"So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house. (Gen 12,14-15)

Abram entered Egypt with an unhappy heart full of worries. Not only had he (already before) lost the certainty that he would always be well in the Promised Land, but he also felt that something was completely wrong from the beginning of his Egyptian adventure. What a difference compared to previous months, when he was accompanied by internal security, confirmed by external success. But now it was gone, and in his heart he now had to fight fear.

It seemed to Abram that he had never been in such a difficult situation in his life that he had to lie about his wife. He decided to do so for sure before entering Egypt, when he had no idea what awaited them there. But his caravan was so impressive that it simply could not hide among others who also descended to Egypt in search of food. He expected it to cause a commotion. Abram apparently already had the dignity of princes, and he did not shy away from the ruling class either - he did not go to the countryside, but to the capital, near the seat of the princes, where he was noticed by Pharaoh's courtiers.

His lie eventually caused Sarah to be taken from him and offered to Pharaoh. Abram was consumed by despair. He didn't understand how he could find himself in such a crazy situation. He would have preferred to cancel the whole expedition and return, but he was trapped: he couldn't leave without Sarah, but he didn't know how to get her back.

Abram tried to call for the help of his new god, but it was not easy because he felt that he had somehow deviated from his journey recently. He realised that fear was not a good counselor, and if it affected someone, he seldom makes the right decision.