(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)
“Isaac lived in Gerar. The men of the place asked him about his wife. He said, “She is my sister,” for he was afraid to say, “My wife”, lest, he thought, “the men of the place might kill me for Rebekah, because she is beautiful to look at.” When he had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was caressing Rebekah, his wife.”
(Genesis 26:6-8)
Isaac stayed in Gerar. He lived there among the Philistines. But like His father before him (Genesis 12:14-20; 20:1-18), he let fear guide his actions. He passed his wife off as his sister. In Abraham’s case, there was a kernel of truth because Sarah was a half-sister of Abraham (different mothers). In Isaac’s case, Rebekah was his cousin, Abraham’s grand-niece, and not in any way his sister. Instead of a half-truth, Isaac was flat-out lying.
There is no evidence that these inhabitants of Gerar were likely to kill Isaac for Rebekah. In fact, I would think that if they were bad enough to kill a husband, a brother would also be in jeopardy since he would naturally be the protector of his sister. But Isaac THOUGHT they were likely to demand Rebekah. Perhaps he was familiar with his father’s history. Perhaps he was prejudiced against these heathens. Or perhaps there was behaviour that he had observed in other cases. Regardless, he thought he was in danger and followed his father’s example in providing himself with a way out. He also followed his father’s example in that he did not consult God for God’s thoughts or plan of action in this situation.
For a time it worked. Isaac and Rebekah lived unmolested. But as is always the case with a lie, they were discovered. Isaac was interacting with Rebekah in a way you simply would never interact with a sister and he was seen doing it. Not by some random person strolling past, but by the king of the Philistines himself.
What did Abimelech think when he saw this? If he was the same man as when Abraham was around (unlikely because of age), he would have been doubly hurt and angry. If he was the son of that man, he could have recognized the situation from stories about Abraham his father could have told him. If he was simply a ruler holding a title and in no way connected to the previous circumstances, he would have had fresh indignation with no baggage from the past to add to it – but still hurt at the lie. Isaac, like Abraham before him, was a rich man with a LOT of possessions and influence. That he would lie, deceive them, and not act honourably must have hurt and opened the door to doubt. If he lied about this, would he lie about business? If he deceived them here, would he try and make a play for more power and influence? Everything they thought they had in relation to Isaac and the region was now under a cloud. This would change everything.
The sage Ramban writes: ‘AND HE SAID: SHE IS MY SISTER. They did not ask concerning the children for he would say, “They are my children from another woman.”’
The Torah: A Women’s Commentary writes: ‘ISAAC PASSES HIS WIFE OFF AS HIS SISTER (26:6–11) This “wife-sister” episode, like those of Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 12 and 20), portrays a patriarch fearful for his life, protecting himself by posing his wife as his sister. The difference from Abraham and Sarah’s story is that Isaac thinks his wife is irresistibly attractive, but apparently no one else does. Nonetheless, Isaac and Rebekah receive royal protection. Like his father (20:11), Isaac pretends—out of fear—that Rebekah is his sister in order to protect himself. “she is so good-looking.” The same description of Rebekah appears when the narrator introduces her in 24:16 (translated there as “exceedingly beautiful”). Narrative sequence implies that this visit takes place decades later. Apparently Isaac still considers Rebekah alluringly beautiful. his days there stretched out. Sarah’s beauty prompted kings to take her to their palace (12:14–15; 20:2). However, in this episode, contrary to Isaac’s fears, no one takes Rebekah. Is it because she is not as attractive as Isaac supposes, or because King Abimelech learned his lesson with Abraham and Sarah? What follows indicates that Isaac continues to find his wife appealing and cannot keep himself away from her as time passes. Isaac fondling. In an ironic twist, Isaac is caught “playing” with his wife. The verb m’tzachek is a pun on his name, Yitzchak. Here the term connotes laughter and playfulness of the sort that spouses engage in. It is identical with the verb used of Ishmael with Isaac in 21:9, where the connotations were less clear (see there).’
The sage Rav Hirsch writes: ‘V. 6.—11. See Ch. 12,10 et. seq. and Ch. XX. That Isaac’s precaution was not without cause is proved by the fact that, once the true relation between Rebecca and Isaac became known, Abimelech found it necessary to protect them by a decree of the death penalty for any assault. כי ארכו לו שם הימים, after a long time he became less careful. — אחד העם: he probably thought of himself. ‘
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