forget. His farther removals tended southward, until at length a famine in Palestine compelled him to with- draw into Egypt, where corn abounded. Here his ap- prehension that the beauty of his wife Sarai might bring him into danger with the dusk}' Egyptians over- came his faith and rectitude, and he gave out that she was his sister (comp. Josephus, Ant. i, 8, 1). As he had feared, the beauty of the fair stranger excited the admiration of the Egyptians, and at length reached the ears of the king, who forthwith exercised his regal Tight of calling her to his harem, and to this Abraham, appearing as only her brother, was obliged to submit (comp. Josephus, liar, v, 9, 4). As, however, the king had no intention to act harshly in the exercise of his privilege, he loaded Abraham with valuable gifts, suited to his condition, being chiefly in slaves and cat- tle. These presents could not have been refused by him without an insult which, under all the circum- stances, the king did not deserve. A grievous disease inflicted on Pharaoh and his household relieved Sarai from her danger by revealing to the king that she was a married woman ; on which he sent for Abraham, and, after rebuking him for his conduct, restored his wife to him, and recommended him to withdraw from the country. The period of his stay in Egypt is not re- corded, but it is from this time that his wealth and power appear to have begun (Gen. xii, 1C). If the do- minion of the Hyksos in Memphis is to lie referred to this epoch, as seems not improbable [sec Egypt], then, since they were akin to the Hebrews, it is not impossi- ble that Abram may have taken part in their war of conquest, and so have had another recommendation to the favor of Pharaoh. He accordingly returned to the land of Canaan, much richer than when he left it "in cattle, in silver, and in gold" (Gen. xiii, 2). It was probably on his way back that his sojourn in the ter- ritories of Abimelech, king of Gerar, occurred. This period was one of growth in power and wealth, as the respect of Abimelech, and his alarm for the future, so natural in the chief of a race of conquering invaders, very clearly shows. Abram*s settlement at Beershe- ba, on the borders of the desert, near the Amalekitc plunderers, shows both that he needed room, and was able to protect himself and his flocks. It is true, the order of the narrative seems to place this event some twenty-three years later, after the destruction of Sod- om ; but Sarah's advanced age at that time precludes the possibility of her seizure by the Philistine king. By a most extraordinary infatuation, Abraham allow- ed himself to stoop to the same mean and foolish pre- varication in denying his wife which had just occasion- ed him so much trouble in Egypt. The result was also similar [see Abimelech], except that Abraham answered the rebuke of the Philistine by stating the fears by which he had been actuated, adding, "And yet indeed she is my sister ; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother ; and she became my wife." This mends the matter very lit- tle, since, in calling her his sister, he designed to be understood as saying she was not his wife. As he elsewhere calls Lot his " brother," this statement that Sarah was his " sister" does not interfere with the probability that she was his niece. The occurrence, however, broke up his encampment there, and expe- dited the return of the entire party northward. Lot also had much increased his possessions ; and after their return to their previous station near Bethel, the disputes between their respective shepherds about water and pasturage soon taught them that the}- had better separate. The recent promise of posterity to Abraham himself, although his wife had been account- ed barren, probably tended also in some degree to weaken the tie by which the uncle and nephew had hitherto been united. The subject was broached by Abraham, who generously conceded to Lot the choice of pasture-grounds. Lot chose the well-watered plain in which Sodom and other towns were situated, and
removed thither. See Lot. Thus was accomplished the dissolution of a connection which had been formed be- fore the promise of children was given, and the disrup- tion of which appears to have been necessary for that complete isolation of the coming race which the Divine purpose required. Immediately afterward the patri- arch was cheered and encouraged by a more distinct and formal reiteration of the promises which had been previously made to him of the occupation of the land in which he lived by a posterity numerous as the dust (see M. Weber, Proles et salus Abraham promissa, Viteb. 1787). Not long after, he removed to the pleas- ant valley of Mamrc, in the neighborhood of Hebron (then called Arba), situated in the direct line of com- munication with Egypt, and opening down to the wil- derness and pasture-land of Beersheba, and pitched his tent under a terebinth-tree (Gen. xiii). This very position, so different from the mountain-fastness of Ai, marks the change in the numbers and powers of his clan.