' made ſure unto Abraham for a polleſſion of a burying- Place, by the ſons of Heths
CHAP. XXIV,
Abraham's ate and proſperity, 1. He makes his eldeſt ſervant ſwear not ro rake a wife for his ſon Iſaac of the Canaanites, bus of his own kindred, 2 * 4 The ſervant enquires into the ature and conditions of the oath, 5. Abraham expreſſes his faith in the promiſe, 7. Explains rhe oath, 8: The ſervant ſwears, 10. He goes to the city of Nahoy, 11. Prays for ſucceſs, 12. And direfion, 13, 14. An immediate and particular av ſwer, 15 20: He wonders atthe providence, 21: Makes a preſent z0 Rebekah, 22. Enquires of what family ſhe was, 23. Her anſwer,
24, 25: . He bleſſeth the Lord, 26, 27. Rebekah acquainrs her friends with it, 28. They provide for him, Oc. and invitehim in, 31, :2, He goes in; but refuſes to eat till he had told his errand, 33. He acquaints them with his buſmeſs, and Gods providence towards him, 34 — 49. They conſent to his propoſal, 5o, 51: He praiſes God, 52. Makes preſents to them all, 53. Deſires to return to hus maſter, 54 56. Rebekah being con=
depart ; and meet JJaac meditating in rhe field, 61 —= 65. Who mar= ries her, G7. |
; ND Abraham was old 4,and + well ſtricken in age 5 I and the LOR D had biciſed Abraham in all THeb:2-4
chin gs. into days. a Bcing one hundred and fourty years old, by comparing Gen:21, 5. with Gen: 25: 20, 2 And Abraham ſaid unto his eldeit ſervant of his houſe 6, that ruled over ali that he had, * Pur, I pray chee, thy hand under my thigh c : *Chap.47;
b Viz. Eliezer, Gen: 15. 2, © A ceremony uſed in Swearing, as 292 now, ſo anciently in the Eaſtern parts, as Gen. 47: 29. either as a te= ' ſtimony of Subjection,and promuitſc of faithful Service; for this Rite | was uſed only byInferiours towardsSuperiours;or,as ſome think, with reſpett to the blefled Seed,Chriſt, who was to come out of Abraham's Thigh, as the phraſe is Gen; 46; 26: becauſe thisRite was uſed on= ly to Behevers.
3 AndIwill make thee ſwear by the L OR D, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that * thou
ſhalt not take a wife unro my ſon 4 of the daughters of *Chap.24
the Canaanites eamongſt whom I dwell. 3: w_ _ d (7.e.) Not perſwade nor engage my Son to take ; for Iſaac, n Male
though fourty ycars old, his Father in this Affair, wiſe and faithful Servant, had ſuch long and large experience. e For he knew that they were not only groſs Idolaters and heinous Sinners, for ſo many others were;but that they werea People under God's peculiar Curſe, Gen. 9. 25. and devoted to extirpation and utter deitru&ion, which was to be inflicted upon them by Abraham's Poſterity : And therefore to marry his Son to ſuch perſons had been an high degree of Self- murder, whereby the holy and blefled Seed had been in danger of great inf:&ion from them, and utter ruine with them. And 4 braham's pra&tice was afterwards juſtified by God, who hath oft ſhew= ed hisdiilike of ſuch unequal matches of his People with thoſe In. fidels and Idolaters, by ſevere prohibitions and ſharp cenſures. See Exod: 34: 16. Deut, 7. 3. Joſ: 23. 12. Ejd. yg. 1, 2, 3. Nehem, 13. 273, 25. 2 Cor: 6:14, 15.
4 But thou ſhalt gounto my countreyf, and to my kindred g, and take a wife tinto my ſon Iſaac,
f (i.e. ) Meſopotemia, werſe 16. which being largely taken for the Countrey between thoſe two famous Rivers Euphrates and Tigrs, from which ſcituation it hath that name; ſo Chaldez, whence Abraham came, Gen. 11. 31. and 12. 1. was apart of it. g The Family of Nahor, concerning the increaſe whereof he had received ' information. chap. 22. 20, &'c. which he juſtly preferred before the Canaantes, partly becauſe though they were Idolaters, as ap= pearsfrom Gen. 31. 19, 30, 32, 35. and Jof, 24. 2..yet they did wor- 'hip the true God rogether with Idols, as may be gathered from werſe 3:. 59. ofthis Chapter, and from other places; and theres
was not only willing to be governed b EX0 but alſo to hearken to the counſel of this 34: 16:
' fere there was more hopes of the Converſion of one ofthat Fami-
Iy;
#8 AS yy 2 <a
tent to go with lim, they conſent, and bleſs her, $7 ——- 60. - They of
of whom both his Father and himſelf Deut:7:I 4
Cha
Ss
Ra ww bl w RS
P
z
Chap. KXIV.
+ Or,and.
*Chap.27. 53>
tHeb.that Women which draw Wa- T=r 20
fo ith.
*Verſ.43.
*Chap.29: 9:Exod.2. 18.
*Chap. 11.
29.
GEN
ty; and partly becanſe c whe:e Abraham and his Poſterity did and ſhould live, and therefore of that flock would be more caſfily diiintangled from her Su-
ONeg >
perftition and Taofacry, cauſe the was removed from the influ- ences of the evil counſcisand examples of herneareſt Relations,and partly becauſe they were of the Race of ble{led Shim, and not of
curſed Canaan.
5 And the ſoryant aid unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land b: muſt I necds bring thy ſon again into the land from whence thoucamelt 2? Ws
h Note here the prudenceand piety of this good man,who, before he would take an-Oath,doth diligently enquire into the nature and conditions of it, and expreſly mentioneth that exception, which might ſeem ro be of courſe ſuppoſed in it.
& And Abraham faid unto him, Beware thou, that thou bring not my fon thither again 7. |