her, faying, Thou art a God who feeft, &c. Seeth me: i. e. That regardeth me in my misery. 14. Wherefore the well was cal led Beer-labairoi: Behold, it is between Cadesh and Bered. 15. And Hagar bare Abram a fon and Abram called his fon's name which Hagar bare, Ishmael. 16. And Abram was fourfcore and fix years old when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram: 14. Kadesh: Josh. 14.6,7. Bered: The Chaldee renders it Hagra. 15. Ishmael: As was required, v. 11. 16. Fourfcore and fix: Thus long did Abram live before the birth of this child, and muft wait Fourteen years longer before he receive the child of the promise. CHA P. XVII. The ARGUMENT. God appeareth unto Abram, as the Almighty God. Abram's name is changed into Abraham, who is promifed to be the father of many nations. God enters into Covenant with him, and renews to him the promife of the land of Canaan. Circumcifion is inftituted the fign of this Covenant. Sarai's name is changed into Sarah, and receives the promife of a fon: Abraham rejoyceth, and intercedes for Ifhmael. God promifesgreat increase to Ishmael, but affures him alfo that he will establish his Covenant with Ifaac. Abraham circumcifeth Ifhmael and the males of his houfe. The age of Abraham and of Ishmael when they were circumcifed. I. AND when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, Appeared: viz In fome vifi ble manner. Com pare and faid unto him, I am the Almighty God, walk before me and be thou perfect. pare v.22. Almighty: Or, All-fufficient. Walk: See ch.5.22. Perfect: i.e. Upright or fincere, as it is in the Margent. 2. And I will make my coveaant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. 3. And Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, faying, as the fenfe he had of God's great Levit.9.24. Ezek. 1. 28. 3. 23. 4. As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. ftian Believers also, Rom. 4. 5. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham: for a father of many nations have I made thee. 2. Make i.e. Eftablifh and confirm, (2.7.) and give a token of it, (v. 11.) 3. Face: Out of reverence to the divine Majefty, as well favour to him, v. 17. 4. Many Nations Not onely thofe who fhall proceed from his Loins, but Chri16, 17. Gal. 3. 7. 5. Abram: It fig nifies an high Father. Abraham: One let ter of the Hebrew word fignifying Mul titude, is added to his Name; intimating, that he fhould be a Father of many Nations, ch. 12. v.2. 6. And I will make thee ex- 6. Kings: Many ceeding fruitfull, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. and our great 7. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy feed after thee, in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy feed after thee. Kings (prang from Abraham; of the Jews, Ifmaelites, Idumeans, Midianites, King the Meffias. 7. An everlasting Covenant: viz. To his fpiritual Seed: And fo to his natural Seed, it would have been had they continued obedient. 9. And God faid unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant there. fore, thou, and thy feed after thee, in their generations. 10: This is my covenant which ye shall keep between me and you, and thy feed after thee: Every man-child among you shall be circumcifed. by the name of the thing which it Acts 7.8. Man-child: Or, Male. mination to the Families.* 11. And ye shall circumcife the flesh of your fore-skin, and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. 10. My Covenant: Or, the fign and token of it, as it is, (v. 11.) It is very ufual in Scripturephrafe to call the Signi fignifies, Exod. 12. 11. The Males gave deno 11. Fore-skin: Thë word is obferved to fignifie Superfluity. And the inftitution of Circumcifion does fairly put us in mind of putting away all fuperfluity of naughtiness. A token: Or fign, by which not onely the memory of this Covenant fhall be preserved, but by which Abraham's feed, to whom the promised Bleffing belongs, fhall be distinguished from others, and separated and marked out as God's peculiar. 12: And he that is eight days old, shall be circumcised among you, every man-child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any ftrang er, which is not of thy feed. 12. Eight days old: He that was eight days old, ought to be circumcifed, tho that day fell on the Sabbath. Till that time a beaft might not not be offered as the firft-born, Exod. 22.30. And the child newly born, till the time was reputed unclean, Levit.12.3.A 13. He that is born in thy houfe, and he that is bought with by money, muft needs be circumcifed and my covenant fhall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. man-14 14. And the uncircumcifed man- 14. Cut off: This child, whose flesh of his fore-skin is not circumcifed, that foul fhall be cut off from his people: he bath broken my covenant. cutting off feems to imply at least an untimely death, (Exod. 31. 14.) and a punifhment generally inflicted by God's hand, rather than that of the Magistrates Levit. 17. 10. and 20.5. And that in this place relates to the offender, not to the infant, Exod. 4.24 Ezek. 18.20, What we tranflate is not circumcifed, Paffively, may from the Hebrew be tranflated in the Active Voice thus, Doeth not: Or, fhall not circumcife. Thus the Chaldee under ftands the word in this place. And then the person who neglects Circumcifion, when he is come to a juft Age, will be an offender, and liable to the punishment threatned to that neglect. 15. And God faid unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou halt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah fhall her name be. . 15. Sarah: The word fignifies a Lady or Princefs. There is a change of one ...letter into another, and that other the fame which was added to her Husband's name, (v.5.) and it feems to be added for the fame reason, it being forthwith promifed that the fhould be a Mother of Nations, (v. 16.) 16. And I will bless her, and give thee a fon alfo of ber: yea, I will blefs her, and foe fhall be a mother of nations: kings of people fhall be of her. 17. Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and faid in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and fhall Sarah that is ninety years old, bear? 17. Laughed i, e Rejoiced. So the Chal dee. And the Hebrew word will bear it, ch. not cenfured for it as 21. 6. Abraham is Sarah Sarah is, (ob. 18.) Nor is it an argument of his unbelief, Rom. 4. 18, 19, 20, 21. He was rather filled with admiration and joy at God's gracious promife. Compare John 8.56. And he does in the following words exprefs himself full of admiration. For befides, that he fell upon his face, He Laid, Shall a child, &c. 18. And Abraham faid unto God, O that Ifhmael might live before thee. 19. And God faid, Sarah thy wife fhall bear thee a fon indeed, and thou shalt call his name Ifaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting cove nant, and with his feed after him. of his 18. Might live: Abraham puts God in mind of his promise, ch. 16. 10. 19. Ifaac: So call ed, not from Sarah's laughter, (ch. 18. v. 12.) but from Abraham's joy. His Name was a Memorial of his Father's faith,not Mother's unbelief. 20. And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: behold, I have bleffed him, and will make him fruitfull, and will multiply him exceedingly: Twelve princes fhall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. 21. But my covenant will I establish with Ifaac, whom Sarah fhall bear unto thee, at this fet time, in the next year. 22. And he left off talking with bim, and God went up from Abra bam. 21. Covenant: i6 Spiritual as well as Temporal, Rom. 9. 7,8. Gal.3.29. Luk I. 55, 72. 22. God went up: The glory of the Lord, fays the Chaldee. Or, that vifible and glo rious appearance, (v. 1.) Went up out of Abraham's fight, Ezek. 3. 23. and 8.4. 23. And Abraham took Ishmael his fon, and all that were born in his houfe, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's boufe, and 23. In the Selffame day: i. e. Forthwith; on that very day when God commanded him.So ready was he to obey God. |