Verses 17-18 conclude this story. In verse 17 Abraham prays for the healing of Abimelech and his females, and verse 18 explains the reason Abimelech’s women are unable to have children. Note that Good News Translation and others combine verse numbers 17 and 18 and place the content of verse 18 before verse 17 so that the reason for Abraham’s prayer is given first.

Then Abraham prayed to God: if verses 17 and 18 are switched, verse 17 will probably show that it is a consequence of verse 18. See Good News Translation. Prayed is the same as in Gen 20.7. See comments there.

God healed Abimelech: healed is a translation problem in some languages, since it often means taking care of someone, performing rituals, or giving medicines. Furthermore, nothing has been said in the story about Abimelech being ill. However, the later part of this verse may indicate that Abimelech had been unable to give his women children. Accordingly it may be necessary to speak of Abimelech’s healing in concrete terms and say, for example, “God gave Abimelech back his vigor,” “God made Abimelech strong again,” “God healed Abimelech so he could make his women pregnant.”

Also healed his wife and female slaves: if healed must be repeated, the expression used in regard to Abimelech may not be suitable in some languages, and so a term must be used that can apply to the infertile women. Female slaves translates a different term than that used in verse 14, but the sense is the same. These are the women of the king’s harem. In 21.10, 12, 13 Hagar is referred to by the same term as here.

So that they bore children: that is, “so that they could have children” or “so that they could become pregnant.”

Verse 18 contains two reason clauses, and it is normally best to place the primary reason first, as do Good News Translation and others: “Because of Sarah….” This may be considered too vague, and translators may need to give more detail: “Because Sarah, Abraham’s wife, had been taken by Abimelech….”

LORD: this is the only place in chapter 20 where Yahweh is used. The Septuagint and Samaritan Pentateuch both have “God.” Speiser believes Yahweh is a copyist’s error due to the presence of Yahweh in the first line of Chapter 21. However this may be, it is best to retain the text as is and translate LORD, unless, of course, the translator renders both God and LORD by the same term. See “The names of God” in “Translating Genesis,” page 13.

Closed all the wombs is a common Hebrew expression meaning “kept the women from having children.”

House of Abimelech: see verse 13 and 12.1.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .