2083.

1922.

3. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curfeth thee: and in thee fhall all families of the earth be bleffed.

3. And I will, &c. God in this promife to Abram, affures him that he will not onely blefs him, but his

friends; and that he that fhould be Abram's enemy fhould be curfed. In thee: i. e. In thy feed, ch. 22. v. 18. And that Seed is Chrift, Gal. 3. 16. Act. 3.25. All the families: i.e. Not onely the Jews, and those that defcended from Abram according to the flesh, but all the faithfull, Rom.4.11. Gal. 3. 7,9.

4. So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him, and Lot went with him: and Abram was feventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

4. So Abram: i. e. Upon this Promife or Covenant on God's part, Abram depart

ed first from Ur, and then after his father's

death from Haran. Here begin the 430 Years, mentioned Exod. 12. 40, 41. Gal. 3. 17.

5. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brothers fon, and all their fubftance that they bad gathered, and the fouls that they had gotten in Haran, and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan, and into the land of Ca naan they came.

5. The fouls that they had gotten: i.c. The Perfons which they had gotten the poffeffion of; Their Domesticks,and efpecially their Servants, who were part of

their Poffeffions. The word we render Souls,

fignifies Perfons, ch. 14. v.21. And Servants, ch. 36. v.6. Rev. 18. 13. And the word we here render gotten, fignifies to procure or get the poffeffion of a thing, Deut. 8. 17. The Jews add, that these Souls which they had gotten were inftructed in the true Religion; which opinion of theirs, as it is very ancient, and conftantly received among them; fo it is fo far from being inconfiftent with the Text, that it will appear highly probable to him that compares ch. 14 v. 14. ch. 17. v.23. with ch. 18. v. 19.

6. And Abram passed through the land, unto the place of Sichem,

6. The place of Sichem: i.e. The place

where

unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.

where afterwards Sichem was: See ch.34. v. 24. Plain of Morebi.e. A Plain (befet perhaps with Oaks) called Moreh, of which fee ch.35.4. Joh. 24. 25, 26. Jud.9.6. Ca naanite: Abram's worshipping the true God among this wicked people, was the more commendable; and for that reafon it may be mentioned in this place. By Canaanite, in this place, is probably meant fome particular Tribe, or Families, more fpecially fo called, who, in Abram's time, dwelt in that part of the Country. For fometime the word Canaanite is to be taken in that reftrained fence, as Gen. 13. v.7. Exod.3.8, 17., It is evident that thofe are reckoned as a diftinct Tribe or People from the Canaanites, who were yet the Off-fpring of Canaan, and confequently Canaanites. Compare Gen. 10. 15.

7. And the LORD appeared. An Altar: For unto Abram, and faid, Unto thy feed will I give this land; and there builded be an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.

Sacrifice. To which we may fuppofe him moved by the promife above mentioned. Appeared: See ch. 13⋅ 3,4.

8. Beth-el: It is the name of a place called Land after this Beth-el, which word fignifies the

8. And be removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Beth-el on the weft, and Hai on the eaft and there he builded an altar House of God, ch. 28. unto the LORD, and called upon the Name of the LORD.

ner in a strange Land, Heb. 11.9. fhipped: Prayed, fays the Chaldee.

v. 19. Tent: He did not build an House, being but a Sojour Called upon: i. e. Wor

19. And Abram journeyed, going on ftill toward the fouth.

10. And there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down into Egypt to fojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.

11. And

11. And it came to pass when be was come near to enter into Egypt, that he faid unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon:

11. To look upon: i.e. Of Aspect. She was now but about her middle age, (ch. children, and may 23. 1.) had born no

well be fuppofed of that vigour and comeliness which might be a temptation to the Egyptian people.

12. Therefore it shall come to pafs, when the Egypti ans fhall fee thee, that they shall fay, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will fave thee alive.

13. Say, I pray thee, thou art my fifter, that it may be well with me for thy fake; and my foul fall live, because of thee.

fhall be fpared, and well ufed. of thy words, fays the Chaldee.

13. My fifter: And fo fhe was. But of that fee the Notes on ch. 20. v. 12. My foul fhall live: i. e. I Because of thee: Because

14. And it came to pass, that when Abram was come Ento Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman, that she was very fair.

15. The Princes also of Pharaoh faw her and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was ta ken into Pharaoh's houfe.

15. Pharaoh: This is the common name of the Kings of Egypt for a long time after,

16. And he intreated Abram well for her fake: and he bad sheep, and oxen, and he-affes, and men fervants, and maid-servants, and fhe-affes, and camels.

17. And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his boufe with great plagues, because of Sarai Abram's wife.

17. With great Plagues: Jofephus tells us that it was with difeafe and fedition. It is probable

that a disease was at leaft part of the infliction. God here made good his promise to Abram, v, 3 Compare Pfal. 10. 5, 14. 1 Chron. 16. 21.

18. And Pharaoh called Abram, and faid, what is

this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife?

19. Why faidft thou, She is my fifter? So I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore be bold thy wife, take her and go thy

way.

King did not judge himself at liberty

20. And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him, and they fent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.

19. So I might Hence it appears that the very "Egyptians to take another man's thought it unlawfull:

wife and that the
}
in this matter,

20. They fent him away: i.e. They fent him away honourably. It feems to be intimated that he was

difmiffed with refpect; in that it is faid, That Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and that he was fent away not onely with his Wife, but with all that he had. The word in the Hebrew is used in such a fence, Exod. 18.27.

The ARGUMENT.

Abram, and all that belonged to him, leave Egypt, and come into Canaan. Abram continues in Canaan, from whom Lot Separates, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. God renews his Promise to Abram, who remo

ved to Hebron.

ND Abram went up out

Af Egypt, be, and his wife,

and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the fouth.

1.1 Nto the South:

INto

Not Southward; for Canaan was North of Egypt, but into the Southern part of the

Land of Canaan, ch. 12. v. 9. with v. 3. of this Chapter This part of the Land is called the South, Josh. 10.40. ard the South Country, Josh. 11. 16.

2. And Abram was very rich in cattel, in filver, and in gold.

3. And

3. From the South: i. e. From the place which is South of Be

3. And he went on his journeys from the South, even to Beth-el, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Beth-th-el. See ch.12.v. 8,9.

el and Hai:

4. Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the firft, and there Abram called on the Name of the LORD.

during that time, fallen, or deftroyed

5. And Lot alfo which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents.

6. And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their fubftance was great, fo that they could not dwell together.

At the beginning: viz.
Before he went into
Egypt, ch. 12.8.

4. Place of the ALtar: i. e. Where the Altar ftood before he went into Egypt. The Altar it felf might be, by the Canaanites.

5. Tents: viz. To receive his Servants, I Chron. 4.41.

6. Not able: Not because of its unfruitfulness, nor because it was in it felf too ftrait, but because it was then inhabited

infomuch that there was not room for Abram and Lot and their fubftance to remain together. The Canaanite and Perizzite dwelling then in the land, (v. 7.)

7. And there was a ftrife between the herdmen of Abram's cattel, and the herdmen of Lot's cattel; and the Canaanite, and the Periz zite dwelled then in the land.

་

7. Aftrife: This arofe (it is like) from want of convenient room for their Cattel. Perizzite: Thefe Perizzites feem to

be a branch of the Family of the Canaanites, and dwelt together with them, who were called the Canaanites in that part of the Land, which did afterwards come into the poffeffion of Judah, Judg. 1. 3,4,5.

8. And Abram faid unto Lot, Let there be no ftrife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between

8. Abram: It was an argument of great modesty and humi