Abram's plan to save his life in Egypt takes a surprising and ironic turn. He simply hoped to survive, yet he ended up receiving great wealth, albeit under the difficult circumstances of his wife being taken to the king's palace [קאסוטו]. Commentators debate the exact source of this newfound fortune. The primary approach among commentators is that Pharaoh personally gave Abram gifts and a royal dowry out of respect, believing him to be the brother of the future queen [רש״י, רד״ק, ספורנו, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Others suggest the source of the wealth is intentionally left unstated to emphasize the positive outcome itself [גור אריה]. Another perspective attributes the fortune directly to God, who watched over Abram and blessed him specifically in the merit of Sarai [אברבנאל, ביאור יש״ר]. This aligns with the idea that any wealth and blessing brought into a person's home comes through the merit of his wife [תורה תמימה, צאינה וראינה, חומת אנך].
The manner in which Abram acquired this wealth sparks further discussion. Some explain that as the king's presumed brother-in-law, Abram became a high-ranking official, causing riches to naturally flow his way [העמק דבר], or that he used the money he received from Pharaoh to purchase livestock [קונטרס חיבה יתירה]. However, a difficult question arises: how could Abram, a man who later firmly refused wealth from the king of Sodom, accept gifts in exchange for his wife's disgrace? To resolve this, an alternative view suggests Abram never received any gifts from Pharaoh at all. Instead, the benefit was simply that Pharaoh did not confiscate his property. The wealth he possessed was the very same property he brought with him from Canaan, which he was allowed to keep—a rare protection for a vulnerable foreigner in Egypt [אברבנאל, הכתב והקבלה, רבנו בחיי, אדרת אליהו]. Another explanation proposes that Abram was forced to take the gifts against his will, as refusing a royal dowry would have exposed the fact that he was her husband rather than her brother [הטור הארוך, ברכת אשר].
The specific list of the property Abram acquired is not random. The order reflects sound economic logic: it begins with sheep and cattle, which form the foundation of an agricultural estate, followed by servants to manage the work, and finally animals for riding and carrying loads [קאסוטו]. A more creative interpretation suggests that Pharaoh sent these gifts in stages. By mixing the servants among the different types of animals, Pharaoh intended to surprise Abram repeatedly, increasing his happiness with unexpected deliveries of wealth [אדרת אליהו].
Among the livestock, the female donkeys originally referred to wild female asses, and only in later periods did the reference come to describe domestic animals [שד״ל]. Furthermore, the traditional text records the acquisition of maidservants in a unique spelling that allows it to be read in the singular. This subtle detail hints at one specific, highly significant maidservant whom Abram and Sarai acquired during their time in Egypt—Hagar [שפתי כהן].