It’s a question that's been wrestled with for millennia, and Jewish tradition offers some fascinating, layered answers. to one such exploration, found in Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations on the book of Genesis.

Our story begins with Avimelekh, a Philistine king, who, as we read in Genesis 20:3, receives a nighttime visit from God in a dream. God warns him: "Behold, you will die because of the woman that you have taken, as she is married to a husband!" The Rabbis, ever keen to unpack the nuances of the text, use this episode as a springboard to explore how God communicates with non-Jewish prophets, and how that differs from communication with Jewish prophets.

Rabbi Yosei points out that God appears to the prophets of other nations "only at a time that people typically have taken their leave from one another." liminal space right before sleep, when the veil between worlds feels thin. That’s when these divine messages tend to arrive. As it says in Job 4:13, "In thoughts from visions of the night," and "a matter stealthily came to me" (Job 4:12).

But the key question remains: what is the difference between how God speaks to prophets of Israel and those of other nations?

Rabbi Ḥanina bar Pappa offers a powerful analogy. Imagine a king in a grand hall with his friend, separated by a curtain. When the king wants to speak to his friend, he draws back the curtain for direct communication. But with prophets of other nations? The curtain stays put. The message comes, but it's filtered, less direct.

The Rabbis offer a different, equally compelling image: a king with a wife and a concubine. His relationship with his wife is public, open. But his relationship with the concubine is clandestine, hidden. Similarly, God appears to those of the nations of the world only at night, as we see with Bilam (Numbers 22:20), Laban (Genesis 31:24), and, of course, Avimelekh.

Adding another layer, Rabbi Ḥama ben Rabbi Ḥanina and Rabbi Yisakhar of Kefar Mandi suggest that God speaks to non-Jewish prophets with a "truncated form of speech." They point to the verse "God happened [vayikar] upon Bilam" (Numbers 23:4). The Midrash sees vayikar as a shortened version of vayikra – "He called," the term usually used for prophets of Israel.

Rabbi Yisakhar goes even further, suggesting that vayikar is an expression of impurity, linking it to the verse in Deuteronomy 23:11, about someone who is impure due to an "incident [mikre]." In contrast, God appears to the prophets of Israel with "a complete form of speech," an expression of endearment, of sanctity, the same way the angels praise God: "Holy, holy, holy..." (Isaiah 6:3).

Rabbi Yosei ben Beiva succinctly states: "The Lord is far from the wicked" (Proverbs 15:29) – referring to the prophets of the nations of the world – "and He hears the prayer of the righteous" (Proverbs 15:29) – meaning the prophets of Israel.

The text then makes a crucial point about Noahides – that is, all people in the world who are not Jewish. The verse about Avimelekh implies that there is no need to give a warning before punishing them. God was going to punish Avimelekh even though he hadn’t been explicitly told his actions were sinful.

Finally, the Rabbis delve into the phrase "and she is married to a husband [be'ulat baal]." Rabbi Aḥa connects this to the verse "A woman of valor is her husband’s crown…" (Proverbs 12:4). He suggests that Sarah crowned her husband, but wasn't crowned by him. She had her own independent status. The Rabbis even suggest that she was her husband’s superior, interpreting be'ulat baal as ba'alat baal, "the owner of a husband!" After all, God Himself said, "Everything that Sarah says to you, heed her voice" (Genesis 21:12).

So, what does all this mean? It's a glimpse into a complex theological understanding of how God interacts with humanity. It suggests different levels of relationship, different modes of communication, and different expectations. It invites us to consider the nature of prophecy, the responsibilities of leadership, and the enduring power of those figures who challenge norms and expectations. It's a reminder that the divine voice, however it reaches us, calls us to account.