; Ta caſe ſhe will not come hither, do not thou eng2ge that he ſha! go thither. Why ſo ? x. Becauſe there was more danger of infe&ion from his Wife and her Kindred, becauſe of their friendly, and familiar, and conſtant converſe with him, than from the Ca- naauites, who were ſtrangers to him, and lived ſeparately from him, and had bur little converſation with him. 2. Becauſe the command of God to Abraham to come out of Chaldea, and into Canaan, did extend to his Poſterity alſo, whom God would oblige to dwell there as long as they could, ' that they might liven con- ſtant Faith and expe&ation of the performance of od s promiſe in giving his land unto them. Qu2f#. How cou d he bring {aac thi- ther again, where he never was ? Anſw. 1. !ſaac might be ſaid ro be there before vi:tually, or in the Loins ofhis Father, as Lev: 1s faid to pay Tithes to Melchiſedeck by Avraham 1n whoſe Loins he was. 2. This azain may be referred to the Servant, that when he returned again he would not carry {/2ac along with them. 3. He might reaſonably ſuppoſe thar 1ſaac muſt go once thithers to fetch his Wife; ( for her coming ſo ſuddenly to him was an unexpe&ed thing ; ) but he wonld not have him promile, that when he had done ſo ence, he ſhould go thither again to live there with her.
> 4 The LORD God of heaven * which took me from my fathers houſe, and from the land of my kin-
died, and which ſpake unto me, and that {ware unto
- me, ſaying, * Unto thy ſeed will I give this land, he * thall ſend his angel before thee Þ, and thou ſhalt take a
wife unto my ſon from thence Kk.
+ To dire+ and ſucceed thee in this enterprize. Compare Exod. 14. 19. and 23. 20. k T doubt not of the ſucceſs. He might ' fay ſo, either by rational ccnjeEture, both from the nature. of rhe thing, and from the conſtant courſe of God's Providence, blefling him in all his concerns ; or by particular aſfuranceand inſpiration from God | ks
8 And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou ſhalt be clear from this my oath 7: only bring not my ſon thither again.
I From the obligation of this Oath, and from the penalties ofthe violation of it. 9 Andrhe ſervant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his maſter, and ſware to him concerniag that matter.
xo T And the ſervant took ten camelsof the camels of hiSmaſter,and departed,( Þ for all the goods of his ma- ſter ere in his hand #2 ) and hearoſe,and went to Me. ſopotamia.unto the * city of Nahor F.
m (1.e.) Tn his power to- take, without pa-ticular orders, what he thought fit and neceſſary either for his own uſe, or for the pre-
motion of the preſent buſineſs. + Which was Haran,by comparing Gen: 28: 10: and 29: 4.
11 And he made hiscamels to kneel down without the City by a well of water, at the time of the evening, even the time Þ that women go cutto driw water.
12 Andheſaid, O Lord God of mi maiter Abraham, I prav thee, ſend me good ſpeed this day,and ſhew kind- neſs » unro my maſter Abraham
_ % Or, Mercy. He makes no mention of himſelf, nor of the me- rits of his Maſter,but he aſcribes even temporal Bleſſings,and much more eternal Salvation, meerly to Gzod's Mercy.
13 Behold, * I ſtand here by the well of water, and * the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water :
14 And let it come to paſs « that the damſel to whom 7 thallſay, Let down thy pitcher, 7 pray thee that 7 may drink ; and ſhe ſhallſay, D:ink, a d wil. give thy camels drink alſo: Je the ſame be ſhe that' thou halt appeinted p for thy ſervant .I{aac ; and there- by ſhall 1 know that thou haſt ſhewed kindneſs unto my maſter.
_ © That this was not a raſh and vain Fancy, but a ſpecial ExpeCa- tion and Confidence wroughr in him by God's Spirit, appears both by the eminent Prudence and {zodlinef, of this Fe: ſon, an! by the exact correſpondency of the event with his Prayer, and by . pa- rallel Examples,as Jzdg.'6:36: 1 Sam ©: 7: and 14.8. p Heb. Evidently pointed out;or, exactly ſearched out, as a perſon meer fir him.
I5 & Andit came to pals before he had done ſpeak- ing, that behold Rebekah came out, who was born to: Bethuel lon of * Miicah che wife of Nahor Abrahams brother, with her picth2r upon her {houlder q.
_ y 1 - s q According ro tne manner of the ti-{t and pureſt Ages of the World,wherein Humiliry and iiligence nor, as in this degene-
Fation of the World, Pomp and Iicncf, were trac Ornaments of
they lived at a greatdiſtance from the place
Us ESI16S that Sex and Age. See Ger, 18: 6. and 29, 9g. 19. 20. Exed. 2. 16. Prov. 31: 27.
16 And the damſel as + very fair-to look upon, a virgin,* neither had any man known her r:and tbe went down to the well and filled her pitcher,and came up.
_# ('7.e. ) She was a Virgin not only in Title and Shew, but in Truth, for no man had known her, z. e- corrupted her.
17 And the ſervant ran to meet;--r,and ſaid, Let me, ( Tpray thee ) drink a lictle water of thy pitcher,
18 And lhe ſaid, Driak,my Lord s * and ſhe haſte: and let down her pircher upon her hand, and ave him drink. | 4
s For hisr2tinucſhewed him to be a perſon of more than 0:9i- nary quality. oh
19 And when ſhehad done giving him drink. ſhe faid, I will draw watey for thy camels alſo, until they have donedrinking, trough, and ran again unto the well to'draw water, and drew for all his camels, :
21 Andthe man wondring at her ?, held his peace,to wit thathe might know whether the LORD had made his journey proſperous, ornot.
# ( i.e, ) Arthe wonderful-Pfovidence of God Anſwer of his Prayer. : 09, and the eminent
22 Andit came to pals as the camels had done drink- ing,thac the man took « a golden + ear-ring x of half a
ſhekels weight of gold;
u (7; e: ) Gave to her, as that word of taking, or receiving is oft uſed, as Gen: 12. 19: Exod: 18:12: and 29: 25: Pſal: 68: 18: com ared with Eph: 4: 8: x So the word ſignifies, Gen: 35: 4: Exod: mh: i Or, j-wels for zhe forehead, which hung down fiom the forchead w
thenoſe, or between the eyes. ' So the word is uſed, we-ſc 47: Ezek: 16: 12. : :
23 Andſaidy, Whoſe daughter ar: thou ? tell me. 7 pray thee : Is chereroom in thy fathers houſe for us to lodge in ? y Or,frr hehatſaid;for it is probable he enquired who ſhe was bez fore he gave her thole preſents. e4 Andihe ſaid unto him,] az the daughter of Bethu- el the ſon of Milcah z, whichſhe bare unto Nahor.
z So ſhe ſignifies that ſhe was Nahor's Daughte by hi p cubine, but by his lawful and principal Wike OT Og