The Pulpit Commentary — Genesis — Section 305

vlJ't, to laugh. er. Kaxal;w Kayxal;w, cachin- me.le among the men of Abraham's house; ,ior, Gorman, kichern; ui iys;\auE (LXX.); and oircumcised the flesh of their foreskin rejoiced (Onkelos) ; marvelled (Jerome, Tar. in the self-same day. Literally, in the bone gums) ; laughed for joy (.Arabic version, of that da'/1, e.n expression occurring in eh. Augustine, Co.lvin, Delitzsch, Keil, Murphy, vii. _13 1 which is commonly regarded as Je• et alii); not a smile of incredulity (Jerome, hov1stw1 while this is Elohistic ; though Chrysostom) or of diffidence (Kalisch), as Quarry suggests that the ensuing section partitionists assert in order to produce a should commence with this verse in which contradiction between the Elohist and Jeho- case the present paragraph wouid also be vist of eh. xv. And ea.id in his heart, Shall J eho!i~tic,_ an_d the appearance of unnecessary a. child be bom unto him tha.t is (literally, ~epetit10n m its statements avoided Ly view- to tne son of) a.n hundred yea.re old 1 .A sug- mg them as the customary recapitulations gestion of natural reason which was over- that mark the opening of a new division of ruled· by faith (Calvin, Wordsworth), though the history (vide 'Genesis,' p. 440) ; against -better rega,ded as the exclamation of holy which, however, is the name of God which wonder; or as an illustration of believing not coHtinucs to be here employecl. As God for joy (Inglis; cf. Luke xxiv. 41). And (Elohim) had said unto him. shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bea.r 1 Ver. 24.-And Abraham was ninety years Yes. What reason declared impossible was old and nine,-literally, a son of ninety years possible to faith. 11 He considered not the and nine (cf. eh. vii. 6 ; ni. 16)-when he deadness of Sarah's womb" (Rom. iv. 19). was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. Ver. 18.-And Abraham said unto God, O Ver. 25.-And Ishmael his son was thir- that Ishmael might live before thee ! Not teen years old (the same form of expression implying that Abram was content with as above), when he we.a circumcised. Hence Hagar·s child as the promised seed without among the Arabs the ceremony is usually de- waiting for Sarai's son (Jerome, Calvin, Ka- layed till the thirteenth year (cf. Josephus, lisch) ; scucely that he feared Jest God 'Ant.,' i. 13). might remove Ishmael by death now that Vers. 26, 27.-In the selfsame day was Isaac had been promised (Wordsworth); but Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his probably that he desired that Ishmael might son. And a.11 the men of his house, born not only live and prosper (Bush), but share in the house, and bought with money of the with Sarn.h's son in the blessings of the stranger, were circumcised with him. The covenant (Keil, Lange, Roseumilller, Murphy, usual charges of needless repetition which 'Speaker's Commentary,' Inglis). are preferred against the closing verses of this Ver. 19.-And God said, Sarah thy wife chapter may be disposed of by obscrring that shall bear thee a. son indeed; and thou she.It ver. 23 intimates that the sacrament of cir- call his name Ise.e.c. 11 Laughter," or "he cumcision was administered to the pntriarch laughs" ( the third person future (yitsak) being nnd his household on the very day that God frequently employed in personal designations; had enjoined it, i. e. without delay; that cf. Jacob, Jair, Jabin, &c.), with obvious vers. 24, 25 declare the respective ages of reference to .Abraham's laughter (vide ver. 17). Abraham and Ishmael when they received Of. on naming before birth eh. xvi. 11. the Divinely-appointed rite ; and that vers. And I will establish my covenant with him 26, 27 state the fact that the entire houscho!,l for e.n •everlasting covenant, und with his of the patriarch was circumcised simultane- seed after him. ously with himself. Ver. 20-And a.s for Ishmael, I have heard THE ORIGIN OF CIRCUMCISION. The ,!e- thee (meaning, 111s01 "nnd will grant thy terminntion of this question does not appoar pray or;" e.n allusion to the significance of the of paramount importance, yet the ascer- nnme Ishmael, "God hears"): Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, tained results me.y be briefly indicated. (1) a.nd will multiply him exceedingly; twelve .According to Herodotus (ii. 104) circumcision princes shall he beget (vide eh. xxv. 12- was observed as n custom of primitive an- 16), and I will make him a. great nation. tiquity among the Colchinns, Ethiopians, and Ver. 21.-But my covenant will I establish Egyptians, by the last of whom it v.·as com• with Ise.a.o, whom Sa.ra.h shall bear unto thee a.t this set time in the next y~a.r (cf. eh. municated to the Syrians of Palestine and xxi. 2). the Phamicians. It is, however, uncertuin Ver. 22.-And he (i. e. God) left off te.lk- whether among the Egyptians the practice inJ with him (Abraham), and God went up was universal, as Philo and Herodotus assert, -mto heaven ('Vida eh. xxxv. 13)-from or limited to the priesthood, as Origen be- Abraham. Ver. 23.-And Abraham took Ishmael his lieved; and equally doubtful whether the 10n, a.nd e.11 the.t were born in his house, a.nd Egyptians themselves may not have adopted all that were bought with his money, evory i' from the Hebrews in the time of Jos~ph,  238 THE BOOK OF GENESIS. [CH, XVI:. 15-27,