ns in wr. 22. El-Elion with Jehovah (cf. remarkable degree of generosity-Give me Qnnrry, p. 426). the persons-literally, the souls, i. e. those Ver. 18. -And he blessed him (in \\•hich of my peo)?lo whom you have recovered (cf. act appears his distinctively sacerdotal cha- eh. xii. 6, m which the term is employed to rnct<'r), and ea.id (the form of the benediction describe domestic slaves)-alld take the is poetical, consisting of two parallel stanzas), goods to thyself (which, Micho.elis observes, :Blessed be Abram-so Iseac blessed Jacob he was justly on titled to do by right of con• (eh. xxni. 27), nnd Jacob Joseph (eh. xlviii. quest). l 5), conveying in each case o. Divine bene- Ver. 22,-And Abram nid unto the king ,liction-of the most high God-~ after a of Sodom, I have lift up:rnine hand-a com- passi.c .crb indicating the efficient cause mon form of swearing (Deut. xxxii. 40 • (m'de Gcsenius, § 143, 2, and cf. Gen. xxxi. 15; Ezek. xx. 5, 6 ; • Dan. xii. 7 1• Rev. it. 61 6 : n.• 1 .. 196) Pro,. xiv. 20)-possessor-so Onkelos and cf • T'1rg., <"':"n., xu. . -;-unto the Lord (Je-I Calvin; but koneh, from l"anah, to erect, set hovah; ' which, occurrmg m the present docu- np, hence found or create, means founder and ment, proves the antiquity of its use as I\ creator (Gesenius), combines the meanings of designati?n of the :qeity)? t~e most high God,. ~-r,:rn, and ,::;au0a, (Keil), contains no indis- -El-Elion; thus 1dentifymg Jehovah with tinct allusion to the doctrine of eh. i. 1 the God of llfelchisedcck, and perhaps of the (?llurphy), and is rendered oc ,i:nu, (LXX.) king of Sodom (vide supra)-the poese■eor and qui crcaviJ (1ulgatc)-of heaven and of heaven and earth. · • •• earth. _ Ver. 23.-That I will not tako_:_literaliy; Yer. 20.-And blessed be the most high if (sc. I shall take) ; an abbreviation for God (cf. eh. ix. 26), who hath delivered- " May God do so to me, if. ; .. I " (cf. 1 Sam, 1ni:7gen, a word peculiar to poetry= nathan iii. 17; 2 Sam; iii. 36). The particle 'Cite lcf. I'l'D,. iv. 9; Hosea xi. 8)-thine enemies has the force of a negative in adjuration- -t;;arecha, also a poetical expression = 'oyeb from a thread even to a shoe-latchet, •and (cJ. Dcut. xxxii. 2i; Job xri 9; Ps. lxxxi. that I will not. ~ake any thing (literally, and 15)-into thy hand. And he-not l\Ielchise- if I shall take anything) that is thi.ne,- tlcck (Jewish interpreters), but .Abram (Jose- literally, of all that (-sc. belongs) to thee- phus, LXX., Jonathan, Heb. vii. 6)-gave lest thou shouldest. say (literally, and thou him (not .Abram, but l\Iclchisedeck) tithes- shale not say), I. have made Abram rich. '' teu ths. '' These, being the customary offer- Though not averse to accept presents from ing to tbe Deity, were an acknowledgment heathen monarchs (eh. xii. 16), the patriar<:h of tbe Dfrine priesthood of Melehisedeck. could not consent to share in the wealth of The practice of paying tithes, primarily a the impious Sodomites; in, this a strikuig Yoluntary tax for the servants of the sanctu- contrast to Lot, . ary, appears to ]1ave obtained among differ- Ver. 24:-save- '1V,~~1 compounded of cut nations from the remotest antiquity (vule Dr. Ginsburg in 'Kitto's Cyclopedia,' art. ',~, not, and ,~, unto== not unto.; a par- Tithes). The tithal law "as afterwards in- ticle of deprecation, meaning,·" nothing shall corporated among the Mosaic statutes (Lev:it. come unto me" (cf." eh. xii. 16)-only that xxvii. 30-33; Numb. xvi.ii. 21-32)-of all which the young men-'W~, a primitive word -the spoils which he had taken (Heb. vii 4.) (cf. Sanscrit,•nara, man; nart, ndri, woman; Ver. 21.-And the king of Sodom (who, Zencl., 'IUEre; Greek, av~p), applied to a though first coming, appears to have retired new-born child (Exod. 'ii, 26; 1 Sam. iv. 21), in favour of the greater personage, llfelchise- a youth cif about twenty (eh. xxxiv. 19; xii. <lcck, and to have witnessed the interview 12), a servant, like ,raic (eh. xxxvii. 2; 2 between liim and Abram, bnt who now, on Kings v. 20), a common soldier (1 Kings xx. its tennination, advances--eaid unto Abram, 15, 17, IJJ; 2 Kings xi.x. 6)-have' eaten, -perhaps anticipating that like donations and the portion of the men wh11 went with from the spoils might be .made to him as to me, Aner, E1hcol 1 and Mamre j let them take llfolchisedeck, in which =e be evinced a their portion. . .• • ·
HOMILETICS. Vere. 17-24.- Visited by kings. I. THE KING OF SALEM. 1. Hu exaUedperso11,, Neither a supramundane being, an angel, the Holy Ghost, o_r ;cbrist; n~r one o~ the early patriarchs, such as Enoch or Shem; but a C_anaa!11tie~ (Shem1te ?) prince, whoee capital was Salem (Jerusalem), and who umted ·m hie person the. double function of priest and monarch of hie people ; probably the last official repreeen~a- tive of the primitive religion, who here advances to meet and welcome the new faith in ihe person of Abram, as at a later period John Daptist recognised and Bl\luted on. XIV, 17-24.] THE BOOK OF GENESIS. 211