l Through curiolity, w unvelief, or defire of what ſhe lefr, or from all taele Cauſes. k ( e.) From behind her Husband, whom ſhe followed. Wh'ch circumtynce ſeems ro be mentioned as the reaſon ofrhisPreſumprion, becauſcſhe could do it wirhout her Husband's Obſervation or Reproof, ro W,ch ſhe had a greater regard than to the all-ſeeing Eyz of God. T' ,, Her Body, by a very common Synecdethe.. 1 Either metaphortyj]y, ;.e a p-cpetual durable Pillar as an everhſtiny Covenant 15 calle. 4 Covenant of Salt, Numb: 18: 19: or properly, tor there is a kind of -rajick Silt, which reliſts the Rain, and is hard enough for Build1.,. as Pliny, Solinus, and others witneſs, And that Saic was here meg with Bruntcone, may be; garhered from D:4: 29. 23. Addto Clis, that Jojephrus Antiq. 1, 12.1
and his two daughters. © z Leſt he ſhould either ſuffer from them, or with them ; perceivin now. that though it was little City, yet there was more wickedneſs 14 1t than he imagined. 31 4 And the firſt-born ſaid unto the younger, Our father js old, and there js not a man in the earth o to
come in unto us after the manner of all the earth p.
0 Either 1. In the whole Earth : For rhey thought tne ſame deluge of Fire which deſtroyed rhe four Cities had by this time extended it ſelf to Zoar, and al! other p'aces, knowing that the whole World did liein Wickedneſs, and having poſſibly heard from their Father, that the Worid as it was once deſtroyed by Water, fo it ſhould afterwards be conſumed by Fire, which they might think was now executed, and that God had ſecured Abraham from it by taking bing to himſelf. Or, 2. that Land, as ths word may be rendred. And her meaning might nct be this, that there was no Man at all, but not a Man with whom they mighr or durſt Marry + For though they knew they left many Men in Zoar, \y«<t the ſad experience of the dreadful Ruin wherein their Brethrep=n-law were involved, made them abher the thoughts of any Conjunthion with them. p( z.e.) OF all the Inhabirants of the Earth. Compare Gen: 18: 11: |
32 Come, let us make our father drink wine q, and we will lie with him, that we may preſerve ſeed of our
father 7. =. . OD 9 Which they carried with them amongſt other neceſſary provi-
ſions either from Sedowr or Zoar r Which :hough an inceſtuous and
abominable Aion, yet they thought was made lawful by rhe ſup= poſed neccſlity, as in the beginning of the World the: Marriage of
Bret.iren and Siſtzrs was lawful, becauſe neceſſary ; and when it |
cealed to be neceſſary, becauſe of the increaſe of Mankind, it became inceſtuous.
' 33 'And they made their father drink wine 5 that night :. and the ficſt-born went in, and lay with hes farher, and he perceived not when ſhe lay down, nor when (he aroſe z. DEE.
s Towir, in Exceſs, ſoas to deprive him of the uſe of his Rea» ſon and Grace, which was likely to fruſtrate their Projed&t : This was a great Sin, nor only in them, but al'o in Let himtelf, not to beexcuſed by ignorance of the virtue of Wine, which being knowrh to both th? Daughrers, certainly their Father cou'd nor be 1gnorane of it. Tous hs who kept his Integrity in the midſt of all che Temprations of Sedom, fallsinto a grievous Sin in a place where he mighr ſeem mo? remote from all Temptations : God permitring this, to teach all f.]'owing Ages, how weak even the beſt Men are, when they ar? left ro themſe'v2s, and whar abſolute need they have of Divine Afſitence, * Wherein there is nothing ſtrange, it being uſual wich Drunken Men to do mahy things in that condition, which when they come to themſelves, they perfe&tly forger. And ſo might Lot, when under the pawer of Wine, forget that his Wife was rra_ into a pillar of Salt, and might miſtake his Daughter fos his Wife. | Es Ls
34 And it came to paſs on the morrow, that the firſt-born ſaid unto the younger, Behold, I lay yeſter= night with my father : letus make him drink wine this night alſo ; and gochou in, and lie with him; that we
| may preſerve ſeed of our father;
235 And they madetheir father drink wine that night alſo ; and the younger aroſe, and lay with him ; and he perceived not when the lay down, nor when ihe aroſe.
36 Thus were boch the daughters of Let with child + by their father. oo te GE Rs
+ Waich they might poſſivly imagine to be an evidence of Divine Approbation of their Fatt ; whereas, indeed, it was a deſign of God to mak? a laſting Monument of rheir Sin and Shame. _
37. And the firſt-born bare a {on, and cailed his name Moab « : the ſame js the father of the Moabites x unto this day. BENE 2
.u (7.e.) Of my Father, begotten upon ime by my Father. Sa ſhe had learned from her Neighbours to declare her ſin as Sodom, Iaiah 3. 9g. x A miſchievous and infamous Pcople, branded, as rheir Brethren alſo the Ammonites were; with Characters of God's Diſpleaſure, 7 Leto Ft |
38 And the younger, ſhe alſo bare a ſon; andcalled his name Ben-ammt y; the ſame #5 che father of the children of Ammon unto this day, . 4, _ _ *
E 3 J (1,6)
affirms that this Pillar remained in his time. And the likeis witneſſed 4
* Chap,
- 2 6 -, v.0Y 8
* 5 (3.e. ) The $91 of my People, or Kindred, not of the curſed Race. of the Sodomites, where 1 was to bemarried. This is ſomething more modeſt than the-other in the nzme ſhe gives, but both impudently glorying in their Sin and Shame, of which they ſhould have bitterly
repented. | CHAP. XX. aham ſojourns in Gerar,” 1. Denies Sarah to be his wife 5 Abimelech ſends . and takes her, 2. God warns Abimelech in a dream, 3. He expoſtulates with God ; who anſwers gnd commands him to reſtors Sarah, 4—7*+ Abimele:h warns his ſervants, 8. Rebukes Abraham, 10. Who excuſes and defends what he had ſaid, 11---—-13. Abimelech kind to Abraham ; reftores his wife, 14, 15- Rebukes Sarah, 16. Abraham prays for Abimelech ; God removes his judgments, 17, 18.
ND Abraham journeyed from thence towards the ſouth countrey b, and dwelt between Cadeſh
and Shur, and ſojourneyed in Gerar.
a From the plain of Mamre, Chap: 18: 1: where he had long dwelt; and whence he removed, either becauſe of irs nearneſs to that filthy Lake, which now was in the place of that late fruirful plain; or for other reaſons and conveniences needleſs to be here enquired or
| derermined. b Yet more towards the Southern part of Canaan. 2 And Abraham faid of Sarah his wife, * She is my ſiſter c : and Abimelech king of Gerar ſent, and took
Sarah d. 6 .