Bible Society of South Africa

Giving and “taking” a woman – Day 3

Se(di)ngolwa (t)sa Bibele

TSHIMOLOHO 20

Aborahama o fallela Gerare

1Ho tloha moo Aborahama a fallela naheng e ka nqa borwa, a aha dipakeng tsa Kadeshe le Shure, a jaka Gerare. 2Kaha Aborahama a ne a ye a re mosadi wa hae, Sara, ke kgaitsedi ya hae, kahoo Abimeleke, kgosi ya Gerare, a romela maqosa ho nka Sara.

3Empa Modimo a etela Abimeleke ka toro, bosiu, a re ho yena: “Bona, o lekgatheng la ho shwa ka baka la mosadi eo o mo nkileng, hobane ke mosadi wa motho.”

4Abimeleke o ne a eso kene dikobong tsa hae; jwale a re: “Morena, na o tla bolaya batho ba se nang molato? 5Na hase yena ya ileng a re ho nna: ‘Ke kgaitsedi ya ka’? Le yena mosadi a re: ‘Ke ngwaneso’? Nna ke entse hona ka letswalo le kgutsitseng, le ka matsoho a se nang molato.”

6Modimo a re ho yena torong eo: “E, ke a tseba hore hona o ho entse ka tswalo le kgutsitseng, mme ke nna ya ileng a o thibela hore o se ke wa ntshitelwa. Ka baka leo, ha ke a ka ka o dumella hore o mo ame. 7Jwale he, kgutlisa mosadi enwa wa motho, hobane monna wa hae ke moporofeta, o tla o rapella, mme o tla phela. Empa haeba o sa mo kgutlise, tseba hore ruri o tla shwa, wena le bohle ba heno.”

8Yaba Abimeleke o tsoha ka madungwadungwana, o bitsa bahlanka ba hae bohle, o ba bolella tsena tsohle. Banna bao ba tshoha haholo. 9Jwale Abimeleke a bitsa Aborahama, a re ho yena: “Ke eng ee, eo o e entseng ho rona? Ke o sitetswe ka eng, hore ebe o tliseditse nna, le mmuso wa ka, sebe se seholo hakaale? O nketseditse dintho tse sa tshwanelang ho etswa.” 10A boela a re ho Aborahama: “O ne o hopotse eng, ha o tla etsa ntho ee?”

11Aborahama a re: “Ke e entse hobane ke ne ke nahana hore sebakeng sena Modimo ha a tshajwe, mme ba tla mpolaya ka baka la mosadi wa ka. 12Le hona e hlile e ntse e le kgaitsedi ya ka; ke moradi wa ntate, feela hase moradi wa mme, mme e ile ya eba mosadi wa ka. 13Jwale eitse ha Modimo a etsa hore ke falle tlung ya ntate, ka re ho mosadi: ‘Molemo oo o tla nketsetsa wona ke ona: hohle moo re fihlang teng, ha o bua ka nna, o no re: Enwa ke kgaitsedi ya ka!’ ”

14Yaba Abimeleke o nka mehlape ya dinku le ya dikgomo, le makgoba a banna le a basadi, a di nea Aborahama, a mo kgutlisetsa mosadi wa hae, Sara. 15Abimeleke a re: “Bona, naha ya ka ke eo; ikgahele moo o ratang teng.”

16Ho Sara a re: “Bona, ke neile ngwaneno silefera e etsang boima ba dikilo tse leshome le motso o mong le halofo; hona ke ho o hlomphisa bohle ba nang le wena, mme mahlong a bohle o lokafaditswe.”

17Yaba Aborahama o rapela Modimo, mme Modimo a fodisa Abimeleke le mosadi wa hae, le makgoba a basadi, mme ba tswala bana. 18Modimo o ne a kwetse dipopelo tsa ba lelapa la Abimeleke ka baka la Sara, mosadi wa Aborahama.

TSHIMOLOHO 20:1-18SSO89SOBula ka mmadi wa Bibele

1. According to the reading King Abimelech would only be guilty of a sin (punishable by God) if he had sex with Sarah because she was another man’s wife. The king could get away with “taking” Sarah if she had been Abraham’s half-sister (Gen 20:12) only, and not his wife.

If you could, what question would you want to ask:
(a) God
(b) Abraham
(c) Sarah
(d) King Abimelech

2. Abimelech, a king, had the power to ‘take’ any woman he desired and “make her his wife” – but not if the woman was already married. The only way a man could “take” another man’s wife was to kill the husband. Abraham, a newcomer in a foreign kingdom, knew that by making it known that Sarah was his sister, would make her sexually available to a man desires her, and there would be no reason for anyone to get rid of him. Abraham said to Sarah, “Wherever we go, tell everyone that I am your brother, “This is how you can show your love to me” (Gen 20:13b).
(a) Like the daughters of Abraham’s nephew, Lot, Sarah is “given” by a man she loves to be sexually exploited by other men. How does this exploitation of women’s sexuality make you feel?
(b) Can you think of any examples in your own context where women sacrifice their bodies and being for the sake of the men in their life?
(c) In light of this Bible study, what are your thoughts about the question “Who gives this woman to be married to this man”? asked in the marriage service after which the priest says, “receives the woman from the hand of her father” and passes her on to the groom?

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