We might expect the prophets to show the highest level of honesty, truth, and reliability. Does the Bible have no hesitation about describing prophets’ lies, and can one indeed find true prophets uttering glaring untruths? We will endeavor to show that prophets’ lies in the Bible were not speaking anything false but that they did intend to mislead or deceive.
The first occurrence of the Hebrew word translated “prophet” is in Genesis twenty. It is used when revealing God to Abimelech in a dream (Gn. 20:7). The word does not convey the thought of predicting the future but in the sense of being a man of God. Abraham goes to Gerar where he introduces his wife as his sister (Gen. 12:11-13; Gen. 20:2). This is one of three times we are given this wife-sister narrative. Only in our text in Genesis 20 does the Patriarch attempt to justify identifying her as his sister. In verse 12, he explains, “she is my father’s
daughter though not my mother’s; and she became my wife” (v. 12). Abraham is explaining that he did not lie but concealed vital information. Therefore, while Abraham was misleading, his point is that he does neither spoke falsely (lie) nor intended to speak falsely.