Upon arriving in the land of Egypt, Avram realized he might be in for some trouble as Sarai was attractive. He tried to hide her from Pharaoh’s officers but they saw her and determined she was a wife fit for a king. (They were right, but didn’t realize Avram was more a king than Pharaoh would ever be!)
Sarai was taken to the palace but Hashem prevented Pharaoh from touching her, and he and his people suffered greatly. He summoned Avram and told him to take his wife and go. However, he also asked a question that went unanswered. He asked Avram why he hadn’t said Sarai was his wife. But Avram didn’t reply, or at least it isn’t recorded in the Torah. Why did Avram not answer as he answered the king of Grar later on, “I saw people were not G-d-fearing here”?
Perhaps we can understand that Pharaoh’s question wasn’t real. It was posturing. They both knew the truth and that Avram certainly would have been killed for Pharoah’s benefit. It didn’t require an answer because there wasn’t really a question.
