Genesis 12:11,14,17: “And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou [art] a fair woman to look upon: (14) And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she [was] very fair. (17) And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram’s wife. Genesis 13:1: “And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife,”
I was reading a work by a Jewish rabbi who said that Abraham was the first feminist. You might smile at that but it may very well be true. In the Middle East today women are treated as servants and almost as slaves to their husbands. They are told what to wear, forbidden to drive and forced into submissive roles. The only bright light shining in the Middle East for women is the nation of Israel where women are respected and given equal rights. It is really odd that the Muslims who believe Abraham to be their father act as if they do not understand the Semitic origin of the name Sarai. Malbim, the 19th Century Jewish rabbi and master of Hebrew grammar taught that Abraham gave his wife the name Sarai because of its Semitic root. The name Sarai comes from a Semitic root found in most Semitic languages as the Akkadian, Ugaritic and Aramaic, it is the word Sar which means a princess or a superior. The addition of the personal pronoun gives the meaning of Sarai as My princess and My superior. Hey, don’t throw rocks at me, I am getting this from learned Jewish rabbis and sages who are far more knowledgeable in the Ancient Hebrew than I and most our Christian scholars.
Why did Abraham consider Sarai his superior? The answer is found in her original name which was Yiskah and comes from the root word sochah which means to gazes. The sages teach that this name reflects the divine gift of Sarai to gaze into the supernatural world, to have spiritual insight and to gaze into the future. It also alludes to her beauty as it was so powerful she drew gazes. Alternatively, the name Yiskah also comes from a Hebrew root nesichut which means princedom and refers to her authority which parallels the name Abraham gave to her, Sarai. Malbim suggest that Abraham gave her the name Sarai in deference to her superior spiritual characteristics and I believe a study of the life of Abraham from Scripture would bear this out.
It is interesting that while Abraham and Sarai were in Canaan she was known as Sarai, the prophetess and the spiritual leader as shown in Genesis 12:11, but once they entered Egypt she became the woman as shown in Genesis 12:14. Just like today, outside Israel a woman suddenly loses all her rights and status. Once they crossed the border into the morally depraved land of Egypt, Sarai was no longer recognized for her leadership qualities, her talents and her prophetic abilities, she was merely the woman. The Egyptians viewed women from only one perspective, their physical attractiveness. Note in verse 14 we learn that God punished the Pharaoh on the matter of Sari as well as the matter of Abrahams wife. When God punished Pharaoh she was no longer the woman, but was Sari ( the superior). There is a deep revelation in the words one the matter. In Hebrew this is al debar. The word debar does mean matter or word, but this is a matter or word from the heart of God. Pharaoh was punished not only because she was the wife of another man but because she was also Sarai, the prophetess, the superior in Spiritual matters as so willed by the heart of God. Pharaoh treated her just as a pretty face and not the gifted woman that she was who shared a divine mission on an equal basis with her husband.
Jewish tradition teaches that when Sarai whispered to her husband Abraham, “Honey, I don’t think so.” He did not stand up and say, “Woman, I am the man, how dare you tell me what I should or should not do.” No, by giving his wife the name Sarai we know today when she whispered, “Honey, I don’t believe this is God’s will,” Abraham responded by saying, “Sorry, guys, wife says no.” I am not suggesting that Abraham was henpecked, but that he recognized the divine gifts of his wife and respected her for them and yes, even submitted to them.
Note in Genesis 13:1 that when Abraham left Egypt he left with his wife. He did not leave with Sarai his wife, but simply his wife. There were times when she was Sarai, the superior, the prophetess, who should be respected for her position and leadership role. Then there were times when she was Sarai his wife, times when Abraham should pay attention to the wisdom and spiritual gifts of his wife. Finally, there were times when she was just his wife. These were times when they were just husband and wife, lovers, companions and friends.
We Christians do not pay attention to these little play with Hebrew words that teach us very important lessons. Had we Christians applied the knowledge and teachings of the rabbis and sages to our study of the works of the Apostle Paul who was greatly influenced by the teachings of the sages, perhaps we men in the Christian church would not be so hard on the women. We would be like Abraham and recognize their spiritual gifts and, yes, like Abraham submit to the authority of those gifts even if they are possessed by a woman. We will let women teach Sunday School classes for children, go to the mission field and do all the hard work, but if a woman has the gift of a pastor or teacher, well, we men will not submit ourselves to that. But one of the greatest patriarchs of all time, Abraham, did that very thing when he called his wife Sarai.
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