claiming to be Sarai’s brother­ not her husband. “Sarai is appropriated by no less than Pharaoh himself into a potentially adulterous relationship, and her
“brother” gains riches as well as security­ at the wrenching cost, of course, of his beloved wife’s honor and companionship” (134). Being God’s prophet, lying should be the furthest of Abram’s interests, as it is the ultimate Sin to deny the union of one’s marriage. Here, Pangle shows readers that one can look at Abram as a Sinner, Liar, and not the Hero he was played out to be.
However, what if there was another way of looking at his time in Egypt?
Looking out for yourself. Selfishness. Interested in furthering oneself. No matter the name, it is typically frowned upon to only be interested in one’s self. But what if it was at the cost of your own life? Pangle’s put a twist on his previous interpretation, as readers are able to see Abram’s point of view. What is Abram didn’t have ill intent, but instead was fearful of death itself? “Yet Abraham himself, in the Septuagint, reports that he characterized what he was asking his wife to do as ‘an act of justice to me’” (135). Here, readers can see things from Abram’s side.
Maybe the lying, the sinning, was all a plan to keep him alive as a husband, as the prophet.

Readers can further question if Abram might’ve indeed been right in committing these sins, as
God himself didn’t punish (nor congratulate) him. “and though He does not praise it, He indicates no objection whatsoever to it” (135). Here, readers are able to question their thoughts on Abram completely. If the Lord doesn't punish you for something, is it safe to assume
Morrison 3 that you did nothing wrong? Was Abram in fact, a man simply trying to save his life, without thinking about the consequences?
Interpretation (n): the action of explaining the meaning of something, an explanation or way of explaining. Following the theme of interpretation, Karen Armstrong's,
In the Beginning:
A New Interpretation of Genesis
, encourages readers to interpret the story of Abram’s time in
Egypt their own way. Armstrong illustrates Abram’s journey in Egypt, asking readers to take on a new perspective of the story­ Abram’s. Armstong questions the true meaning of the writers of
Genesis­ how Abram’s time in Egypt was simply the story of a man enjoying the many blessing the Egyptians had to offer, and who doesn’t like the wealth of blessings? Karen Armstrong’s,
In
the Beginning: A New Interpretation of Genesis
, shows readers that the story of Abram in Egypt could be interpreted in a multitude of ways.
Beginning with a summary of Abram’s time in Egypt, Armstrong stresses the importance of interpretation. As there were two other versions of Genesis, scholars like E tried to find mitigating circumstances, even theorizing that Sarai was in fact Abram’s sister. “He suggested that Sarah really was Abraham’s sister, which, given the endogamous habits of this family, was not an impossibility” (61). If in fact this theory was true, it meant that everything readers knew

about Abram's story in Egypt­ the deceitful husband, the liar, the sinner­ was all false. Other scholars, like J, theorized that Abram was simply enjoying the wealth of livestock. “The blessed man is creative: he can make his difficult circumstances work for him; living life to the hilt, he attracts life and is surrounded by living things” (61). Here, readers can clearly see that Abram was either a man who was telling the truth (that Sarai was
Morrison 4 actually his sister) or a man who was simply enjoying the blessings of livestock. Armstrong's interpretation forces readers to look at the different perspectives of Genesis, how the writers of
Genesis were not particularly focused on the ethics/morals of Abram's decisions, but on the many blessings he came to obtain, and how the reader can take that information and dissect it themselves. “The story reminds us that the bible does not give us clear teachings…” (61).
Armstrong’s writing allows readers to question their general notion of Genesis. Was Abram actually related to Sarai? Was he simply a man enjoying the many blessings bestowed upon him?
How can one interpret Genesis for themselves? Unlike many interpretations of “Abram in
Egypt”, Karen Armstrong's version allows readers to interpret the story for themselves. But what if readers were challenged to see the story of Abram’s time in Egypt through someone else's eyes­ like that of Sarai?
Women in the Bible. A very taboo and sensitive topic, as many women in the Bible were often second class to men. In Irmtraud Fischer's " omen who Wrestled with God: Biblical
W
Stories of Israel's Beginnings
" Fischer examines the story of Abram in Egypt­ in Sarai’s perspective . Fischer’s interpretation explains Abram’s wrongdoing­ the lies, the abandonment,

