God calls Abram from his own countrey and kindred to Canann, 1. Promiſes ro make of him a great and flouriſhing Nation ; and to bleſs in Chriſt his ſeed, 2, 3. Abram obeys, 4---6+ God appears to him, and promiſes to give Canaan to his ſeed ; he/builds an altar, 7. He removes to Bethel, and there builds an altar, $, 9. There being a famine he goes down t0 Feypt, 10. He adviſes Sarai to equivocat, 11---13. She 1s taken into Pharaoh's houſe, 15. Pharaoh kind to Abram for her jake, 16. God plagues him becauſe of Sarai, 17. He calls Abram and expoſtulates with him, 18, 19. Sends him ſafely away, 20. ,
1/4 Heb:aud FRT OW the * LORD had faid « unto Abram, Get
N thee ous of thy countrey,* and from thy kindred,
;&c. 2nd from thy fathers houſe b, unto a land that I will
&s 7:3 h:3 1:3
ſhew th:e c.
a To wit, in Ur of the Chaldees, by comparing Gen: 11: 31. with ARES 7: 3, 4+ or, did ſay, again, 7. e. renewed the command in Ha- ran, whileſt Abram might poſlibly linger there, as afterwards Lot did in Sodom,longer than he thould. Bur the former interpretation 1s more probable, becauſe Moſes ſpeaks here of that command of God which came to Abram before he was gone from his kindred and fa- ther's houſe, and therefore before he came to Haran. And this com- mand was given to Abram either immediatly, or by Sem, then the Governout of God's Church. 6 From the family of Machor, which was now become TIdolatrous, Gen: 31: 3o. Joſ: 24: 2. and conſe-
quently, their Society was dangerous and pernicious ; and there»
|! + Heb:
| #hake thee will bleſs thee d, and make thy name great, and thou { agreat Na-.
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fore God mercifully ſnatcheth him asa brand out of the Fire. c Which as yet he nameth nor, for the greater tryal and exerciſe of 4brom's faith and patience, compare a: 41: 2. Heb: 11.8.
2 And I will | make of thee a great nation, and I
ſhalt be a blefling e: |
d With all my bleſſings, Spiritual, Temporal, and Eternal. See. Devt: 7: 13: and 28: 2, &c. and Eph. 1: 3:e( 7. e.) Botha par- tern and inftrument of Bleſlednefſs ro others; to thy Poſterity who ſhall te bleſſed forthy ſake; to thy Servants and Friends who ſhall be bleſſed by thy inſtrufttion and help ; and to all the World, as it follows. |
2 And I will bleſs them that bleſs thee, and cu:ſe
*Chap:18 him that curſeth thee f': * in thee g ſhall all familics | x8:and * þ of the earth be bleſſed 5.
f Thoſe that are Friends or Enemies to thee, ſhall be the ſame A marvellous condeſcenfſion and priviledge. g (7.e.) In thy Seed, as it is explained Ger. 22: 18. and 26. 4. and 28. 24. ( z. e. ) in and through Chrift, Af#s 3: 25. Gal. 3: 9, 16, 28, 29.
or for thee, as the Chaldee hath it, 3. e. for thy ſake ; or,by hee, 7. e.
by thy means ; or with thee, by comparing this with Gal: 3: 8,9. 7. e. in the ſame way and manner in which thou art bleſſed, that is, by a fruitful Faith, Compare Rom: 4: 11, 12, 16. h(5.e-) All Nations; which is to be limited to the Believers of all Nations, by the whole current of the Sc:iprures. 7 All that ſhall be bleſſed,
' ſhall be bleſſed bþy this means, aad no other way.
4 So Abrim departed & as the LORD had ſpoken unto him, and Lot went with him : and Abram as ſeventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran, |
& Firſt from Ur, and after his father's death from Haran.
5 And Ajbram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brothers ſon, and all their ſubſtance that they had ga- thered, and the ſouls / that they had gotten »: inHaran; and they went forth to go into. the land of Canaan: and into the land of, Canazn they came.
I ( 7. e. ) The perſons, as the word Souls is oft uſed, as Gen: 14. 21. and 17. 4. Exod: 12: 15. Levit: 2: 1. Num: 23: 10. Dent: 24:" 7: Mark 3: 4. &c. m Heb: made, ( i: e: ) either 1. begotten ; for though Abram had yer no children, Lot had, and both their Serrants had Children by their Fellow-ſervants born in their Houſe, which might well be numbred among Abram's and Lot's perſons, becauſe they had, an abſolute Dominion over them, Or, 2,
, u
GENESIS.
cauſe her Beaury was not diminiſhed by Childbearing.
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frruRed, ( 7. e. ) turned from Tdolatry, and taught in the truc Reli- gion, as the Chaldee expounds it: For ſuch were moſt p.oper for Abram to take along with him out of his Father's Houle in this Ex- pedition» Or, 3. Gorten, ( i.e.) procured either by conqueſt or purchaſe, or any other lawful and uſual way.
6 4 And Abram paſſed through the land unto the place of Sichem », unto the plain of Moreh. And
the Canaanite o was then ii the land p. :
1 Heb. Sechem, a place afterwards ſo called in the Mounrains of Ephraim, Joſ: 21: 21. Judg. 8. 31. and here ſo called by anticipa- tion. o Properly ſo called ; that curſed, cruel, impious, and ido- latrous Nation. See Zech. 14: 21. This is'added as an aggrava- tion of Abram's Faith-and Obedience, that he durſt and did profeſs che true Religion in the midſt of ſuch a People 3 which could not be without great danger both of his Eſtate and Life p As a ſettled Inhabitant to continue there for a long time ; whereas now 1n Moſes his time, he was forthwith ro be expelled out of it.
7 And the LORD appeared unto Abram q, and ſaid, * Unto thy ſe<d will I give this land » : and there built he an * altar s unto © LORD, who ap-
peared unto him. 9 To encourage and comfort him againſt his wicked neighbours. See Gen: 13: 15: and 15: 18: and 17. 8. and 24: 7. Deut: 34: 4. 5 A place for Sacrifice, and other parts of Divine Worſhip, ere&ed by him both to keep his Family in the true Religion, and to ſeparate himſelf and them from that idolatrous ne;zghbourhood. | 8 And he removed from thence uno a mountain on che eaſt of Beth-el 7, and pitched his rent, having Beth- el on the weſt #, and Hai x on the eaſt : and there he built an altar unto the LORD,and called upon the name of the LORD.
t A known place,/ which afterwards was called Beth-el, but now Luz, Gen: 28: 19: An uſual prolepſis, or anticipation, as before, verſe 6, u Or, On the Sea; which is all one, becauſe the Sea was on the Weſt part of the Land. See Ger: 13 14. and 22: 14. Nm. 3: 23: Deut: 3: 27« x Or, 4, as it is called Joſ: 7. 2. Jer: 49. 3. 1/a. Io: 28.
9 And Abram journeyed y, + going on ſtill towards the fouch z.