And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, [here] I [am]. Ver. 1. _God did tempt Abraham._] Temptation is twofold - (1.) _Probationis_ (2.) _Perditionis_ The former is of God; the latter, of the devil. God is said to tempt, w... [ Continue Reading ]
And he said, Take now thy son, thine only [son] Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. Ver. 2. _Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, &c._] This was the last of Abraham's ten tria... [ Continue Reading ]
_And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him._ Ver. 3. _And Abraham rose up early, &c._] To show his prompt and pre... [ Continue Reading ]
Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. Ver. 4. _Then on the third day._] A great while for him to be plodding, ere he came to the place. But we must conceive that his brains were better busied, than many of ours would have been therewhile. We must not weigh th... [ Continue Reading ]
And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. Ver. 5. _Abide ye here with the ass._] This, the Hebrews use for a proverb, against such as are dull and uncapable. Zophar saith, that "man is born as a wild ass's c... [ Continue Reading ]
_And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid [it] upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together._ Ver. 6. _And laid it upon Isaac his son._] Who was herein a lively type of Christ, bearing the cross whereon he was offered up. Tω... [ Continue Reading ]
And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here [am] I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where [is] the lamb for a burnt offering? Ver. 7. _Where is the lamb for a burnt offering._] Isaac was not to be told now what belonged to a sacrifice. He h... [ Continue Reading ]
And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. Ver. 8. _God will provide himself a lamb._] A pious and precious proverb; _a_ much to be mused on, and made use of, when we are in an exigent, and see not whither to turn us. Then say... [ Continue Reading ]
And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. _Ver 9. And they came to the place._] Mount Moriah; where the temple was afterwards built. 2Ch 3:1 This was a little... [ Continue Reading ]
And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. Ver. 10. _And Abraham stretched forth his hand, &c,_] What painter in the world can possibly express the affection of Abraham, when thus he bound his son, and bent his sword? Surely that painter that set forth the sacrificing... [ Continue Reading ]
And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here [am] I. Ver. 11. _And said, Abraham, Abraham!_] Twice, for haste's sake: yet not at all till the very instant. When the knife was up, the Lord came. God delights to bring his people to the mount,... [ Continue Reading ]
_And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only [son] from me._ Ver. 12. _Lay not thine hand upon the lad._] As he was about to do, having armed his pious hand, not only with t... [ Continue Reading ]
And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind [him] a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. Ver. 13. _Behold, behind him a ram._] Be like the angel called behind him; which when he tu... [ Continue Reading ]
And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said [to] this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen. Ver. 14. _In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen._] God will be found of his in fit time and place. "To him belong the issues of death". Psa 68:20 None can take us out... [ Continue Reading ]
And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, Ver. 15. _And the angel of the Lord._] Who stood, as a spectator and applauder of Abraham's heroical faith and transcendent obedience. _Spectant Dii magnos viros, cum calamitate colluctantes. Ecce spectaculum, ad quod resp... [ Continue Reading ]
And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only [son]: Ver. 16. _By myself have I sworn._] God swears for the further confirmation of our faith. For here he swore, not more for Abraham's sake, than ours, as the apost... [ Continue Reading ]
That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which [is] upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; Ver. 17. _Shall possess the gate,_] i.e., Both their strength and government.... [ Continue Reading ]
And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. Ver. 18. _Because thou hast obeyed._] This "because" is not so much causal, as rational. _Significat non causam meritoriam, sed subalternam, et sine qua non_ .... [ Continue Reading ]
So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba. Ver. 19. _Went together to Beersheba._] The Hebrews conceive, because here is no mention of Isaac's return, that he was sent by his father to Shem, or that he remained for certai... [ Continue Reading ]
And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah, she hath also born children unto thy brother Nahor; Ver. 20. _It was told Abraham._] Good news out of a far country; God usually cheers up his children after sharpest trials; brings them, as once, from Marah t... [ Continue Reading ]
Huz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram, Ver. 21. _Buz._] Of whom came (likely) Elihu the Buzite, _See Trapp on "_ Job 32:2 _"_ as of Huz some say Job came.... [ Continue Reading ]
And Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel. Ver. 22. _Bethuel._] Of whom _See Trapp on "_ Gen 24:15 _"_... [ Continue Reading ]
And Bethuel begat Rebekah: these eight Milcah did bear to Nahor, Abraham's brother. Ver. 23. _And Bethuel begat Rebekah._] Rebekah is born; Sarah dies: thus one generation passeth, and another cometh. Our children are the Danes that drive us out of the country.... [ Continue Reading ]
And his concubine, whose name [was] Reumah, she bare also Tebah, and Gaham, and Thahash, and Maachah. Ver. 24. _His concubine._] Or half-wife, as the word signifies; one that was between a servant and a wife.... [ Continue Reading ]