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Abraham Dreamed the Egypt Disaster Before It Happened

Before Pharaoh's men came for Sarah, Abraham dreamed it: a cedar, a palm tree, and men with axes. The palm tree spoke and saved the cedar.

Curated by Arthur · Told by Maggid ·
Table of Contents
  1. The Cedar and the Palm Tree
  2. Sarai Taken Into the Palace
  3. The Plague That Would Not Lift
  4. Pharaoh's Anger and the Return

The famine did not break. Abraham moved south from his altar between Bethel and Ai. He came to Hebron. He stayed two years while the land held its drought. He went further south to Bealoth. Still nothing. The hunger that had arrived in Canaan was the kind that does not negotiate, and he made the decision that desperation eventually forces: he turned toward Egypt.

The Book of Jubilees, composed in the second century BCE, records his arrival with calendar precision: he entered Egypt in the third year of the week and dwelt there five years. Five years in a foreign country, living by someone else's rules, under a crown that answered to no covenant he had made.

The Cedar and the Palm Tree

Before he crossed into Egypt, Abraham had a dream. The Genesis Apocryphon, a text preserved among the Dead Sea Scrolls and composed perhaps in the first century BCE, supplies what the Book of Jubilees omits: the vision that arrived before the disaster.

In the dream, Abraham saw a cedar tree and a palm tree growing together from the same root. Men came with axes to cut down the cedar. The palm tree spoke. "Do not cut it down," the palm said. "We come from one root. If the cedar falls, I have no protection." The men with axes stopped. They left the cedar standing. And Abraham, when he woke, understood that the cedar was himself, and the palm was Sarai, and the men with axes were Pharaoh's men who would come for her.

He told her what he had seen. "If they ask who you are to me, tell them I am your brother." This was not cowardice dressed up as wisdom. It was the logic of the dream itself: the only way to keep the cedar standing was for the palm to speak first. He was trusting her with the version of the story that would save his life.

Sarai Taken Into the Palace

The Jubilees account records the entry and the enrichment. When they came into Egypt, the Egyptians saw Sarah and she was very beautiful. Pharaoh's princes saw her and praised her to him. Pharaoh heard and sent for her, and she was taken into his house. For Abraham's sake, Pharaoh dealt well with him: sheep and oxen and male servants and female servants and she-donkeys and camels. The exchange was, on its surface, prosperous. But Sarai was gone from him, living inside a palace that was not his, and no inventory of livestock changes what that meant.

The Plague That Would Not Lift

God struck Pharaoh's house with great plagues. The afflictions were severe and continuous. No one in the house could sleep. Physicians came and could do nothing. For two years this went on, until one of Pharaoh's princes - the Jubilees account names him Bitenosh - was told by Abraham, in a dream, what had happened. He went to Pharaoh and said: "This man is not her brother. He is her husband. What you have taken is a man's wife."

Pharaoh's Anger and the Return

Pharaoh summoned Abraham. He was furious. "Why did you tell me she was your sister? Why did I not know? Now take her and go." He expelled them from Egypt with everything that had been given: the flocks, the silver, the gold, the honor that comes with a formal dismissal rather than a rout. Abraham left Egypt and went back up to Canaan, to the place between Bethel and Ai where he had first called on God's name. He returned to the altar he had built. He called again on the name of the Lord.

The Genesis Apocryphon says Lot went with him. It says Abraham was rich in cattle, in silver and in gold, exceedingly. It says his name had become great in all the land. The dream at the border had been accurate in all its details. The cedar had been threatened. The palm had spoken. The cedar was still standing when they walked back out of Egypt into Canaan.

AbrahamSarahEgyptFaminePharaohJubileesDreams
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From the tradition

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The texts this telling draws on, in full. Open a card to read inline, or expand it for a wider, quieter read.

Book of Jubilees 13:13Book of Jubilees

Book of Jubilees turns to Abraham Goes Down to Egypt During Famine.

