A severe famine now struck the land, and as happened before in Abraham’s time. So Isaac mored to Gerar, where Abimelech, king of the Philistines lived.
The Lord appeared to Issac and said “Do not go down to Egypt, but do as I tell you. Live here as a foreigner in this land, and I will be with you and bless you. I hereby confirm that I will give all thee lands to you and your descendants, just as I solemnly promised Abraham, you father. I will cause your descendants to become as numerous as the stars of the sky, and I will give them all these lands. And through your descendants and all the nations of the earth will be blessed. I will do this because Abraham listened to Me and obeyed all My commandments, decrees, and instructions.” So Isaac stayed in Gerar.
When the men who lived there asked Isaac about his wife, Rebekah, he said, “She is my sister.” He was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “They will kill me to get her, because she is so beautiful.” But some time later, Abimelech, king of the Philistines, looked out his window and say Isaac caressing Rebekah.
Immediately, Ambimeleh called for Isaac and exclaimed, “She is obviously you wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister?’
“Because I was afraid someone would kill me to get her from me,” Isaac replied.
“How could you do this to us?” Abimelech exclaimed. “One of our people might easily have taken your wife and slept with her, and you would have made us guilty of a great sin.:
Then Abimelech issued a public proclamation: “Anyone woh touches this man or his wife will be put to death!” (vv. 1-11, NLT)