Genesis 12:17
“And the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram’s wife.”
KJV
Read in Genesis 12Meaning
The LORD strikes Pharaoh's household because Sarai is Abram's wife, interrupting the apparent success of Abram's plan and protecting the endangered marriage.
Read carefully
The verse belongs to the narrative's theological logic and should not be generalized into a formula for interpreting illness or disaster in contemporary households as direct punishment.
Reflection
Genesis emphasizes that the continuation of the promise depends on God's intervention even when the human bearer of the promise has acted badly.