Our focus today is on Chapter 13, and it's a whirlwind. We find Abraham on the move. The verse reads, "And he removed from thence and went towards the south, and he came to Hebron, and Hebron was built at, that time, and he dwelt there two years, and he went (thence) into the land of the south, to Bealoth and there was a famine in the land." So, Abraham's journey takes him southward to Hebron, newly built. He stays there for a couple of years before moving on, only to be met with famine.

A family packing up everything they own, traveling through unfamiliar lands, searching for sustenance. This wasn't a vacation; it was survival.

What does one do when famine strikes? You look for food. "And Abram went into Egypt in the third year of the week, and he dwelt in Egypt five years before his wife was torn away from him." So, Abraham heads to Egypt, a land known for its fertile fields, seeking refuge from the drought. He ends up staying for five years. Five years! That's a significant chunk of time. Imagine the cultural adjustments, the challenges of being an outsider.

Then comes a curious detail. "NOW Tanais in Egypt was at that time built--seven years after Hebron." Why this little historical marker? It's like the author is subtly grounding the story in a specific timeline. Maybe to emphasize the ancient roots of these events?

But, of course, the big event in Egypt is the near-disaster with Sarah. "And it came to pass when Pharaoh seized Sarai, the wife of Abram, that the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife." We all know this part of the story. Abraham, fearing for his life, tells everyone that Sarah is his sister. Pharaoh, impressed by Sarah's beauty, takes her into his house. But then, divine intervention! Plagues descend upon Pharaoh and his household.

The Book of Jubilees, like other texts such as the Genesis Apocryphon found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, offers additional details to this already dramatic story. These extra-biblical sources frequently embellish the beauty of Sarah, emphasizing the danger she faced and the miracle of her rescue.

What's particularly striking about this version is the direct link between Pharaoh's actions and the divine retribution that follows. It's a clear statement about the sanctity of marriage and the consequences of violating it. It also emphasizes the power of God's protection over Abraham and Sarah, even when they're in a foreign land and facing immense danger.

So, what do we take away from this brief glimpse into the Book of Jubilees? It reminds us that the stories we know so well are often just the tip of the iceberg. There are layers of tradition, interpretation, and embellishment that enrich and complicate these narratives. It also invites us to consider the human element of these biblical figures. Abraham wasn't just a patriarch; he was a man trying to protect his family in a difficult world. And Sarah wasn't just a matriarch; she was a woman whose beauty and faith put her in a precarious position.

These ancient texts, even the ones that didn't make it into the "official" Bible, offer valuable insights into the beliefs, values, and anxieties of the people who wrote and preserved them. They give us a richer, more nuanced understanding of our shared heritage.

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Book of Jubilees 13:17Book of Jubilees

It tells us, plainly and powerfully, that "Abram was very glorious by reason of possessions in sheep, and cattle, and asses, and horses, and camels, and menservants, and maidservants, and in silver and gold exceedingly."

Quite a list. It paints a picture of Abram not just as a spiritual leader, but as a man of significant material means. He wasn't just wandering the desert with a staff and a dream; he had a whole caravan of… stuff!

How did he acquire all this? The Book of Jubilees skips over the nitty-gritty, assuming, perhaps, we already know. We get a crucial clue, though, from an earlier story: Abram's sojourn in Egypt. Remember that?

The Pharaoh, impressed by Sarai's beauty (Abram's wife, whom he presented as his sister), showered Abram with gifts. The Book of Jubilees then tersely states, "And Pharaoh gave back Sarai, the wife of Abram, and he sent him out of the land of Egypt."

Now, it’s tempting to read this simply as a polite departure. But let's be real. Pharaoh didn’t just hand back Sarai with a friendly wave. The implication is clear: Pharaoh, realizing he’d been tricked, likely compensated Abram handsomely to avoid divine retribution or political fallout. This explains, at least in part, the "silver and gold exceedingly" that the Book of Jubilees mentions!

Then, Abram does something really important. The text continues, saying he "journeyed to the place where he had pitched his tent at the beginning, to the place of the altar, with Ai on the east, and Bethel on the west, and he blessed the Lord his God who had brought him back in peace."

