בראשית, פרק כ׳, פסוק ו׳

God's nighttime revelation to Abimelech unfolds as a complex dialogue regarding intention, action, and divine providence. When Abimelech defends himself by claiming he acted with both an innocent heart and clean hands, God only partially validates his defense. God agrees that Abimelech acted in innocence, unaware that Sarah was a married woman. However, the primary approach among commentators is that God deliberately ignores Abimelech's claim of having clean hands [רש״י, מזרחי, גור אריה, שפתי חכמים]. While there was no malicious intent regarding adultery, his hands are far from spotless. The very act of a monarch using his royal power to forcefully seize a foreign woman is fundamentally an act of violence and robbery [אור החיים, מלבי״ם]. Furthermore, Abimelech personally involved himself in capturing women for his domain, unlike Pharaoh, who had his officials do it for him [קונטרס חיבה יתירה]. Conversely, a minority view suggests that God's validation of Abimelech's innocent heart implicitly acknowledges his clean hands as well [חזקוני].

The fact that Abimelech did not actually commit the sin is attributed entirely to divine providence rather than his own moral restraint. God actively prevented, restrained, and bound him [רש״ר הירש], explicitly making it clear that He did not grant the king the physical power to execute his desires [רש״י, ביאור יש״ר, שד״ל]. This intervention took the form of removing his physical ability and passion at that crucial moment, or striking him with a sudden illness [רד״ק, ביאור יש״ר]. Because Abimelech had not plotted to take a married woman and acted out of initial innocence, he benefited from the spiritual principle that one who seeks purity receives heavenly assistance. God intervened just in time to stop him from committing a severe offense that would have transformed him into an intentional sinner [העמק דבר, בכור שור, מלבי״ם].

This internal restraint stands in sharp contrast to how God dealt with Pharaoh in a similar situation. Because Pharaoh was consumed by lust, he required harsh, external plagues to physically stop him. Abimelech, possessing a more innocent disposition, was protected through an internal suppression of his desires, which was a profound act of divine kindness [רד״ק, אדרת אליהו]. Another reason for this preemptive intervention is the principle that God judges the evil thoughts of the nations and combines them with the deed. Had Abimelech merely intended to commit the sin with full awareness, he would have been liable for death, compelling God to prevent him from even approaching Sarah [אור החיים, פרדס יוסף].

God emphasizes that the prevention was ultimately to stop Abimelech from sinning against Him. Although the unintentional wrong was directed at Abraham, violating basic morality and the world order, especially regarding a married woman, is primarily an offense against the Creator, who implanted basic moral reasoning within humanity [רד״ק]. Additionally, harming God's beloved servants is considered a direct strike against God Himself [אור החיים]. The textual framing of this sin subtly reflects a dual nature: on one hand, it is viewed as relatively light because it was unintentional [ר׳ סעדיה גאון], but on the other hand, it serves as a strict warning that while Abimelech may have treated the abduction lightly, God views the potential violation with utmost severity [רש״ר הירש]. Therefore, the boundary placed upon the king was absolute. He was not merely prevented from intimate relations, but was entirely barred from any physical contact, including a mere touch or embrace, completely distancing him from any possibility of harming the prophet's wife [רד״ק, רש״ר הירש].