and the torture Sarai had to endure due to his greed. Titled “
Sarah’s Abandonment and Rescue
”,
Fischer explains the story of Abram’s time in Egypt. Beginning his journey moving to Egypt due to the Lord’s (YHWH) gift of the promise land, Abram fears his wife Sarai’s beauty will cause him his life. Fischer describes Abram’s plea to Sarai, that she must pretend to be his sister in order to keep his life, and Fischer is not pleased with this at all. “He suggests as a solution to the dilemma that the woman should deny the marital tie and present herself as his sister. What this means in plain language is that Sarai is to be made available to
Morrison 5 other men” (10). Fischer is disgusted that Abram would even think to “break” his marital tie to
Sarai, for it is the ultimate betrayal. Abram clearly only thinks of himself when he presents Sarai as his sister­ yet Sarai is loyal and becomes her very own silent victim. After meeting with the
Egyptians, the Egyptians deem Sarai as beautiful and present her to the Pharaoh himself.
Pleased, the Pharaoh decides to make Sarai his wife! “...she becomes the Pharaoh's wife. Her husband has abandoned her, exposed her to adultery. The problem is solved for Abram, but not for Sarai!” (10). Here, the reader can see Fischer’s clear repulse at the events brought upon Sarai.
Sarai, is just merely a “woman”. She is supposed to be silent, endure whatever her husband(s) have in mind for her, without saying a single word. Fischer believes that Abram’s actions lead
Sarai to be passed on like a worthless human being.
As the story progresses, Fischer explains that without YHWH, Sarai would continue to be the silent victim she was. After deeming Abram’s “solution” as foolish, YHWH puts great plagues among the Pharaoh and the Egyptian people; “...but to rescue the woman at the expense

of others­ that is why he strikes the Pharaoh” (11). Thus, the truth is revealed and Sarai is found out to be Abram’s wife. Appalled, the Pharaoh sends Sarai and Abram off with riches, asking them to never return. Fischer believes that this was not a story of Abram at all­ but to showcase how Sarai was the victim of others. From being asked to break her marital ties with Abram, to being made to be available to other men­ Sarai was the victim in this story. Fischer’s perspective showcases the wrongdoings of a woman, and how the men around her were to blame. But what if
Abram and Sarai’s time in Egypt had more meaning? What if Abram and Sarai knew exactly what they were doing the whole time? Morrison 6 Testing. Trying one who tries you. Now, whatever perspective/interpretation readers read, Abram’s time in Egypt has a similar theme; Abram was a liar, a sinner, someone who wanted the blessing of wealth, even someone who ultimately betrayed their marriage. But what if the story of Abram and Sarai was in fact a tale of trying God? In Eliezer Schweid’s,
The
Philosophy of the Bible as Foundation of Jewish Culture,
Schweid explores the notion that
Abram and Sarai devised a plan to try God, as he was trying them. “Were they trying their God who was trying them? Did they express thus their anger and their disappointment?” (117) As other versions of the story tell, Schweid’s version shows readers that maybe Sarai and Abram were up to more than meets the eye. Faced with a multitude of obstacles, maybe the frustrated and annoyed couple devised a plan in which they would ultimately try God himself. Maybe
Abram (along with Sarai) was tired of constantly being tested by the Lord, thus, wanting to show

their said anger with their God. Schweid’s text has such a unique take on Abram’s time in Egypt, as it explores the notation that the Abram and Sarai were actually testing God, as they believed the trials placed upon them were entirely too much to stand­ “Did they want to force God to extend them a helping hand because they thought that the trial in which they were placed was greater than the power of a human being to bear?” (117) Schweid’s interpretation allows readers to see a perspective in which Abram and Sarai are tired­ tired of the tests and trials brought to be upon them. This text is uniquely it’s own, as many often have opinions that all the wrongdoings in Egypt was up to Abram­ not a divisive plan. With this new interpretation, readers can ask themselves: what was the story behind Abram’s time in Egypt. Morrison 7 All in all, it is very clear that the story of Abram in Egypt is meant to be interpreted in a multitude of way. Beginning with Thomas Pangle’s,
Political Philosophy and the God of
Abraham
, Pangle showcases the story of Abram in a multitude of perspectives. From Abram being a Hero, to being a man who was simply trying to beat Death­ Pangle’s interpretation forces readers to dig deeper.
Pangle does a perfect illustration of the story of Abram’s time in Egypt. Similarly to Pangle’s interpretation, Karen Armstrong's,
In the Beginning: A New Interpretation of Genesis
, allows readers to interpret “Abram in Egypt” in their own way. As many believe the story to be of a greedy Abram, interested in himself only, Armstrong showcases him in a very different light.
Abram can now be seen as a brother, a man who appreciates the blessings (or livestock), or even

a man simply misunderstood. Thanks to Armstrong's perspective, many readers can now interpret Abram’s story for themselves. Continuing, Irmtraud Fischer’s " omen who Wrestled
W
with God: Biblical Stories of Israel's Beginnings
" showcases the story of ‘Abram in Egypt’ in a whole different light. Fischer explains Sarai’s story­ her way. Fischer interpretation shows readers that Sarai was simply the ‘silent victim of others­ from breaking martial ties to almost becoming another man wife, Sarai is simply a victim of Abram’s greed. And finally, Eliezer
Schweid’s,
The Philosophy of the Bible as Foundation of Jewish Culture, puts a completely different spin on the story. Schweid’s interpretation takes a look at the possibility that Abram and
Sarai were simply testing God, as God had continually tested them. Ultimately, the story of
Abram in Egypt is meant for the readers to interpret for themselves, so, who is Abram?