And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon.
The people at that place asked him about his wife. He replied that she was his sister, because he was afraid to say she was his wife. He worried that if they knew the truth – that she was beautiful – they might kill him to take Rebekah.