19 And God opened her eyes c, and ſhe faw a well of water : and ſhe went, and filled the botcle with wa= ter, and gave the lad drink. |
£ Not that her Eyes were ſhut or blind before, but ſhe faw not
her Eyes were full of Tears, -and her Mind diſtrafted and heedleſs through exceſſive Grief and Fear ; or becauſe God with-held her Eyes that ſhe might not ſee it withour his information. Compare Num: 23: 31. Luk: 24: 16,
20 And God was with the lad, and he grew, and ' dwelt in. the wilderneſs, ard became an Archer 4.
d (5, e. ) A skilful Hunter of Beaſts, and Warrier with Mentoo, E 4 acco:ding
b (5. e.) Sapport or ſuſtain thy languiſhing Child with thy hands
the Well before ; either becauſe it was at ſome diſtance, or becauſe +
n 4 2 Pp ; OEe ET EDS : vip pig * p 554 ot, Tab . "IT wo » ng. * 'Y. TR Ld
, zccording to the PrediQtion, Gen: 16: 12. For the Bow was a prin- _ cipal Inſtrument in War,as well as in Hunting, Gen: 4852. and 49:
23, 24. And theſe two Profeſſions oft went together. See Gen: 10:9.
21 And he dwelt in the wilderneſs of Paran e:
Egypt 2. . = .| 2 In the Borders of that Wilderneſs, by comparing Ger: 14: 6. for the innermoſt parts of it were uninhabirable by Men or Beaſts, as Ancient Writers note. f By which we ſee both the Obligation that lyes upon Parents, and the right that is inveſted in them, to diſpole of their Children in Marriage in convenient time.Compare Gin: 24. 4. and 28; 2. Judges 14: 2. g Rather than out of Canaar, concerning whoſe accurſed State and furure Deſtruction ſhe had been informed in Abraham's Houſe. | ; 22 And it- came to paſs at that time, that Abime- lech þ and Phicol the chief captain of his hoſt ſpake .. unto Abraham, ſaying, God is with thee in all that thou doſt ;. þ He of whom, ſee Gen: 20: 2. i Weplainly ſee that God bleſ- ſeth and proſpereth thee in all thy undertakings. | + Heb. F 23 Now therefore ſwear unto me here by God, T that
#hou ſbal thou wilr nor deal falſly with me &, nor with my fon, | _ "nor with my ſons ſon : but according to the kindneſs | thatT have done unto thee, thou ſhalt do unto me, and
." tothe land wherein thou haſt ſojourned. & That thou wilt not do me any hurt or injury : Heb. That thou wilt not lie witome, i. e. As thou haſt formerly profeſſed Kindneſs and Friendſhip to me, give me thy Oathro aſſure me that thou wilt be
true and conſtant to thy own Profeſſions.
'24 And Abraham faid, I will ſwear /.
I Queſt. How could Abraham lawfully ſwear this, when Canaan | was given by God to him and his Seed for ever ? 4»/. Neither 4bra- 1 ham nor his Seed had any preſent and attual right to the Poſſefſion 3 of the Land, bur only the promilſe of a right in it, and Poſſeſſion of ; it after ſome hundreds of years, and therefore he gave away none of his right by this Oath. For this Oath did only oblige Abraham, and not his Poſterity ; and 4bimelech extended that Obligation no further than to his Son's Son» :
: 25 And Abraham reproved Abimelech mz, becauſe AQ of a well of water » which Abimelech's ſervants had * violently taken away. |
-» That the foundation of true Friendſhip might be firmly laid, and the Peace inviolably obſerved, he removes an impediment to it, an occaſion of Quarrel and juſt Exception on Abraham's part.
-» Which in thoſe hot and dry countries was of great eſteem and neceſſity. Compare Gen: 26: 19, 20, 21. Judges 1: 1F. Beſides a Well may be put for Wels, as the Greeks render it, and as may ſcem pro- bable by comparing this with Gen: 26. 15, 18. It being an ordinary thing to uſe the Singular ' Number for the Plural, as hath been - hewed. © See Gen. 3. 2: and 4: 20. 26 And Abimelech ſaid, I wot not who hath done
this thing : neither didft thou tell me, neither yet heard
I of ir, but to day 0: | | o By which he wiſely and truly ſuggeſts, that Abraham ſhould not have ſmothered the Grudge in his mind fo long time, but ſhould inſtantly have reproved him for it, and endeavoured a ſpeedy re-
dreſs, which hereby he intimars that he was ready to give.
27 And Abraham took ſheep, and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech pz and beth of them made a
covenant. | ; |
p Partly as an acknowledgment to him for his formerFavour and *
+ - Friendſhip ; partly as an afſurance of his fincere Friendſhip, both
preſent and for the future, of his acquieſcenice in his anſwer about
the Well ; and partly for Sacrifice, and for the uſual Rite in making
- _ Covenants, which was; that the Perſons covenanting might pats through the parts of the ſlain Beaſts. See Gen: 15: 18.
28 And Abraham ſer'ſeven ew-lambs of the flock by .
themſelves. _ | 29 And Abimelech ſaid unto Abraham, What mean
and his mother took him a wife f out of the land of }
1 and all his Friends and Allies, and what a
v | cs | Chap. XXII }
24 And Abraham ſojourned in the Philiſtines land
many days.
CH AP. XXIL
God tempts Abraham, 1. to ſacrifice Iſaac, 2. He readily goes about it, z-===-6. Iſaac's queſtion, 7, Abraham's anſwer, 8. They come to the place ; he binds. Iſaac ; lays him on the altar ; takes the knife, 9, 10. The Lord jees his integrity, and forbids him, 11, 12. A ram caught, and offered in the Read of TJaac, 13. The name. of the place, Jehova- jireth, 14. The Lord calls a ſecond time, 15. Swears by bimfelf ; confirms his promiſe ro Abraham and his ſeed, 16-----=18. Abraham rerurns to Beer-ſh:ba, 19» The Poſterity of his Brother Nahor, 20-==-24,
ham. And he ſaid, | Behold, here am c.
a After the accompliſhment of God's promiſes made to Abraham, and eſpecially of that promiſe concerning the bleſſed Seed ; when now he ſeemed. to be in a moſt proſperous and ſecure Condition, he meets with a ſevere exerciſe from God.. b The word JTempt 15 am» biguous, and ſignifies either 1. To intice to Sin, in which ſenſe Devils and wicked Men are ſaid to tempt others,but God zemprs no man, Jam: 1. 13. Or 2. To prove or try, and in this ſenſe God is ſaid to tempr Men. See Deuz: 8. 2. and 13: 3. Judges 2: 22. Thus God tempted Abraham, ( i.e ) hetiyed the lincerity and ſtrengtir of his Faith, the wniveriality and conſtancy of his Obedience, and this for God's great Honour, and Abraham's great Glory and Com= fort, and for the Churches benefit in all following Ages. c An expreſſion ſignifying a Man's attentive hearing what is 1aid to him, and his readineſs to execute. it, as v: 7. 11. and Gen: 27. 1. and 1 $4: 3: 4, 6. |