He returns to the place where he first connected with the Divine. He acknowledges the source of his blessings. It’s a powerful reminder that even amidst material wealth, spiritual grounding is paramount.

The Book of Jubilees then gives us a precise dating: "And it came to pass in the forty-first jubilee, in the third year of the first week, that he returned to this place and offered thereon a burnt sacrifice, and called on the name of the Lord, and said: 'Thou, the most high God, art my God for ever and ever.'"

Precise dating was a hallmark of the book, a evidence of its author's obsession with calendars and chronology.

But more importantly, look at Abram's declaration! It's a simple, profound statement of faith: "Thou, the most high God, art my God for ever and ever." It’s not just about acknowledging God's existence; it's about a personal, eternal commitment. Even after acquiring wealth and navigating tricky political situations, Abram's core belief remains unshaken.

So, what can we take away from this brief snapshot of Abram's life? Perhaps it’s a reminder that material success and spiritual devotion aren’t mutually exclusive. Or maybe it’s a call to remember the source of our blessings, and to reaffirm our commitment to what truly matters, even when life throws us a Pharaoh-sized curveball. What do you think?

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Book of Jubilees 14:32Book of Jubilees

We catch glimpses of it in the text, but sometimes, we need a little help filling in the blanks. That's where texts like the Book of Jubilees come in.

The Book of Jubilees, sometimes called Lesser Genesis, belongs to the ancient Jewish writings preserved outside the rabbinic canon. It offers a rewritten, expanded version of Genesis and Exodus, often providing details and perspectives not found in the biblical text itself.

A small but significant passage from Jubilees: Chapter 14, which deals with Abram (later Abraham), Sarai (later Sarah), and Hagar.

So, what does Jubilees add to the story we already know?

The passage starts with a simple statement: "And Abram rejoiced, and made all these things known to Sarai his wife; and he believed that he would have seed, but she did not bear." Abram is hopeful, filled with faith that he will have descendants, as God promised. He shares this with Sarai, but the stark reality is that she remains barren.

This sets the stage for Sarai's pivotal decision. "And Sarai advised her husband Abram, and said unto him: 'Go in unto Hagar, my Egyptian maid: it may be that I shall build up seed unto thee by her.'" Imagine the pain, the selflessness (or perhaps the desperation) behind those words. Sarai suggests that Abram have a child with Hagar, her maidservant, so that she, Sarai, can "build up seed" through her.

This concept of "building up seed" is important. It wasn't simply about Abram having a child; it was about fulfilling the divine promise, about continuing the lineage. Sarai saw this as her responsibility, even if it meant sacrificing her own desires and enduring immense personal pain.

And how does Abram respond? "And Abram hearkened unto the voice of Sarai his wife, and said unto her, 'Do (so).'" A simple, almost passive agreement. The text doesn't explore his emotions, his internal struggle (if any). It simply states that he listened to his wife.

Then comes the act itself: "And Sarai took Hagar, her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to Abram, her husband, to be his wife." This is a deliberate, active choice on Sarai's part. She's not just suggesting it; she's facilitating it.

The passage concludes: "And he went in unto her, and she conceived and bare him a son, and he called his name Ishmael, in the fifth year of this week." The deed is done. Hagar conceives, and Ishmael is born. The text specifies that this occurred in the fifth year of a specific "week" – a detail characteristic of Jubilees’ obsession with calendrical calculations and its attempt to anchor biblical events in a precise timeline.

What's interesting here is what Jubilees doesn't say. It doesn't dwell on the emotional complexities, the potential jealousy, the societal implications. It simply lays out the sequence of events. But in its brevity, it highlights the agency of Sarai, her willingness to take matters into her own hands in the face of what seemed like an impossible situation.

This small passage in Jubilees, then, offers a glimpse into a pivotal moment in the lives of Abram and Sarai. It reminds us that even in the most sacred stories, there are layers of human experience – of hope, sacrifice, and the enduring desire to fulfill a divine promise – waiting to be explored. It leaves us pondering the motivations behind these actions and the long-lasting consequences they would have.

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